The storied history of eating watermelon

NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — Chef Myisha “Maya” Masterson has made a lot of waves in the culinary world over the years, appearing on the Food Network and in various capacities throughout the country.

Masterson is the founder of the Black Roux Culinary Collective, an immersive experience that bridges the story of food with Supper Club Events, history, travel and music. Her tool of enlightenment is flavor.

“Early on is when I fell in love with food. From as far back as I can remember, I was in the garden picking food. I was with my great grandma, helping her cook. I’m not just a chef, I’m an artist! My art is carried on with people through their bloodstream on a molecular level. It’s more than just giving them a plate because they are taking my art inside their body. It nourishes them. Food is such a nourishing thing,” explains Masterson.

A beautifully crafted shrimp watermelon salad, dressed with olive oil that was infused with bay leaf oil, is Masterson’s tribute to Juneteenth.

“It’s something bright light and refreshing. It represents the red color of Juneteenth. It represents our ancestors. It represents the blood sweat and tears and the way that we have historically taken simple ingredients and turned them into something beautiful. This dish includes watermelon, chili, red pepper, red onion and pickled collard greens to round everything out,” explains Masterson.

Watermelons are indigenous to tropical Africa and were brought over to the United States during the Columbian exchange, when people, ideas, diseases and products were exchanged throughout the world. The Columbian Exchange included the Transatlantic Slave Trade.

According to Cornell University’s Botanic Gardens, watermelons were used by some of the enslaved to hydrate while working in the field during hot summer months. After slavery, some African Americans would grow watermelons throughout the south as a cash crop.

However, food, as well as history, can be savory and unsavory.

Watermelons are sometimes a painful association of ridicule and racism for many African Americans. In the early 19th century and beyond, animalistic illustrations and characters depicted African Americans as being lazy and unintelligent and oftentimes, watermelon was drawn as part of those depictions as fodder.

But, over the years, watermelons have been reclaimed in the United States as something positive. They are now associated with liberation in the Black community, as well as Juneteenth.

“We are what we eat.” But such a simple cliche means so much more when we think about all that we are and the incredible stories that comprise not only ourselves but our history, our present and our food.

To learn more about Masterson and her culinary art, check out her Instagram or her website.

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