Molasses the “Roughest of Food”
Processing sugarcane, Courtesy of the New York Public Library
The invention of the cotton gin and steam powered cotton textile mills revolutionized the southern economy. By 1811, the cotton gin caused enslaved African labor to dominate the South and southwest regions of the country. Scholars called the cotton-growing region of the South the Black Belt because it developed a majority of black residents. Slave owners in the South distributed niggardly allotments of molasses with other rations such as corn meal, rice, sweet potatoes, salt pork, and fish. Molasses, like corn bread, was considered by most as among the “roughest of food” regulated to the people living on the margins of society (such as slaves). Below is a recipe for a molasses marinade that works equally well for grilling with chicken, tofu, or vegetables
Molasses Soy Marinade
Ingredients
½ cup low-sodium soy sauce
¼ cup molasses
1 tablespoon olive oil
1teaspoon ground ginger
Method
Mix all ingredients together and marinade your desired food over night before grilling.
