The Middle Passage Food: Cuisine of Survival

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the often-overlooked culinary history of the Middle Passage — what enslaved Africans ate during their forced journey across the Atlantic, and how those provisions shaped survival, rebellion, and diaspora food cultures. They focus on the specific foods prescribed by 18th-century slave ship regulations: the Dolben Act of 1788 and subsequent laws that mandated rations like rice, yams, beans, and dried fish. Lucas explains how these items were chosen for nutritional and economic reasons, but also how the monotony and scarcity of food led to malnutrition, disease, and resistance. The conversation dives into the role of yams from West Africa, the introduction of cassava from Brazil, and the surprising fact that some ship captains deliberately reduced rations to increase profits. Lucas connects this to the broader story of how African food traditions — like okra, black-eyed peas, and palm oil — later merged with New World ingredients to create iconic dishes in the Caribbean, Brazil, and the American South. The episode ends with a reflection on food as a form of cultural memory and defiance. #History #FexingoHistory #MiddlePassage #SlaveShipFood #DolbenAct #CuisineOfSurvival #SlaveTrade #Yams #Cassava #Okra #BlackEyedPeas #PalmOil #AfricanDiaspora #FoodHistory #Resistance #SierraLeone #BightOfBenin #AtlanticWorld Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo