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 does red velvet cake symbolize?

Known for its smooth soft texture and distinctively deep, rich red colour, The Red Velvet Cake is enjoyed by many. It is the most significant cake served on Emancipation Day, as it serves a reminder of the bloodshed and those who lost their lives during enslavement.

How is red velvet cake related to Juneteenth?

According to Adrian Lipscombe, red velvet cake's relationship to Juneteenth stems from its red color, which became popular in the 20th century after a specific red food coloring brand became the popular choice for tinting the cake. “The red color it is today was given credit to Adams Extract, a Texas company.

Is Red Velvet a cake for black people?

Did Black folks invent it? Red velvet cake is considered to be soul food of the South! Because like most Southern cuisine that originated in the 1800s, red velvet cake is believed to also be of African-American origin.

Is red velvet cake for Juneteenth?

Evolving over the centuries, Juneteenth celebrations include parades, parties, prayer, and (of course) Juneteenth food. Red velvet cake makes a classic Juneteenth dessert.

Red Velvet Cake Recipe

Why do blacks like red velvet cake?

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 Juneteenth slaves eat?

“In some places in Texas, Juneteenth was all about having goat. It was about the whole hog in some places, and in other places, it was about beef. And then, in some places, it could be all three.” Another essential addition to the Juneteenth culinary tradition is red drinks, a staple across the diaspora.

Is red velvet cake a southern thing?

The cake and its original recipe are well known in the United States from New York City's famous Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, which has been dubbed the confection Waldorf-Astoria cake. However, it is widely considered a Southern recipe.

What country is red velvet cake from?

Around the same time, red velvet appeared on the menu at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City and at Eaton's Department Store chain in Canada — both of which claimed to have invented it. (In 1943, a recipe for red velvet with red food coloring was printed in “The Joy of Cooking.”)

What makes red velvet cake special?

There's more to red velvet cake than just the added food coloring. Red velvet is made with cocoa powder, vinegar and buttermilk. The chemical reaction between these ingredients help give the cake a deep maroon color that is often enhanced by extra food coloring.

Why is Juneteenth color red?

Red foods appear on Juneteenth tables, too.

Red symbolizes the bloodshed by enslaved ancestors due to the transatlantic slave trade, explains James Beard Award winner Adrian Miller, author of Black Smoke: African Americans and the United States of Barbecue.

Why is red food eaten on Juneteenth?

The color red is said to represent the blood shed throughout enslavement, and some say it traces back to parts of West Africa where red drinks marked special occasions and red is symbolic of spiritual power.

Who came up with red velvet cake?

In the 1930s, the Waldorf-Astoria, a famed New York City hotel, began serving red velvet cake. Indeed, it's credited with the creation of the cake, but as the research shows, they only capitalized on a cake that was already somewhat known throughout the country.

Why is red velvet cake red history?

The ingredient of cocoa would help break down the coarse flour. As a result, the flour was softer and the cake was velvety. Some people argue that the red color comes from a chemical reaction. A chemical reaction between the cocoa and acid give the cake it's red color.

How did Red Velvet get its name?

All used red food coloring. The reaction of acidic vinegar and buttermilk tends to better reveal the red anthocyanin in cocoa and keeps the cake moist, light, and fluffy. This natural tinting may have been the source for the name 'red velvet', as well as 'Devil's food' and similar names for chocolate cakes.

What did slaves drink?

in which slaves obtained alcohol outside of the special occasions on which their masters allowed them to drink it. Some female house slaves were assigned to brew cider, beer, and/or brandy on their plantations.

What did Texas slaves eat?

Rations dispensed once a week typically included a gallon of corn, some farm-raised rice, molasses, three pounds of salt pork or beef and occasionally buttermilk and clabber.

What is red soda water?

Red Soda Water (and anything else that's red)

The classic color symbolizes blood lost during the struggle for emancipation or the hibiscus tea that was frequently drunk by slaves during celebrations, depending on who you talk to.

How did slaves celebrate Juneteenth?

It was not until Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865, that the state's residents finally learned that slavery had been abolished. The former slaves immediately began to celebrate with prayer, feasting, song, and dance.

What is the significance of strawberry soda?

Strawberry soda is a common feature of the Juneteenth holiday as a nod to the celebrations of slaves in Galveston, Texas, who on June 19, 1865, learned they were free. Those celebrations, according to the Journal Sentinel story, included red food and beverages “to symbolize the blood that was shed by the slaves.”

What is the official drink of Juneteenth?

Red Hibiscus Drink

Hibiscus flowers are native to West Africa, and hibiscus drink or 'tea' is a popular drink still made there today. It's been a part of Juneteenth celebrations since the beginning and it's tangy flavor comes to life when you boil the hibiscus flowers for about 10 mins and add ice and sugar to taste.

How red food and drink joined the Juneteenth feast?

Food coloring came to preeminence in the late 1800s, and by the 1920s, red-colored carbonated drinks like the Texas-made soda Big Red became part of Juneteenth culinary tradition. Whatever the origin of each item on the Juneteenth table, collectively, they hold a lot of symbolic meaning.

What does the zigzag shape around the star on the Juneteenth flag mean?

The curve that extends across the width of the flag represents a new horizon: the opportunities and promise that lay ahead for Black Americans.

What color are you supposed to wear on Juneteenth?

A common theme is dressing in red, white, and blue to highlight the “Independence Day for Black folks” vibe of the holiday. It's also a nod to the Juneteenth flag, which sports bright red and blue stripes and a bold white star overlay to represent the "new star" on the horizon for our community.

Is red velvet made of bugs?

Red velvet cake, strawberry ice cream, fruit juices, and pretty much anything else that is dyed red and makes your mouth water all share one common factor: they contain bugs. That's right — the secret ingredient that turns red-colored foods red is the crushed bodies of the cochineal insect.