Food History Podcast "Caribbean Homefires: Exploring the Heart of Island Kitchens"

The podcast "Caribbean Home Fires" explores the role of community in Caribbean cooking and highlights the traditions and celebrations of Caribbean kitchens. The host, Tyler Pitts, interviews Mrs. Rachel Cole, who shares her experiences of learning to cook Caribbean food through her marriage and her interactions with family members. Community plays a major role in Caribbean cooking, with shared traditions and cultural identity being passed down through families and communities. Cooking and eating are often communal activities, fostering a sense of unity and belonging. Storytelling and oral tradition are also important in passing down recipes and culinary wisdom. The use of local ingredients and community markets adds to the community ties in Caribbean cooking. Kitchen traditions and celebrations are an extension of the community, preserving cultural heritage and bringing people together. Food is a powerful expression of Caribbean identity and tradition. Welcome, you're listening to Caribbean Home Fires, a food history podcast produced by the University of South Florida St. Pete Department of History. This episode is going to cover domestic kitchen culture in the Caribbean, more specifically we're going to look at the role of community in Caribbean cooking, as well as Caribbean kitchen traditions and celebrations. Here on Caribbean Home Fires, we're a podcast that takes listeners on a journey through the rich history and the vibrant culture of Caribbean domestic kitchens, from traditional cooking methods to modern innovations. Each episode offers a unique perspective on the heart of Caribbean cuisine. Stick along with us on future episodes as we explore Caribbean domestic kitchen ways. As always, you're with your host, Tyler Pitts. Enjoy. Thank you for listening. On this episode of Caribbean Home Fires, we're going to be talking about the role of community in Caribbean cooking, as well as Caribbean kitchen traditions and celebrations. And during this episode, we're going to look at an oral history interview I conducted back in February, where I sat down with Mrs. Rachel Cole, and we talked about her time learning how to cook Caribbean food with her newly-gained family through her marriage, first marriage. Before I play the oral history interview for you, I wanted to play a clip of my interview with Rachel Cole, Mrs. Cole, where she explains how she grew up and her background briefly. I was the oldest of four sisters and one brother, and was always the one in charge, so always had to learn and do and help around the house or externally financially for as long as I can remember to help support, you know, the family. So during that interview, I realized that Rachel really had a long history of being the one who was in charge of the kitchen, due to her father always working as a truck driver and her mother wasn't around when she was working as well as a switchboard operator. So it really gave her complete control of the kitchen as a child from a very early age. I'm going to play for you next an interview clip from my interview with Mrs. Cole in February, where we cover how she began to learn how to cook Bahamian food and Caribbean food. And this is my, when I, my first husband, when I met him, he's from the Isle of Bahamas, and I had always liked Caribbean food, that wasn't new to me, but when I married someone from Long Island, it was, I got a chance to know up close and personal the, the authentic type of way of cooking Caribbean food. And did you get that exposure through, was he cooking or was he like, guiding how to cook things or was it just family members? It was just family members. We would spend every, every Christmas, two weeks in the Bahamas, whether that was Nassau or Long Island. And it was through his aunties and his grandmother and great-grandmothers that I learned how to cook authentic Bahamian food. They would show you like hands-on? Yes, yes. As we briefly went over in that audio interview with Mrs. Cole, community in Caribbean cooking plays a major role. With one's shared traditions and cultural identity, Caribbean cooking reflects a vibrant cultural tapestry where recipes and cooking techniques are passed down through families and communities. Their shared knowledge helps maintain a sense of cultural identity and continue, and continuity, allowing people to continue to connect with their heritage and through food. And also family and social gatherings. In Caribbean culture, cooking and eating are often communal activities and where families and friends come together for meals and celebrations and special occasions. Like she mentioned, they always went over for Christmas and for Easter. This is a time where the holidays are marked by elaborate feasts with everyone contributing with a dish and helping in the kitchen. This communal approach helps foster that sense of unity and belonging. We also covered with Mrs. Cole the importance of storytelling and oral tradition. She was able to learn from her aunties and seek advice and how to be a wife and how to be a woman. And through the storytelling and oral tradition, recipes are often shared through storytelling and oral history. Elders play a key role in passing down these family recipes. As she mentioned, she learned from her older aunts. Through these passing downs of recipes and culinary wisdom, it adds to that enriching sense of community across generations. This process of cooking together provides an opportunity for the storytelling and just the general life advice. In the creation of my ingredient research paper, I thought a similar description of Caribbean domestic gender roles and Lynn Marie Houston's food culture in the Caribbean. Houston highlights the importance of these familial connections gained in the kitchen and how the kitchen is a private place free for men in Caribbean culture. The space of the kitchen is typically revered by mothers and daughters and the connection they share with each other is celebrated along with their connection to their cultural heritage. Both identities, familial and cultural manifested in the food they cook and how they cook it. Another comparison that I saw through my oral history interview with Mrs. Cole that I also backed up in my ingredient research was the influence of local ingredients and markets on Caribbean food cooking. And Caribbean cooking relies heavily on fresh locally sourced ingredients. As Mrs. Cole was saying, they all grew their own produce and peppers very locally. And it adds to that community tie. Community markets are central to this and serving as a vibrant hub where people gather to buy and sell fresh produce, fish, meat, and spices. These markets are more than just places to shop. They are social spaces where people exchange ideas, recipes, and cooking tips throughout the community. Community is at the heart of Caribbean cooking. Shaping the way food is prepared, shared, and enjoyed, it fosters a sense of belonging, promotes cultural continuity, and encourages collaboration and creativity, whether through family meals, community markets, or festive gatherings. The role of community in Caribbean cooking is invaluable. Along with that community, the kitchen traditions and celebrations are an extension of that community and they highlight the central role of food in preserving that community and cultural heritage, bringing people together. Whether it's through familial gatherings, festive celebrations, or community events, food is a powerful expression of Caribbean identity and tradition. Join us for future episodes as we explore the stories, traditions, and people who have shaped the culinary landscape of the Caribbean. Thanks again for listening. This has been your host, Tyler Pitts. Have a great one.