A Culinary Fusion
Enslaved Africans continued their culinary traditions through growing plants in gardens around their living quarters that came from West Africa as well as new plants available to them in the Americas. Click on the plants below to explore their connection to enslaved Africans and their descendants.
Black-eyed Pea
Vigna unguiculata
African Rice
Oryza glaberrima
Hibiscus
Hibiscus sabdariffa
Taro
Colocasia esculentis
Sorghum
Sorghum bicolor
Pearl Millet
Pennisetum glaucum
Sesame
Sesamum indicum
Gilo Eggplant
Solanum aethiopicum
Sweet potato
Ipomoea batatas
African Bird’s-eye pepper
Capsicum frutescens ‘African Bird’s Eye’
Fish Pepper
Capsicum annuum ‘Fish Pepper’
Peanuts
Arachis hypogaea
Onion
Allium cepa
Pumpkin Squash
Cucurbita moschata
Tomato
Solanum lycopersicum
Amaranth (Red Callaloo)
Amaranth spp.
Food as Medicine
Enslaved Africans continued their traditional medicinal practices of holistic healing through the use of medicinal plants, including food plants.
Okra
Abelmoschus esculentus
Collard Greens
Brassica oleracea
Watermelon
Citrullus lanatus
Corn
Zea mays 'Orchard baby sweet corn'
Cayenne Pepper
Capsicum annuum
Potato
Solanum tuberosum
Rhubarb
Rheum rhabarbarum
Sorghum
Sorghum bicolor
Holistic Healing Herbs
Enslaved Africans continued their traditional medicinal practices of holistic healing using plants from Africa and plants available to them in the Americas.
Castor Bean
Ricinus communis
Sweet Basil
Ocimum basilicum
African Basil
Ocimum gratissimum
Elderberry
Sambucus canadensis
Turtlehead
Chelone glabra
Butterfly weed
Asclepias tuberosa
Spotted Bee Balm
Monarda punctata
Catnip
Nepeta cataria
Poppy
Papaver somniferum
Wild Sage
Salvia lyrata
Mullein
Verbascum thapsus
Jerusalem Oak
Dysphania ambrosioides
Plants for Material Uses
Some plants were grown for material uses including bottle gourds for containers and flax for making fabrics and fibers.
Cash Crops
Enslaved Africans and their descendants were forced to cultivate and harvest these five main cash crops in the Americas.
Sugar cane
Saccharum officinarum
Cotton
Gossypium hirsutum
Tobacco
Nicotiana tabacum
Carolina Gold Rice
Oryza sativa 'Carolina Gold'
Indigo
Indigofera tinctoria