The celebratory food traditions of Juneteenth

Caption

A Juneteenth menu spread is shared from Marcus Bar & Grille by Chef Marcus Samuelsson.

Credit: Marcus Bar & Grille

Every year, June 19, known as Juneteenth or Freedom Day, commemorates the day in 1865 when 2,000 Union troops arrived in Galveston, TX, and announced that more than 250,000 enslaved people were free by executive decree.

Although Juneteenth has long been celebrated in Texas, Black Americans have made an increasing effort to observe it elsewhere around the country. It was declared a federal holiday 156 years later in 2021.

One of the most prominent ways people celebrate Juneteenth is through food. Juneteenth festivities typically incorporate red foods and usually offer red drinks and cocktails. 

“Red drinks connect Black people across the globe, from West Africa to Egypt, to Negril, Jamaica, to Brooklyn, to Texas, to Atlanta,” said Nicole A. Taylor, a James Beard-nominated food writer and cookbook author, whose most recent book, “Watermelon & Red Birds: A Cookbook for Juneteenth and Black Celebrations,” published in 2022. It’s also the first cookbook dedicated to Juneteenth.

“[Whenever] there is a celebration, you’re going to find red soda pop, hibiscus, or sorrel,” Taylor added. 

Red drinks, Taylor said, stem from a West African ritual that was spread around the globe with the transatlantic slave trade. Old plantation cookbooks and journals reference red drinks, like strawberry liqueurs and berry lemonade. 

“We know for certain that color and that tradition has lived on for several generations,” she said. 

The key ingredients in Juneteenth dishes aren’t used because they’re red, but because these ingredients are in season. You may encounter cherry-flavored or berry-accented dishes on a Juneteenth table served in tandem with seasonal produce like corn, tomatoes, watermelon, and stone fruits. 

“It’s really about the bounty of this time of year,” Taylor said. “When you look at Black people in the American South, particularly in Texas, the people who traditionally celebrated were gardening, growing their own food, so that’s the reason you had them.” 

And more foods have been added to the Juneteenth menu over the last few decades. One key menu item now found on Juneteenth tables is red velvet cake. 

“Red food coloring came around [to the mass market] in the 1930s and 1940s,” Taylor said. “The early Juneteenth celebrations did not have a red velvet cake. But people see it as a celebration cake now.” 

Taylor said that non-Black allies are more than welcome to celebrate Juneteenth — the best way to do so is by supporting a Black-owned business. Make an effort to participate in local Juneteenth celebrations, whether it’s a festival, market, or a themed dinner at a Black-owned restaurant. She also emphasizes the importance of educating people by telling the Juneteenth story aloud within your own circle. 

If you’re looking to make something to bring to a Juneteenth celebration, try Taylor’s grilled pork chops with burst blueberry sauce, or her watermelon cucumber slushy. Both recipes are available online. 

This story comes to GPB through a reporting partnership with Rough Draft Atlanta.