Juneteenth is a Federal Holiday celebrating the end of slavery in the United States. It is on June 19, the day news of the Emancipation Proclamation reached enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, in 1865. Food is central to the celebration of Juneteenth. From the groundbreaking book by Bryant Terry, Black Food, essayist Micheal Twitty succinctly writes, “We practiced culinary jazz and improvised, drawing on things we had always done since time began, classical things, endemic to Africa and things we composed with others in mind and creative flourishes dreamed up in the void… no matter where we go, the footsteps will keep coming with creative fire, the character of tradition and sense of the cool that made for food tradition armed with a sense of empowerment and renewal that make for fertile grounds for the footsteps of the children of Africa to come.”
Try Chef Jackie Page’s excellent recipe for refreshing Watermelon Salad this Juneteenth and beyond. It highlights chunks of fresh watermelon with greens, cucumber, and red onion alongside an oil and feta dressing. Plus, you can always add the excess watermelon to a bowl for guests to enjoy and to save food waste.
Recipe by Chef Jackie Page
Photography by Scott Goldsmith
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