10 Forgotten Black American Desserts Our Grandparents Grew Up Eating

10 Forgotten Black American Desserts Our Grandparents Grew Up Eating In the summer of 1961, a girl named Verna Ruth Boykins sat on an overturned bucket in her grandmother's kitchen in Selma, Alabama, watching a jar of apple cider vinegar get poured into a bowl of sugar and eggs. There wasn't a lemon in the house, and there hadn't been a lemon in that house in weeks. But by the time that pie came out of the oven, sliced thin and dusted with a little sugar on top, nobody at that table could tell the difference. Verna Ruth would remember that trick for the rest of her life, long after lemons stopped being anything close to a luxury in her own kitchen. That's the thing about the desserts on this list — they didn't come from a bakery, and half of them didn't come from a written recipe at all. They came from a grandmother's hands, a pinch of this, a splash of that, and a memory of how her own mother used to make it. Before we're through, you'll hear about a candy pulled by hand in the back pews of a Sunday church service, a cake built on burnt sugar instead of chocolate, and a dessert made from the one part of the fruit everybody else was throwing away. My name is Uncle Elijah, and today we're not talking about survival meals — we're talking about the sweet side of that same history, ten desserts that fed generations of Black families and mostly disappeared from modern kitchens. Here they are, starting with the one you've probably heard of but never actually seen made. 1. This video features discussions on unverified information and speculative viewpoints sourced from the internet and various news outlets. Intended solely for educational and informational purposes, this content should not be regarded as confirmed facts or definitive truths. 2. Our use of content complies with YouTube's Fair Use guidelines. According to Section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Act: "Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 106 and 106A, the fair use of a copyrighted work, including reproduction in copies or phonorecords or by any other means specified by that section, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright." While this video may contain copyrighted clips, images, or photographs not specifically authorized by the copyright holder(s), we believe in good faith that these materials are protected by federal law and the fair use doctrine. 3. Uncle Elijah’s Kitchen does not aim to defame, slander, or discredit any individuals or organizations mentioned in this video. The information is presented to encourage thoughtful discussion and critical thinking among viewers. We explicitly do not condone or promote any violent actions described in this video; such mentions are solely to provide context and understand the implications of certain events historically or in current affairs. #BlackHistory #SoulFood #foodhistory