Recipes <\/p>\n
Sonja Norwood<\/a>, aka @wickdconfections<\/a>, begins each of her Lost Black American Recipes<\/i> series with the same captivating line: \u201cWe\u2019re losing recipes, and I\u2019m going to find out if that\u2019s for a good reason.”<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n For Norwood, who has more than two million combined followers across Instagram<\/a> and TikTok<\/a>, the series began with a spark of curiosity and quickly grew into something far deeper \u2014 a project rooted in memory, history, and recognition that has resonated with millions.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n \u201cI was inspired by a video I saw about vinegar pie and its Black American roots,\u201d she told BuzzFeed. \u201cIt really stuck with me. It was Thanksgiving at the time, and I remember making a note to myself that I was going to make it for Black History Month.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n That note led to something far bigger.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n \u201cThat moment sparked a bigger curiosity about all the other recipes we don\u2019t hear about anymore, and it led me down the path of wanting to explore why they\u2019re disappearing and whether there\u2019s a reason they\u2019ve faded from our tables.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n Her vinegar pie video \u2014 also known as \u201cdesperation pie\u201d \u2014 blends centuries-old history with a modern-day tutorial and has amassed almost 900,000 likes across Instagram<\/a> and TikTok<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n In the video, she explains: “This pie was born out of necessity when fruit or citrus leaves were hard to come by… Black cooks in the South and Midwest adapted pantry-based dishes like this into their family food culture… This is American ingenuity.”<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n Since that first post, she’s shared the histories and recipes of sweets like Burnt Sugar Cake<\/a> and savory meals like Rice Johnny<\/a>. When it comes to choosing what to feature, Norwood starts close to home.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n \u201cI usually start by talking with my mom about her memories, because so many of these recipes live in family stories first,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n She also reaches out to friends from different regions: \u201cWe may all be Black Americans, but regional food memories can be very different, and that helps me see the bigger picture.\u201d Her series spans regions from the Mississippi Delta to the Gullah Geechee communities of the Lowcountry and the French Quarter of New Orleans.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n That blend of lived experience, collective memory, and local distinctiveness is evident in dishes like Black Walnut Praline Cake<\/a>. Her tutorial of the cake starts with a sensory memory: \u201cIf you ever sat at a table cracking walnuts with a grandparent \u2014 stained fingers, heavy shells, earthy smells \u2014 this will unlock memories.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n From there, she layers in key context: native black walnuts foraged from trees, pralines tied to Louisiana sugar plantations, and formerly enslaved Black women known as \u201cpraline ladies<\/a>\u201d who supported their families through street vending. \u201cThat was independent Black entrepreneurship \u2014 women-controlled income.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n Her Black Walnut Praline Cake is just one example of how she reframes these dishes as more than heritage cooking \u2014 they are records of resilience, skill, and adaptation.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n She hopes viewers walk away recognizing \u201cthe creativity, ingenuity, and skill our ancestors used to survive \u2014 and not just survive, but find joy and make something delicious from what they had \u2014 is incredibly powerful. They deserve to be recognized and given credit for the culture they created, even though it has so often been looked down upon.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n From the overwhelmingly positive comments and support this series has received throughout Black History Month, Sonja has succeeded:<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\nRecipes <\/p>\n
Recipes <\/p>\n
Recipes <\/p>\n
Recipes <\/p>\n
Recipes <\/p>\n
Recipes <\/p>\n
Recipes <\/p>\n
Recipes <\/p>\n
Recipes <\/p>\n
Recipes <\/p>\n
Recipes <\/p>\n
Recipes <\/p>\n
Recipes <\/p>\n
Recipes <\/p>\n
Recipes <\/p>\n