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The Venerated Kitchen goes beyond a name; it represents something on a deeper level for me…a written rendition of an otherwise oral tradition if you will. But it’s only a minute piece of something much larger. Spiritually, we recognize that through venerating and honoring our ancestors we bring healing and honor to our linage and bloodline. This practice can be done in many ways but for me, the kitchen stands out as the most prominent place to do so especially because it signifies a hearth in African American culture.
Like I said, it’s [mostly] an oral tradition. As African Americans, not much of our history and where we come from is fully known, easily accessible, or even passed down. This unfortunate fact can be for any number of reasons, most of which are largely linked back to the systems in place that have worked to destroy our family structures and erase our identities. One of the things we have always been able to hold onto and continue to pass down has been our recipes. Passed on through the art of storytelling and from observing our elders, when written records were not an option this system is what kept some of the most salvageable pieces of our heritage alive. Whether these recipes have been for food or medicine or both, these recipes always seem to survive time, securely carried on through generations. We’ve sat at the knee of our elders as they’ve prepared these creations sometimes the lesson was forced upon us and other times we intently observed as a student. Regardless of how we have obtained these recipes and skills, when the time comes we are always able to recall the knowledge.
Food and the meals we share join us together as a family, but the art of cooking itself is what truly binds us to our lineage. We tell stories through our cooking; we use ingredients because of their significance in our lives; we show love in this manner all as an extension through our hands.
Though certain details may vary slightly as recipes exchange through our hands or word of mouth; there is still a certain ritual involved when it comes to this practice that connects us to our pasts and even to some small extent to future generations that may come after us. Lately, what I’ve come to recognize and appreciate even more is how expansive this tradition really is. It takes the concept of cooking, goes beyond what we recognize as food, and flips it to encompass an even larger range. To that extent, the kitchen becomes more than just a dining hall. It becomes our infirmary, our prayer alter, our classroom, whatever we need it to be in that moment.
Regardless of its purpose served at the time, the kitchen is still facilitating the nourishment of our bodies, in that moment cooking knows no bounds. Allowing ourselves to be open to the energy present enables us to freely recall what was passed down and to create and expand on that knowledge without limitations.
As a child, these details went over my head but as an adult growing in my spiritual practice, these observations I reflect on hold greater meaning.
I come from women (and some men) who used their kitchens in conjunction with their culinary skills (and other skillsets) not only to feed their families but to heal them. Kitchen tables doubled as were meeting places, healing spaces, and all that lies in between. Meals not only fed us but held hidden secrets to our very survival. Probably the best example of this is the chicken noodle soup my grandmother would make from scratch. The soup was full of fresh vegetables and herbs and chicken [which would probably have been ‘super fresh’ if you catch my drift, had her mother or her mother’s mother been making the soup]. Now I try to recall what she may have used in her soup when I prepare my annual vegetable broth to ward off the cold/flu.
Recognizing my own culinary gifts, regardless of how they may differ due to my dietary choices, as my own unique way to be able to venerate and honor my lineage while simultaneously continuing any previous traditions established by those who came before me is why I have opted to refer to this written composition as the ‘Venerated Kitchen’. My skills encompass an evergrowing repertoire of nutritional awareness as well as plant and herbal knowledge; all of which allows me to pay homage to my roots while continuing to preserve my culture and heritage through learned skills.
What does it mean to show veneration?
Veneration itself is the act of honoring someone or something through a ritual act of devotion. While it is not necessarily the kitchen itself that is being honored, it is in fact the vessel through which veneration is able to be manifested. The resulting products from the work done in this space; the intentions set before a meal or medicine is ever prepared…the people who came before us [who came before me] knew these recipes and secrets and passed them along with their skills down to those who came after them be it literally or on a subconscious level. That is what’s being honored; that bequeathment. When we carry on in this tradition, continuing to create and grow and above all else to nourish those around us through the healing powers of food and herbs, we show honor and devotion to our line [past/present/future].
What is the significance? Why is this important?
So much of our past is already unknown but culinary skills and our understanding of food, herbs, and nature in general, have managed to survive and even transform over time. What would become of us and our identity as a people if this one cohesive element simply vanished? Speaking strictly as a plant-based individual; I think the type of work that can be done in the kitchen and surrounding our food, especially as it relates to the practice of veneration, creates a special connection back to the land and our ancestors [all while looping back around to keep future generations in mind and hold our present selves accountable]. If our food is one aspect that truly connects us to our past, grounds us in the present, and links us to our future; if nobody bore the torch to carry on the traditions we associate with food and medicine [the ones that essentially tie us to the land], would we still remember who we are…who we were?
Venerated Kitchen is about honoring my past/present/future through culinary expression. Honestly, I feel like one of the best ways to practice veneration is by practicing conscious eating habits to the best of my ability and not intentionally destroying this vessel I’ve been chosen to inhabit. I think regardless of how I choose to show veneration [whether it’s in the kitchen or any other space], it’s important that the practice hold specific meaning for me as an individual. Cooking simply offers an intersectional approach that combines health/wellness with spirituality [which to me just makes sense].
I think that through exploration, teaching, and self-reflection we are able to, discover our pasts in a capacity that is otherwise unheard of for so many around us who may not follow the same path or have the same beliefs. This level of rediscovery imparts a type of freedom that has the power to resolve restrictions that might otherwise be placed on those who come after us. The freedom of course can only be achieved when you allow yourself to tap into the gifts you’ve been granted.
