Hip Hop Soul Food – What’s Behind This Growing Trend?
Hip hop and soul food has joined forces to meet a growing demand for today’s fast paced culture. The generation and culture that continues to push the envelop when it comes to influence and trends, has spilled over to food.
The popularity of two powerful cultures has come together to form a new bond. The food is hip, meaning modern and adaptive to today’s lifestyle. Plus, it has the soul or feeling that gives satisfaction after it’s consumed in ways only the traditional southern cuisine can do
Many of today’s top celebrities enjoy the benefits of the new hip hop soul food, including , Jay Z, P. Diddy, Beyoncé, Lil Wayne and others. They like this new style of soul food because it’s lighter and more adaptive to their busy lifestyles. Traditional southern food had the reputation of tasting good but having many health drawbacks, such as high calories, an abundance of salt and grease.
Today’s hip hop food has the advantages of taste, flavor and the added benefits of health. The generation it caters to is active, on the go and in need of a lighter diet that doesn’t weigh them down like traditional southern food can do. That’s how this food benefits them. The meals are prepared with lighter ingredients than the traditional southern meals of our grandmothers or great grandmothers.
The cooking techniques have changed also. For example, instead of deep frying meats in heavy oils or boiling vegetables for hours, which destroys valuable minerals and vitamins, many changes have taken place. Hip hop soul food uses healthier cooking methods such as stir frying, steaming, and sautéing. All these help to preserve the flavor and vitamins during the cooking process. They use healthier oils such as peanut or olive oils in cooking instead of the heavier unhealthy oils.
The seasonings have also changed. Hip hop soul food eliminates unhealthy seasonings such as fatback, hammocks or bacon to flavor vegetables. Now more natural ingredients such as herbs, spices and citrus juices flavor vegetables and other traditional dishes.
“The culture continues to move forward, it can’t allow the food to weigh it down,. That’s why healthier alternatives to the traditional southern food they love continues to change to meet they’re active lifestyles, says Chef Melvin D., private chef to many hip hop celebrities.
Today’s generation is bold, brash and always evolving, the food they choose to consume continues to do the same. The hip hop soul food generation and culture continues to take the world by storm in music, fashion, and now even what they eat. Stay tuned.
