Amy Wydner, Senior
Although sweet potato pie isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when you think of popular Thanksgiving desserts, it nonetheless has a rich history behind it, dating back centuries ago.
Sweet potato pie has been a staple for many Americans alike, but most notably, it has been a big part of Southern and African American culture. Although not originally from the States, it first originated in Peru, where sweet potatoes originate. In the 16th century, sweet potatoes were shipped to both West Africa and Western Europe from the means of Spanish traders. In West Africa, people began experimenting with the sweet potatoes and incorporating them into their meals. While West Africa used them primarily for cooking, Western Europeans had tried making them into a dessert. Henry VIII had enjoyed an early form of sweet potato pie as a tart. During the 1770’s people started incorporating root vegetables into puddings and finally, pies. Not only were the sweet potatoes used at that point, but also Irish potatoes, parsnips, pumpkins, and squashes.
In American colonial kitchens, there could be cookbooks filled with various recipes similar to that of pumpkin pie, sweet potato pie, and squash pie. In slave cabins, although they lacked the cooking supplies to make pies, slaves roasted sweet potatoes in the embers of a dying fire and admired the caramelization created on the outside, making them look glassy. Later on, with improved stoves and more ingredients to work with, African Americans started turning sweet potatoes into cakes, cobblers and pies. Later on, in the North pumpkin pie caught on and became the pie of choice while in the South, they preferred sweet potato pie.
Recent news broke when a woman in Minnesota sparked a movement where she and volunteers helped bake and distribute sweet potato pies in light of George Floyd’s death. In charge, Rose McGee used her love of baking in hopes of bringing her community together to mourn the death of George Floyd. The notion started when on June 1, McGee and a group of volunteers had gone to Floyd’s memorial site to hand boxes of her “Comfort Pies” out to strangers. She calls the sweet potato pies a “sacred dessert of Black culture.” “They link us to our history, they soothe our souls and they renew us for the work ahead,” she stated. Alongside the gift of a homemade potato pie, she also had packaged each with a poem, handwritten by her daughter, Roslyn Harmon. The poem read, “Remember to eat, pray and love as you partake in making a difference, for there is much to be proud of.” She said that as she was watching the news regarding Floyd’s passing, the Lord spoke to her, telling her, “Get up and bake some pies and take them down there.” McGee traveled over 500 miles, delivering 30 sweet potato pies to people in Ferguson.
Although sweet potato pie may be easily overlooked, it has a secret rich history behind it that can speak to the soul and bring joy today.
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