Why is southern baked macaroni and cheese so important to black culture?įor one, black people hold macaroni and cheese in high regard, and it's the pinnacle of black culinary accolades. Creamy, rich, ooey-gooey, super cheesy, with those crispy browned cheese edges.no one can resist perfectly baked mac and cheese. Of course, there are a whole lot more slavery problems that were still going on after that, but just like how America celebrates July 4th, we celebrate Juneteenth, the 19th of June, as the official day by feasting, dancing, and merriment, as our ancestors did when they were freed.Īnd while they probably didn't have mac and cheese back then for their freedom feast, it's a pillar in black cuisine and definitely one in my house. A whole two years after they were legally freed, but.you know, until the Army came to physically come to tell them they were free, they certainly weren't told by their illegal traffickers and abusers. Which is why it's here today, on Juneteenth.įor those who don't know, Juneteenth (or Emancipation Day) is a holiday celebrated by Black Americans for the official dying bell of slavery when the Civil War ended, Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, and the last slaves in Galveston, Texas were told they were free in 1865. A staple in soul food and southern cooking, this mac and cheese goes back generations and is saved for special occasions.

You know, the one with all the memes about how only specific people in the family (usually an Auntie or Grandma) are allowed to make it. Serve at your Thanksgiving table with my grandma's candied yams and southern slow-cooked green beans to give your meal a Southern flair!

Southern baked macaroni and cheese, also called soul food mac and cheese, is the ultimate in comfort food.

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