Illustration by Sarah Wiseby
There are only two dishes that will cause instant consternation at any Black family gathering if they’re cooked by the wrong person. One is mac and cheese, and the other is potato salad. (The wrong answer to the question “Who made the potato salad?” can send a chill through the air.) For a dish over which very persnickety feelings are bound to arise, it’s surprising that its history has German, not African, roots. When waves of German immigrants came to the United States in the 1860s, they brought the potato-forward recipe with them, according to food historian Adrian Miller, author of Soul Food: The Surprising Story of an American Cuisine, One Plate at a Time, which won the James Beard Foundation Book Award for Reference and Scholarship in 2014.
In the South, Germans mostly worked as merchants, craftsmen, and tradesmen during the Civil War, go-betweeners who moved fluidly from the white Confederate to enslaved populations and back. Because of the mass production of mayonnaise in the 1920s and 1930s, potato salad eventually lost its vinegar and bacon fat and picked up mayonnaise as its base. Today, nearly every Black family has its own version of the dish and receiving a well-guarded recipe from an elder is like being crowned Miss America, solidifying your place in the familial culinary hierarchy. One thing’s for certain, though: Raisins anywhere near your ingredient list will bring shame you’ll never recover from. Check out Ollie’s Trolley and Alabama Que for excellent versions of this creamy, tangy concoction.
- Ollie’s Trolley, 1607 Central Ave., West End, (513) 381-6100
- Alabama Que, 2733 Short Vine St., Corryville, (513) 376-8781
