What does red velvet cake have to do with Juneteenth?

What does red velvet cake have to do with Juneteenth?

History offers several explanations why Juneteenth food is often red. According to culinary historian Michael Twitty in Afroculinaria: The practice of eating red foods—red cake, barbecue, punch and fruit– may owe its existence to the enslaved Yoruba and Kongo brought to Texas in the 19th century.

What does red velvet cake have to do with slavery?

But the cake is an important part of Juneteenth parties, where red food is served ostensibly to symbolize the blood shed during slavery and in the Civil War. The June 19 celebrationmarks the date in 1865 when slaves in Texas found out they had been freed.

What did the slaves eat on Juneteenth?

“Juneteenth was sparked by barbecue, watermelon, and red drinks,” says Adrian Miller, culinary historian and author of Black Smoke: African Americans and the United States of Barbecue. The meat smoked on Emancipation Day was dependent on hyperlocal traditions, Miller explains.

What does red symbolize for Juneteenth?

City leaders and one organizer for the Dothan Juneteenth parade, TriState Expo explained how this color got its stripes. “Red stands for of course the blood that was shed on the pathway to freedom,” TriState Expo spokesperson Leah McKay said. “Traditionally for juneteenth most celebrations celebrate with red food.”

Which is better red velvet or chocolate cake?

Conclusion. Both red velvet cake and chocolate cake contains cocoa. But red velvet cake contains additional ingredients like buttermilk, vinegar, and cream cheese, which gives it a more complex flavour and texture. Therefore, red velvet cakes are richer and finer than simple chocolate cakes.

Did blacks invent red velvet cake?

Considered a ‘soul food’ of the South, the Red Velvet Cake is believed to have originated during the 1800’s, and like most southern cuisine and culture, is of African American origin. It may come as a surprise, however, to learn that originally the redness of this cake wasn’t so apparent.

What does watermelon do with Juneteenth?

“You cannot say serving watermelon on Juneteenth is a soul food menu when you don’t even know the history, they used to feed slaves watermelon during the slave time,” an anonymous employee told CBS 46. The incident resulted in about 20 employees calling out in protest.

Is Devil’s food cake the same as red velvet?

The key difference between the two cakes is that devil’s food cake uses chocolate and red velvet cake uses cocoa. When foods were rationed in the US during World War II, bakers used boiled beetroot juices to enhance the color of their cakes. Beetroot is found in some red velvet cake recipes.