Traditional Black American Recipes Made Vegan

Many recipes iconic to American cuisine can be traced back to the native lands of the people who built it. Favorites like jambalaya, okra, and rice pudding are popular on menus today but all have their roots in African culture.

So much of American food has originated in Black communities, and each region is rich with its own history tied to the evolution of American culture and cuisine. Here are four traditional recipes (made vegan!) that originated in the South, Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and the Gulf, and the unique stories behind their origins.

4 Traditional Black American Recipes Made Vegan

Peanut soup made with vegetable stock | Lauren Paige for LIVEKINDLY
Deep-fried eggplant, in the style of Southern catfish | Lauren Paige for LIVEKINDLY
Étouffée, employing meaty mushrooms in place of seafood | Lauren Paige for LIVEKINDLY
Crab cakes, made with hearts of palm for flaky, seafood-like feel | Lauren Paige for LIVEKINDLY