User reviews

I love anthropology and the culture of food to me is fascinating. This short series did a beautiful job of tracing the culutural lineage of African American cooking. I especially loved the quiet tone of the host and the vibrancy of the cinematography. With only four episodes, though, I feel it failed to further explore Northern influences in the great migration. I would have liked more.

I gave it a 9/10 only cause it was so short and I wanted more.

It's so educational!!! You see how our culinary talent has continued to pierce the country even during a horrible time. It's exhilarating to see this talented young black man highlight other talented black chefs and street venders. Overall very intriguing & and yes I will be trying oysters thanks to this show :)

Ignore the poor reviews on this and enjoy this brief series on the roots and culture of African American cuisine. The host serves as both guide and culinary tourist. A great documentary series leaves me feeling that I had an inside look of something personal and profound and wanting to know more.

Beautiful highlight of Benin 🇧🇯 Kingdom of Dahomey.

Season 2 is just as captivating as season 1, the food is amazing, and there is an equally wonderful integration of the story behind how African American people used the medium of food to survive in America and abroad. Most pleasurable was the story of Georgia Gilmore, and how she helped the civil rights movement. Amazing!

You will see that our way of eating is not the same as other people. We have access to little of our ancestral ingredients and even the knowledge of the food and recipes. There are resources for those who want to learn: The Underground Wellroad Journal: Charting our unconventional wellness journey!

The African American Intuitive Eating Initiative shows you how to eat our food, not diet, and remain healthy!

Also, Oldways has a course, A Taste of African Heritage, that you can learn about the history of the cuisine.

I really enjoyed this series. It was an excellent cinematography. It was cool seeing how African American food is still so closely related to African cuisines and how we built so much of America's food. Very informative, emotional, and powerful! I loved every bit of it!!!

A great documentary that shows how important the connection between local cuisine and one's own origins and identity is. We at Manuyoo, a Berlin start-up, bring products made in Africa to Europe & Germany, such as the Sodabi Tambour Original from Benin and other exceptionally great products. In addition to promoting fair trade with African countries, we also contribute to the dissemination of culinary delicacies.

The beat in this series just didn't hit for me. The food aspect was great in the sense that they can mostly explain the origins of the food and how it ties into African culture and later it's influence into the African-American and American culture, they do great with that part of this docu-series. Somewhere down the line instead of enjoying the food I felt like I was forced fed instead. The host, Stephen, is not the glue holding this documentary together. There is something that is disconnecting from him that I just can't put my finger on.... I don't know. Also, what's with the costumes he wears? For example, the oyster community part in episode 2 they talk about in Staten Island. He got all dressed up in what looked like an Oyster farming outfit to do....nothing. It was for show and I don't see point why. Let's elevate this show and bring it back down to Earth. Stephen, just be more real with who you interact with, let loose and show your real personality. No need to be uber-proper but also don't be rude. I really really really wanted to love this show but it's hard to get through one episode at a time.

This show has been so enlightening for me as a white woman with roots that are both Native American and African. I am amazed at the facts that are shared here. Not because black folks didn't have them already, but because we didn't. It is clearly a celebration of blackness which I fully support, but also of rich stories from generations of people who NEVER gave up, never made excuses, and certainly showed society who they were and what they could do. The people represented in this whole show have made it worth its weight in gold. The ties to Africa and the south were shocking to me. I never knew. What a shame we're not taught these things in school. Africans as a people have had such an influence on everything we eat. They should be honored.

I am so honored that I know the truth about what it means to eat soul food, my absolutely favorite way to eat anything, and its history. Thank you for creating a space for education that doesn't sugar coat truth but tells the story plainly.

I cannot wait to tell people of this treasure of a show. It is both informative and necessary. I hope this is the beginning of an important conversation.

I mean Mac and Cheese came from a guy who cooked for a president?! So stinking cool! He should have been paid in royalties for his absolute brilliance.

This mini series was very informative. I enjoyed listening and learning! Definitely worth setting time aside to watch.

I want to like this. I love food and I love the history behind them, but unfortunately this did not provide either.

Everyone in this show are great except the host....which is the problem. As the advocate for us, he did not ask the right questions nor explore anything new. I want to learn about the culture, the history, the heritage but Stephen is horrible at accomplishing that. I cannot help but compare it to Ugly Delicious which does African American cruise more justice than this.

I like the idea but with an uncharismatic host (honestly get Dr J to do it) the show was difficult to get through. Direction was that great either, lots of voiceover and establishing shots as well that have no purpose except "oh this would look cool" to make it overly cumbersome. Please try again but.....with someone else.