1 00:00:09,160 --> 00:00:12,480 Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome to Savor Production. iHeartRadio. I'm Annie Reese. 2 00:00:12,160 --> 00:00:14,560 Speaker 2: And unlaurn bogabaum, and today we have an episode for 3 00:00:14,600 --> 00:00:15,960 Speaker 2: you about Melinda Russell. 4 00:00:17,400 --> 00:00:21,799 Speaker 1: Yes, was there any reason this person was on your mind? Lord? 5 00:00:22,760 --> 00:00:26,239 Speaker 2: Well, it is Black History Month here in the United States, 6 00:00:26,360 --> 00:00:30,400 Speaker 2: and I was looking for a relevant topic to that 7 00:00:30,680 --> 00:00:32,760 Speaker 2: and kind of going through some of these, you know, 8 00:00:32,800 --> 00:00:36,920 Speaker 2: like like like roundups of biographies of cool humans of 9 00:00:36,960 --> 00:00:42,560 Speaker 2: the past, and I had never heard of miss Melinda Russell, 10 00:00:42,720 --> 00:00:45,880 Speaker 2: and her story really caught me, and so I wanted 11 00:00:45,880 --> 00:00:46,560 Speaker 2: to talk about it. 12 00:00:48,159 --> 00:00:50,040 Speaker 1: I hadn't heard of her either, and it is a 13 00:00:50,080 --> 00:00:57,920 Speaker 1: really amazing, fascinating story. Yeah, and also you can find 14 00:00:58,560 --> 00:01:01,880 Speaker 1: a lot of the stuff we're talking about. Unfortunately, a 15 00:01:01,880 --> 00:01:03,840 Speaker 1: lot of things about her life have been lost, which 16 00:01:03,840 --> 00:01:07,480 Speaker 1: we'll discuss. But you can't find the cookbook online for 17 00:01:07,560 --> 00:01:11,240 Speaker 1: free that we're going to discuss. So there's stuff out there. 18 00:01:11,319 --> 00:01:12,160 Speaker 1: There's stuff out there. 19 00:01:12,240 --> 00:01:14,360 Speaker 2: Oh yeah, absolutely, mhmm. 20 00:01:15,040 --> 00:01:19,039 Speaker 1: You can see our past biography episodes for. 21 00:01:19,080 --> 00:01:24,800 Speaker 2: More, maybe our past cookbook episodes, and also episodes concerning 22 00:01:25,520 --> 00:01:30,920 Speaker 2: ingredients and techniques from the American South, which in which 23 00:01:31,000 --> 00:01:33,279 Speaker 2: themes that we're going to talk about have come up often. 24 00:01:34,200 --> 00:01:37,560 Speaker 1: Yes, yes, all right, So I guess that brings us 25 00:01:37,560 --> 00:01:38,400 Speaker 1: to our question. 26 00:01:38,640 --> 00:01:39,360 Speaker 2: I guess it does. 27 00:01:40,600 --> 00:01:45,679 Speaker 1: Melinda Russell, who was she? 28 00:01:46,400 --> 00:01:49,600 Speaker 2: Well? Melinda Russell was a black American who lived during 29 00:01:49,640 --> 00:01:53,000 Speaker 2: the eighteen hundreds. Was an accomplished cook and pastry chef, 30 00:01:53,200 --> 00:01:55,880 Speaker 2: and wrote a cookbook which, as far as we know, 31 00:01:56,200 --> 00:01:59,040 Speaker 2: is the first one published by a black woman in 32 00:01:59,120 --> 00:02:03,840 Speaker 2: the United States. Ever, her story was almost lost, and 33 00:02:04,080 --> 00:02:08,480 Speaker 2: it's extraordinary because she was this relatively average person during 34 00:02:08,480 --> 00:02:10,960 Speaker 2: her lifetime. You know, she never knew fame. She had 35 00:02:11,160 --> 00:02:13,520 Speaker 2: all kinds of odds stacked against her as a free 36 00:02:13,560 --> 00:02:17,880 Speaker 2: black woman in that time and place. But her very 37 00:02:17,919 --> 00:02:21,960 Speaker 2: existence and the book that she wrote are now helping 38 00:02:22,080 --> 00:02:25,240 Speaker 2: us change what we thought we knew or perhaps had 39 00:02:25,240 --> 00:02:29,840 Speaker 2: assumed about cooking and cuisine by black people, in particular 40 00:02:30,040 --> 00:02:33,720 Speaker 2: around the American South in general pre emancipation and during 41 00:02:33,760 --> 00:02:36,720 Speaker 2: the era of the Civil War. It was not just 42 00:02:36,840 --> 00:02:40,400 Speaker 2: poverty cooking. People have been saying this forever, but this 43 00:02:40,480 --> 00:02:44,320 Speaker 2: is definitive evidence. The culture was far more nuanced and 44 00:02:44,360 --> 00:02:49,280 Speaker 2: complicated than that. It's like the finding of this book 45 00:02:49,320 --> 00:02:53,360 Speaker 2: was like finding a new fossil that gives you hard 46 00:02:53,360 --> 00:02:57,480 Speaker 2: evidence about earlier life that was previously poorly understood and 47 00:02:57,560 --> 00:03:01,480 Speaker 2: kind of left a conjecture her life and her work 48 00:03:01,520 --> 00:03:07,400 Speaker 2: are just an absolute gift. Yeah. More about Wrestle herself 49 00:03:07,400 --> 00:03:09,160 Speaker 2: in the history section, but a bit about her. 50 00:03:09,040 --> 00:03:10,720 Speaker 1: Book here is so okay. 51 00:03:10,760 --> 00:03:14,240 Speaker 2: She self published a domestic cookbook containing a careful selection 52 00:03:14,320 --> 00:03:17,720 Speaker 2: of useful receipts for the kitchen in eighteen sixty six. 53 00:03:18,360 --> 00:03:21,800 Speaker 2: It is a thirty nine page pamphlet really that assumes 54 00:03:21,800 --> 00:03:24,680 Speaker 2: the reader has a good handle on basic cookery and 55 00:03:24,760 --> 00:03:28,600 Speaker 2: equipment of the time. Some of the recipes do include instructions, 56 00:03:28,720 --> 00:03:30,960 Speaker 2: but many are more of like a list of amounts 57 00:03:31,000 --> 00:03:34,600 Speaker 2: of ingredients. It includes about two hundred and sixty five recipes. 58 00:03:35,720 --> 00:03:37,720 Speaker 2: She ran a pastry shop at one point, and indeed 59 00:03:37,760 --> 00:03:40,480 Speaker 2: a lot of her recipes are for these fancy like 60 00:03:40,920 --> 00:03:45,880 Speaker 2: Euro American desserts, lemon merang pie, cream puffs, trifles, Charlotte 61 00:03:45,920 --> 00:03:50,720 Speaker 2: Russ wine, gelatine, and all kinds of cookies, cakes, icings, custards, 62 00:03:50,880 --> 00:03:54,800 Speaker 2: puddings and pies. There are also lots of fancy preserves 63 00:03:55,120 --> 00:03:59,040 Speaker 2: like brandied peaches and a whole candied oranges in syrup. 64 00:03:59,520 --> 00:04:04,080 Speaker 2: Other recipe feature local produce like gooseberries, tomatoes, mulberries, okra 65 00:04:04,200 --> 00:04:07,280 Speaker 2: and quints. Yes, there is a recipe for tomato ketchup, 66 00:04:07,320 --> 00:04:10,800 Speaker 2: just in case you were wondering. The few savory dishes 67 00:04:10,880 --> 00:04:12,440 Speaker 2: are things that you would have for like a nice 68 00:04:12,480 --> 00:04:17,120 Speaker 2: dinner or tea at the time. Calf's head soup, frickasied catfish, 69 00:04:17,240 --> 00:04:20,200 Speaker 2: rare cooked spiced beef to be sliced thin and served cold. 70 00:04:20,600 --> 00:04:24,000 Speaker 2: A spiced onion custard nice and creamy. Yeah, a white 71 00:04:24,040 --> 00:04:27,680 Speaker 2: meat chicken salad with celery and mustard. There's also a 72 00:04:27,680 --> 00:04:30,039 Speaker 2: section in the back with basic recipes for things like 73 00:04:30,080 --> 00:04:33,239 Speaker 2: ice cream or ginger beer, plus non edibles like cologne 74 00:04:33,520 --> 00:04:36,120 Speaker 2: and some like home and or folk remedies for various 75 00:04:36,120 --> 00:04:39,599 Speaker 2: ailments like burns and toothaches. The colonne. By the way, 76 00:04:39,960 --> 00:04:42,000 Speaker 2: and I can't remember if I've mentioned this on the 77 00:04:42,000 --> 00:04:44,240 Speaker 2: show before, but I am a perfume nerd. I got 78 00:04:44,400 --> 00:04:47,279 Speaker 2: really into Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab a number of years ago. 79 00:04:47,520 --> 00:04:51,039 Speaker 2: And yes, I have too many perfumes. But okay, so 80 00:04:51,200 --> 00:04:58,200 Speaker 2: the cologne sounds really nice. It has rosemary, lemon, bergamont, lavender, cinnamon, clove, 81 00:04:58,400 --> 00:04:58,960 Speaker 2: and rose. 82 00:05:00,240 --> 00:05:02,279 Speaker 1: Yeah that does sound lovely right. 83 00:05:04,880 --> 00:05:11,600 Speaker 2: Anyway, we are extensibly a food show, ostensibly, well, what 84 00:05:11,720 --> 00:05:14,320 Speaker 2: about the nutrition and don't eat history. 85 00:05:15,480 --> 00:05:16,800 Speaker 1: Consume it for your brain. 86 00:05:17,080 --> 00:05:19,080 Speaker 2: Oh, there you go, there you go. 87 00:05:19,600 --> 00:05:23,159 Speaker 1: Yeah, we have one solitary number for you. 88 00:05:23,400 --> 00:05:26,880 Speaker 2: Oh we do. As far as we know, there is 89 00:05:28,240 --> 00:05:32,120 Speaker 2: a single copy of this cookbook remaining on this our 90 00:05:32,240 --> 00:05:33,080 Speaker 2: planet Earth. 91 00:05:34,600 --> 00:05:41,760 Speaker 1: Which is wild that is. And it's quite the story 92 00:05:41,839 --> 00:05:46,880 Speaker 1: how it was recovered, how this history was rediscovered. I 93 00:05:46,920 --> 00:05:49,040 Speaker 1: was not expecting it when I was doing this research. 94 00:05:49,480 --> 00:05:52,919 Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, I really fell in love with it. And Okay, 95 00:05:52,960 --> 00:05:55,320 Speaker 2: so we are going to get into that history and 96 00:05:55,400 --> 00:05:57,960 Speaker 2: a little bit about Melinda Russell's life, But first we 97 00:05:58,000 --> 00:05:59,840 Speaker 2: are going to get into a quick break forward from 98 00:05:59,880 --> 00:06:01,240 Speaker 2: our sponsors. 99 00:06:09,760 --> 00:06:15,880 Speaker 1: Airbaks. Thank you sponsor, Yes, thank you. So, as I mentioned, unfortunately, 100 00:06:15,920 --> 00:06:18,800 Speaker 1: a lot of Melinda Russell's story has been lost due 101 00:06:18,800 --> 00:06:21,320 Speaker 1: to a number of factors, and a lot of what 102 00:06:21,360 --> 00:06:24,320 Speaker 1: we do know is based on the very short bio 103 00:06:24,720 --> 00:06:27,640 Speaker 1: at the front of her cookbook that historians have pieced 104 00:06:27,680 --> 00:06:30,800 Speaker 1: together and or speculated on to make an educated guess. 105 00:06:30,839 --> 00:06:35,440 Speaker 1: In some instances, there are people looking into this and 106 00:06:35,480 --> 00:06:38,719 Speaker 1: we will talk about that. Yeah, But at the time 107 00:06:39,240 --> 00:06:42,520 Speaker 1: of when this cookbook was published, when Melinda Russell was alive, 108 00:06:42,640 --> 00:06:44,720 Speaker 1: a lot of record keeping, especially when it comes to 109 00:06:44,760 --> 00:06:48,279 Speaker 1: black people, was haphazard at best and just not done 110 00:06:48,360 --> 00:06:52,039 Speaker 1: or erased at worst. So we got to move with 111 00:06:52,120 --> 00:06:56,560 Speaker 1: what we have here, all right. But in this forward 112 00:06:56,680 --> 00:06:58,960 Speaker 1: in the cookbook, Russell says that she was born and 113 00:06:59,040 --> 00:07:02,560 Speaker 1: raised in eastern Tennessee. There's no date given, but it 114 00:07:02,600 --> 00:07:07,160 Speaker 1: was probably around eighteen twelve. Her mother's name was Karen, 115 00:07:07,560 --> 00:07:11,440 Speaker 1: who was born after Russell's grandmother had been freed from enslavement. 116 00:07:12,040 --> 00:07:15,200 Speaker 1: Her mother died when Russell was quite young. In her 117 00:07:15,280 --> 00:07:18,720 Speaker 1: late teens, Russell joined a group of folks intending to 118 00:07:18,760 --> 00:07:20,320 Speaker 1: go to Liberia. 119 00:07:20,560 --> 00:07:23,400 Speaker 2: Yeah. Liberia at the time was an American colony of 120 00:07:23,560 --> 00:07:27,960 Speaker 2: freed African Americans and afric Caribbeans, hoping to find more 121 00:07:28,120 --> 00:07:32,120 Speaker 2: complete personal freedom and opportunity right. 122 00:07:33,200 --> 00:07:36,920 Speaker 1: But after one of the members of their party robbed Russell, 123 00:07:37,040 --> 00:07:40,160 Speaker 1: she was forced to abandon that plan and instead became 124 00:07:40,240 --> 00:07:43,840 Speaker 1: a Ladies companion and cook I even read nurse somewhere 125 00:07:44,640 --> 00:07:47,440 Speaker 1: in Lynchburg, Virginia. She went on to marry a man 126 00:07:47,520 --> 00:07:51,480 Speaker 1: named Anderson Vaughn, and they had a son together. Only 127 00:07:51,520 --> 00:07:54,320 Speaker 1: four years later, Vaughn died, leaving Russell to take care 128 00:07:54,360 --> 00:07:56,800 Speaker 1: of their child. While she was running a laundry at 129 00:07:56,800 --> 00:07:59,840 Speaker 1: the time, and I wanted to read this because she 130 00:08:00,240 --> 00:08:00,960 Speaker 1: such a voice. 131 00:08:01,400 --> 00:08:05,680 Speaker 2: Yeah, she included this in that same forward for this 132 00:08:05,680 --> 00:08:07,200 Speaker 2: cookbook she did. 133 00:08:07,320 --> 00:08:09,480 Speaker 1: She did, and it was what she said was an 134 00:08:09,520 --> 00:08:16,880 Speaker 1: advertisement for her washhouse. Quote, Melinda Vaughan, fashionable Laundress, would 135 00:08:16,920 --> 00:08:20,120 Speaker 1: respectfully afford the ladies and gentlemen of Agwingdon that she 136 00:08:20,280 --> 00:08:23,080 Speaker 1: is prepared to wash and iron every description of clothing 137 00:08:23,160 --> 00:08:26,880 Speaker 1: in the neatest and most satisfactory manner. Every article washed 138 00:08:26,880 --> 00:08:30,920 Speaker 1: by her, she guarantees shall pass unscathed through the severest 139 00:08:31,040 --> 00:08:37,079 Speaker 1: ordeal of inspection, without the remotest danger of condemnation. That's beautiful. 140 00:08:37,080 --> 00:08:42,600 Speaker 2: It's so good, it is, oh gosh. A little bit later, 141 00:08:42,720 --> 00:08:47,040 Speaker 2: she took back her maiden name and also worked as 142 00:08:47,040 --> 00:08:51,040 Speaker 2: a cook for families around Tennessee, North Carolina, and Kentucky. 143 00:08:52,280 --> 00:08:54,920 Speaker 1: Right, And eventually she went on to run a boarding 144 00:08:54,960 --> 00:08:59,040 Speaker 1: house and then later a pastry shop in Tennessee. And yeah, 145 00:08:59,120 --> 00:09:01,720 Speaker 1: remember this was a time when many black people in 146 00:09:01,760 --> 00:09:04,280 Speaker 1: the southern US were enslaved and the civil rights of 147 00:09:04,320 --> 00:09:07,080 Speaker 1: black people were not recognized by law in the United States, 148 00:09:07,520 --> 00:09:10,800 Speaker 1: and she was a single mother running a business and 149 00:09:10,880 --> 00:09:16,640 Speaker 1: raising a child with the disability in this atmosphere. Yeah, 150 00:09:16,679 --> 00:09:19,920 Speaker 1: Over the course of six years, Russell managed to save 151 00:09:20,000 --> 00:09:23,319 Speaker 1: up some money through her pastry shop and made enough 152 00:09:23,360 --> 00:09:25,520 Speaker 1: to provide for her and her son. But in eighteen 153 00:09:25,559 --> 00:09:28,120 Speaker 1: sixty four she was robbed and threatened with violence and 154 00:09:28,200 --> 00:09:31,640 Speaker 1: death if she reported the robber. So she packed up 155 00:09:31,640 --> 00:09:34,480 Speaker 1: her son and her life and moved to Paw Paw, Michigan. 156 00:09:34,920 --> 00:09:37,560 Speaker 1: Though she hoped to return to Tennessee one day when 157 00:09:37,640 --> 00:09:40,960 Speaker 1: things were more peaceful in Tennessee. So this is kind 158 00:09:40,960 --> 00:09:42,640 Speaker 1: of where a lot of things get a little blurry 159 00:09:42,679 --> 00:09:46,640 Speaker 1: because we just have this thing that she wrote. But 160 00:09:47,040 --> 00:09:50,440 Speaker 1: after enough time had passed, Russell wanted to return back 161 00:09:50,440 --> 00:09:54,640 Speaker 1: to Tennessee. But by then was kind of quote getting 162 00:09:54,880 --> 00:09:57,280 Speaker 1: on a bit in years, so she needed a different 163 00:09:57,320 --> 00:09:59,480 Speaker 1: way to make money other than cooking, kind of that 164 00:09:59,480 --> 00:10:03,040 Speaker 1: physical health of cooking. So she thought of her years 165 00:10:03,080 --> 00:10:05,960 Speaker 1: of experience in that world of cooking, though, and of 166 00:10:06,000 --> 00:10:09,120 Speaker 1: how people enjoyed what she made and how they asked 167 00:10:09,520 --> 00:10:12,400 Speaker 1: after her recipes, and she got this idea to put 168 00:10:12,480 --> 00:10:18,000 Speaker 1: together a cookbook. So Russell self published a domestic cookbook 169 00:10:18,080 --> 00:10:20,960 Speaker 1: containing a careful selection of useful receipts for the kitchen 170 00:10:21,480 --> 00:10:24,559 Speaker 1: in Papa in eighteen sixty six, and part of the 171 00:10:24,559 --> 00:10:27,679 Speaker 1: reason she published it was, yes, this fundraising tool so 172 00:10:27,720 --> 00:10:30,160 Speaker 1: that she could get enough money to go back to Tennessee. 173 00:10:31,080 --> 00:10:33,640 Speaker 1: In the opening short history of the book, she gives yeah, 174 00:10:33,720 --> 00:10:38,439 Speaker 1: this like biography, but she also specifically points out sources 175 00:10:38,480 --> 00:10:42,200 Speaker 1: she learned from, including Mary Randolph's cookbook The Virginia Housewife, 176 00:10:42,360 --> 00:10:46,440 Speaker 1: but also a black cook named Fanny Stewart, and that 177 00:10:46,559 --> 00:10:50,960 Speaker 1: was a role that was often forgotten, unappreciated, or erased. Yeah, 178 00:10:51,600 --> 00:10:55,880 Speaker 1: so she she did something very unique there and making 179 00:10:55,920 --> 00:10:59,920 Speaker 1: sure to call that out. She also establishes her expertise, 180 00:11:00,200 --> 00:11:02,120 Speaker 1: writing that she had been in the business of cooking 181 00:11:02,200 --> 00:11:04,680 Speaker 1: for over twenty years and I loved that. She was like, 182 00:11:05,280 --> 00:11:10,040 Speaker 1: trust me, people want my recipes. And here's the quote 183 00:11:10,520 --> 00:11:14,280 Speaker 1: to underline that point from the opening. I know my 184 00:11:14,320 --> 00:11:17,400 Speaker 1: receipts to be good, as they always have given satisfaction. 185 00:11:17,840 --> 00:11:20,360 Speaker 1: I have been advised to have my receipts published, as 186 00:11:20,400 --> 00:11:23,280 Speaker 1: they are valuable and every family has use for them. 187 00:11:23,679 --> 00:11:25,760 Speaker 1: Being compelled to leave the South on account of my 188 00:11:25,880 --> 00:11:28,920 Speaker 1: union principles in the time of the rebellion and having 189 00:11:28,960 --> 00:11:31,960 Speaker 1: been robbed of all my hard earned wages which I 190 00:11:32,000 --> 00:11:34,800 Speaker 1: had saved, and as I am now advanced in my years, 191 00:11:34,840 --> 00:11:37,200 Speaker 1: with no other means of support than my own labor, 192 00:11:37,440 --> 00:11:39,640 Speaker 1: I have put out this book with the intention of 193 00:11:39,679 --> 00:11:43,800 Speaker 1: benefiting the public as well as myself. I love it, 194 00:11:45,240 --> 00:11:48,480 Speaker 1: but yeah, I couldn't find much around what happened after 195 00:11:48,520 --> 00:11:51,680 Speaker 1: she published the book. She does have another line that 196 00:11:51,720 --> 00:11:54,320 Speaker 1: I really liked her. She was like, I know, everybody 197 00:11:54,320 --> 00:11:57,280 Speaker 1: who knows me's going to want to buy it, who's 198 00:11:57,320 --> 00:12:00,000 Speaker 1: tasted my food basically is gonna want to buy it. Yeah, 199 00:12:00,640 --> 00:12:03,960 Speaker 1: but I couldn't find much about what happened after. But 200 00:12:04,040 --> 00:12:08,240 Speaker 1: as I said, others that are more experienced, and I 201 00:12:08,240 --> 00:12:10,200 Speaker 1: think it's also important to call them out. The people 202 00:12:10,200 --> 00:12:13,880 Speaker 1: who are doing the work of kind of uncovering these things. Yeah, yeah, 203 00:12:14,520 --> 00:12:16,600 Speaker 1: are digging into it because it's not just you. 204 00:12:17,000 --> 00:12:20,960 Speaker 2: It's that Currently, as far as we could find out, 205 00:12:21,679 --> 00:12:26,280 Speaker 2: the information does not exist. It has been lost, but 206 00:12:26,600 --> 00:12:27,560 Speaker 2: people are working on it. 207 00:12:28,160 --> 00:12:31,920 Speaker 1: People are working on it, and in fact, this cookbook 208 00:12:33,200 --> 00:12:37,080 Speaker 1: was almost lost a time as well. Soon after Russell 209 00:12:37,240 --> 00:12:40,480 Speaker 1: left Pau Paul, the town burned in a fire and 210 00:12:40,520 --> 00:12:43,720 Speaker 1: it eliminated almost any scrap of history of her time 211 00:12:43,880 --> 00:12:48,600 Speaker 1: there and up until the early two thousands, the eighteen 212 00:12:48,679 --> 00:12:51,880 Speaker 1: eighty one cookbook What Missus Fisher Knows About Old Southern 213 00:12:51,920 --> 00:12:54,320 Speaker 1: Cooking was believed to be the first cookbook by an 214 00:12:54,320 --> 00:12:58,840 Speaker 1: African American woman. But in the early two thousands, an 215 00:12:58,880 --> 00:13:03,240 Speaker 1: antique cookbook collector and then curator of American culinary history 216 00:13:03,280 --> 00:13:05,640 Speaker 1: at the William L. Clements Library at the University of 217 00:13:05,640 --> 00:13:11,360 Speaker 1: Michigan named jan Lagoni got her hands on Russell's work. 218 00:13:11,360 --> 00:13:12,280 Speaker 1: It was this whole. 219 00:13:12,040 --> 00:13:18,800 Speaker 2: Thing, yeah, like it was found by a bookseller at 220 00:13:18,840 --> 00:13:22,360 Speaker 2: the bottom of a box from the collection of one 221 00:13:22,400 --> 00:13:25,240 Speaker 2: Ellen Evans Brown, who was the chef and cookbook writer 222 00:13:25,280 --> 00:13:28,280 Speaker 2: who helped pioneer fresh California cuisine in the nineteen fifties 223 00:13:28,600 --> 00:13:31,640 Speaker 2: and collected a great number of culinary materials. 224 00:13:32,720 --> 00:13:36,840 Speaker 1: Yeah, and this discovery completely upended a lot of the 225 00:13:36,920 --> 00:13:40,520 Speaker 1: mainstream thought around black cuisine in the US and Southern 226 00:13:40,559 --> 00:13:45,480 Speaker 1: cuisine sometimes called soul food in this context as well. 227 00:13:45,920 --> 00:13:50,600 Speaker 1: It suggested that a more nuanced take on this history 228 00:13:50,960 --> 00:13:55,400 Speaker 1: was missing and was needed. Here's a quote from journalist 229 00:13:55,480 --> 00:13:58,840 Speaker 1: Tony Tipton Martin, who spent over a decade researching the 230 00:13:58,880 --> 00:14:04,240 Speaker 1: history of African American women cooks quote in isolation, Melinda's 231 00:14:04,240 --> 00:14:07,280 Speaker 1: book might appear to be an aberration, but it dispels 232 00:14:07,360 --> 00:14:10,840 Speaker 1: the notion of a universal African American food experience, which 233 00:14:10,880 --> 00:14:13,480 Speaker 1: is why the term soul food doesn't work for so 234 00:14:13,600 --> 00:14:16,640 Speaker 1: many of us. And just a note, tony tip to 235 00:14:16,640 --> 00:14:19,920 Speaker 1: Martin went on to write the Jemima Code two centuries 236 00:14:19,960 --> 00:14:22,160 Speaker 1: of African American cookbooks. So she's done a lot of 237 00:14:22,160 --> 00:14:22,760 Speaker 1: amazing works. 238 00:14:22,760 --> 00:14:25,400 Speaker 2: Oh yeah, oh yeah. 239 00:14:25,440 --> 00:14:30,760 Speaker 1: And then the story of Longoni tracking down Russell is 240 00:14:30,880 --> 00:14:35,360 Speaker 1: really fascinating. She and her husband, who was a chemistry professor, 241 00:14:35,640 --> 00:14:39,320 Speaker 1: they had this whole Indiana Jones thing going on that 242 00:14:39,400 --> 00:14:42,920 Speaker 1: they were so determined to track down this story. They 243 00:14:43,000 --> 00:14:47,360 Speaker 1: dug through newspapers, census reports, genealogies, They went to cemeteries 244 00:14:47,400 --> 00:14:49,880 Speaker 1: and town halls all across the South, including on like 245 00:14:49,880 --> 00:14:53,400 Speaker 1: a wedding anniversary. Really it was a big thing for them. 246 00:14:54,680 --> 00:14:58,920 Speaker 1: Longoni published a facsimile of Russell's book in two thousand 247 00:14:58,920 --> 00:14:59,400 Speaker 1: and seven. 248 00:15:00,960 --> 00:15:05,880 Speaker 2: Yes, and copies of both that and the original are online, 249 00:15:06,360 --> 00:15:11,200 Speaker 2: but that original book now lives at Clement's Library, specifically 250 00:15:11,320 --> 00:15:16,200 Speaker 2: in the culinary Archive named for Longoni. It's thought to 251 00:15:16,240 --> 00:15:20,120 Speaker 2: be right the only existing copy. That culinary archive, by 252 00:15:20,120 --> 00:15:23,520 Speaker 2: the way, is based on Longoni's personal collection, which contained 253 00:15:23,560 --> 00:15:26,120 Speaker 2: some twenty five thousand items at the time of her 254 00:15:26,160 --> 00:15:29,920 Speaker 2: death in twenty twenty two, and it has some exhibits online. 255 00:15:29,960 --> 00:15:34,080 Speaker 2: So go check out the Genice Bluestein Longoni Culinary Archive. 256 00:15:34,680 --> 00:15:35,440 Speaker 2: It's pretty rad. 257 00:15:37,000 --> 00:15:44,040 Speaker 1: Definitely, definitely, And this discovery really inspired a lot of people. 258 00:15:44,920 --> 00:15:47,400 Speaker 1: It was really important to a lot of people. In 259 00:15:47,480 --> 00:15:51,120 Speaker 1: twenty twenty, Sharin Cherard published a book of poetry around 260 00:15:51,200 --> 00:15:55,640 Speaker 1: themes inspired by Russell's life and recipes called Grimoire, and 261 00:15:55,680 --> 00:15:59,239 Speaker 1: then in twenty twenty one a group of culinary historians 262 00:15:59,280 --> 00:16:02,760 Speaker 1: came together to form the Melinda Russell Recipe Testing Project, 263 00:16:03,160 --> 00:16:05,280 Speaker 1: with the goal of testing the recipes and making them 264 00:16:05,320 --> 00:16:08,360 Speaker 1: more accessible for our modern kitchens and understanding of recipes, because, 265 00:16:08,400 --> 00:16:10,560 Speaker 1: as you said, Lauren, a lot of them kind of 266 00:16:10,640 --> 00:16:12,720 Speaker 1: assume you know certain things. 267 00:16:12,800 --> 00:16:15,520 Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, or that you have access to certain equipment, 268 00:16:15,720 --> 00:16:19,479 Speaker 2: or that you understand what their weird measures are talking about. 269 00:16:20,120 --> 00:16:22,480 Speaker 1: One of my favorites was I think one of them 270 00:16:22,640 --> 00:16:25,680 Speaker 1: was like a one sentence recipe yeah, and it was like, 271 00:16:27,840 --> 00:16:29,680 Speaker 1: and it's been fun to read. I was just kind 272 00:16:29,680 --> 00:16:33,000 Speaker 1: of perusing through kind of the blog post people were 273 00:16:33,000 --> 00:16:35,240 Speaker 1: writing about recreating the recipes, and it was fun to 274 00:16:35,280 --> 00:16:39,520 Speaker 1: see them be like, one sentence recipe, what is this 275 00:16:41,880 --> 00:16:44,000 Speaker 1: that I figured it out? You know, I love it? 276 00:16:47,080 --> 00:16:52,360 Speaker 1: Yeahs As we said, you can find this cookbook for 277 00:16:52,400 --> 00:16:55,080 Speaker 1: free online and there has been a lot written about 278 00:16:55,080 --> 00:16:59,080 Speaker 1: it and a lot of a really amazing conversations about it. 279 00:16:59,120 --> 00:17:00,400 Speaker 1: So if you want to look any of that up, 280 00:17:00,720 --> 00:17:02,479 Speaker 1: you can find it. It is available. 281 00:17:02,760 --> 00:17:07,240 Speaker 2: Yeah, absolutely, But that is a kind of unfortunately, all 282 00:17:07,359 --> 00:17:10,880 Speaker 2: that we really have to say about Melinda Russell for now. 283 00:17:12,000 --> 00:17:16,359 Speaker 1: It is. However, we do have some listener mail for you, all. 284 00:17:16,760 --> 00:17:18,480 Speaker 2: We do, and we are going to get into that 285 00:17:18,520 --> 00:17:20,080 Speaker 2: as soon as we get back from one more quick 286 00:17:20,080 --> 00:17:31,760 Speaker 2: break for a word from our sponsors, and we're back. 287 00:17:31,840 --> 00:17:33,120 Speaker 1: Thank you sponsor, Yes. 288 00:17:33,000 --> 00:17:35,960 Speaker 2: Thank you, And we're back with listeners. 289 00:17:42,800 --> 00:17:47,400 Speaker 1: It's like finding an amazing manuscript and you're like, yeah, yeah, 290 00:17:47,560 --> 00:17:49,119 Speaker 1: I feel like it's. 291 00:17:48,600 --> 00:17:54,720 Speaker 2: Also just a little bit Scooby Doo, but yeah. 292 00:17:52,840 --> 00:17:55,600 Speaker 1: Well Scooby do also has discovered many amazing things. 293 00:17:55,640 --> 00:17:57,320 Speaker 2: True, It's true. 294 00:17:58,720 --> 00:18:08,159 Speaker 1: So it's an interest section. Thered be Bad. Sheldon wrote, 295 00:18:08,920 --> 00:18:11,520 Speaker 1: this memory is from back in the sixties when I 296 00:18:11,560 --> 00:18:14,320 Speaker 1: was a teen, My grandmother, who was born in Ireland 297 00:18:14,320 --> 00:18:16,800 Speaker 1: in the early eighteen nineties, was living with us. She 298 00:18:16,880 --> 00:18:19,600 Speaker 1: had gone shopping at some specialty shop one day and 299 00:18:19,680 --> 00:18:23,159 Speaker 1: came back with a bottle of Lyle's Golden syrup. She 300 00:18:23,359 --> 00:18:25,520 Speaker 1: showed it to all of us and told us that 301 00:18:25,560 --> 00:18:28,160 Speaker 1: she used to always get it back home, but had 302 00:18:28,200 --> 00:18:31,200 Speaker 1: been unable to find it until that day. Since then, 303 00:18:31,280 --> 00:18:33,560 Speaker 1: there was always a bottle of it in our house. 304 00:18:33,920 --> 00:18:36,760 Speaker 1: You brought back memories of my long gone grandmother. Fix 305 00:18:37,359 --> 00:18:39,720 Speaker 1: In the picture below, you'll see that I have an 306 00:18:39,760 --> 00:18:42,320 Speaker 1: old jar that I've been using to hold my cinnamon 307 00:18:42,400 --> 00:18:46,720 Speaker 1: sugar mix for my cinnamon rolls. And while I'm talking 308 00:18:46,760 --> 00:18:50,520 Speaker 1: to you, it looks like the Saint Albert's Curage Festival 309 00:18:50,680 --> 00:18:54,120 Speaker 1: has been moved from summer to winter, and you've missed 310 00:18:54,160 --> 00:18:58,720 Speaker 1: this year's event. You should start planning for your road 311 00:18:58,720 --> 00:19:01,679 Speaker 1: trip next year. I'm still planning on bringing you some 312 00:19:01,800 --> 00:19:07,760 Speaker 1: Montreal bagels when you come up here. I mean, yeah, 313 00:19:08,440 --> 00:19:11,080 Speaker 1: and bagels, fair enough, fair enough? 314 00:19:11,280 --> 00:19:13,760 Speaker 2: Yeah, that's our bad for not keeping better track of 315 00:19:13,800 --> 00:19:14,600 Speaker 2: the curd festival. 316 00:19:15,280 --> 00:19:16,240 Speaker 1: Yeah what are we doing? 317 00:19:16,480 --> 00:19:19,800 Speaker 2: Yeah, well, not eating kurds is the thing. 318 00:19:20,160 --> 00:19:24,280 Speaker 1: That's that's our punishment. Yeah, yep, yepurs. 319 00:19:26,040 --> 00:19:27,480 Speaker 2: Oh but how wonderful. 320 00:19:27,800 --> 00:19:30,320 Speaker 1: Yeah, that's I love that so much. And I love 321 00:19:31,680 --> 00:19:34,639 Speaker 1: I do that too, where I'll keep containers and use 322 00:19:34,680 --> 00:19:36,960 Speaker 1: them for other things. Oh yeah, but then you get 323 00:19:36,960 --> 00:19:42,160 Speaker 1: the memory of like where that was the container was from. Yeah, sure, yeah, 324 00:19:42,200 --> 00:19:46,520 Speaker 1: so I love that in that container as we talked 325 00:19:46,560 --> 00:19:50,160 Speaker 1: about in that episode for Lyle's Golden Syrup, it's pretty cool. 326 00:19:50,680 --> 00:19:53,960 Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, and right, you know, and all of which 327 00:19:54,000 --> 00:19:58,600 Speaker 2: makes me feel better about my wild habit of just 328 00:19:58,640 --> 00:20:03,240 Speaker 2: saving containers that I possibly don't need to save, which 329 00:20:03,240 --> 00:20:09,320 Speaker 2: brings us to Christine, who wrote, I was so intrigued 330 00:20:09,359 --> 00:20:12,280 Speaker 2: after listening to your recent episode ontopatche. I had never 331 00:20:12,280 --> 00:20:14,199 Speaker 2: heard of such a thing and simply had to try it. 332 00:20:14,880 --> 00:20:18,359 Speaker 2: So I launched into my science experiment last Sunday. I 333 00:20:18,359 --> 00:20:20,560 Speaker 2: read a few recipes and ended up using brown sugar. 334 00:20:20,680 --> 00:20:22,240 Speaker 2: It turned out fine, but next time I'll take a 335 00:20:22,240 --> 00:20:24,920 Speaker 2: trip to the Mexican grocery store for the real deal. Pianzillo. 336 00:20:25,840 --> 00:20:28,000 Speaker 2: After four days living in a pot on my counter, 337 00:20:28,520 --> 00:20:30,960 Speaker 2: not to mention the interesting comments from my family about 338 00:20:30,960 --> 00:20:33,640 Speaker 2: my witches brew, I screened it and placed it into 339 00:20:33,680 --> 00:20:36,359 Speaker 2: the fancy swing top bottles I saved from the French 340 00:20:36,400 --> 00:20:38,800 Speaker 2: soda I bought at World Market. I just couldn't throw 341 00:20:38,840 --> 00:20:41,000 Speaker 2: them away. I have a problem with saving jars and bottles, 342 00:20:41,040 --> 00:20:45,240 Speaker 2: but that's another story. It was so good. I added 343 00:20:45,240 --> 00:20:47,359 Speaker 2: tequila and lime and it was like a fancy margarita 344 00:20:47,400 --> 00:20:50,200 Speaker 2: with an extra pop of funky on the finish. Thank 345 00:20:50,240 --> 00:20:52,920 Speaker 2: you for inspiring my fun activity and tasty new cocktail. 346 00:20:53,240 --> 00:20:55,439 Speaker 2: I have to admit I heard Lauren's voice in my 347 00:20:55,480 --> 00:20:59,960 Speaker 2: head saying, bacteria poop throughout the process. Love the show 348 00:21:00,080 --> 00:21:02,480 Speaker 2: and love the fun delivery on interesting topics from you 349 00:21:02,520 --> 00:21:05,439 Speaker 2: both every week. Oh and thank you most of all 350 00:21:05,480 --> 00:21:08,199 Speaker 2: for giving me the justification for saving the bottles. I 351 00:21:08,240 --> 00:21:11,639 Speaker 2: was able to deliver a satisfying See, I told you 352 00:21:11,680 --> 00:21:12,760 Speaker 2: I would use them for something. 353 00:21:13,119 --> 00:21:17,280 Speaker 1: To my husband, you are quite welcome. 354 00:21:17,560 --> 00:21:21,880 Speaker 2: Anytime, anytime, but from one person with the problem to you, 355 00:21:22,040 --> 00:21:23,520 Speaker 2: I'm glad that we gave you a solution. 356 00:21:24,840 --> 00:21:27,640 Speaker 1: Oh me too, me too. And space is a premium 357 00:21:27,640 --> 00:21:30,439 Speaker 1: in my place. And oh yeah, I'm just like, well, 358 00:21:30,480 --> 00:21:34,680 Speaker 1: I can't get rid of any of these things, though, I'm. 359 00:21:34,000 --> 00:21:39,520 Speaker 2: Right it's going to be useful. Yes, my county doesn't 360 00:21:39,520 --> 00:21:40,760 Speaker 2: even do glass recycling. 361 00:21:41,400 --> 00:21:46,879 Speaker 1: That yeah, also true, so true. Christine also sent pictures 362 00:21:47,200 --> 00:21:53,760 Speaker 1: and it looks delicious, your science experiment concoction cocktail. I'm 363 00:21:53,880 --> 00:21:58,840 Speaker 1: very I determined to do it, and I think I'm 364 00:21:59,160 --> 00:22:05,280 Speaker 1: you've inspired me, inspired me fabulous. I looked so good 365 00:22:05,520 --> 00:22:07,960 Speaker 1: and I'm so glad that it worked out and that 366 00:22:08,000 --> 00:22:09,600 Speaker 1: you got to a nice I told you so, a 367 00:22:09,680 --> 00:22:12,960 Speaker 1: moment out of it and a bacteria poop moment out 368 00:22:12,960 --> 00:22:13,119 Speaker 1: of it. 369 00:22:13,480 --> 00:22:16,800 Speaker 2: Yeah, and that's that's a bingo right there. 370 00:22:16,800 --> 00:22:24,199 Speaker 1: I think I'm pretty sure it is. Well. Thank you 371 00:22:24,520 --> 00:22:27,000 Speaker 1: so much to both of these listeners for writing in. 372 00:22:27,320 --> 00:22:29,160 Speaker 1: If you would like to write to us, you can. 373 00:22:29,320 --> 00:22:31,760 Speaker 1: Our email is hello at saberpod dot com. 374 00:22:31,840 --> 00:22:34,720 Speaker 2: We're also on social media. You can find us on Twitter, Facebook, 375 00:22:34,760 --> 00:22:37,119 Speaker 2: and Instagram at saber pod and we do hope to 376 00:22:37,119 --> 00:22:39,480 Speaker 2: hear from you. Savor is production of my Heart Radio. 377 00:22:39,680 --> 00:22:41,800 Speaker 2: For more podcasts from my Heart Radio, you can visit 378 00:22:41,800 --> 00:22:44,840 Speaker 2: the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to 379 00:22:44,920 --> 00:22:47,920 Speaker 2: your favorite shows. Thanks as always to our super producers 380 00:22:48,080 --> 00:22:50,840 Speaker 2: Dylan Fagan and Andrew Howard. Thanks to you for listening, 381 00:22:50,880 --> 00:22:52,720 Speaker 2: and we hope that lots more good things are coming 382 00:22:52,760 --> 00:22:59,680 Speaker 2: your way.