Zora Neale Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God: Southern Food Culture And Regional Identity

Abstract

African American author Zora Neale Hurston (1891-1960) provides a literary gateway to the past. A close study of her novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, reveals numerous references to southern food and southern food rituals. Hurston uses the universal experience of food rituals to create an emotional connection to the American South. These food traditions connect the reader to the experience of cooking and sharing a meal, while simultaneously exposing the rich history of African American foodways in the South.