- Chef Ash!
- (PvF) Are you guys excited to try some
yummy food today? - Yes, with no consequences!
- (Jayse) (whispers) So excited. - (PvF) Yeah!
- I love trying yummy food. - Be nice, be nice, be nice.
- (PvF) I am gonna be nice today. - Don't lie!
- (PvF) I'm not lying! - Okay, you're not!? - What's the catch though?
- Yes. - What do we gotta do,
we gotta eat like... - (PvF) There's no catch! Why does everyone always think...
(Nick laughs) - Last time I filmed a video
with Ash, my throat was
burned. - (PvF) Today, we've got a taste test that hits a little bit closer to home
than our normal episodes, because y'all are gonna be trying
some good old southern soul food. - Oh!
- Yes! - Ooh!
- Southern soul food? - Yes!
- I'm so excited! - What!? - Yes!
- Do you know where the south is? - You bitch!
(both laugh) - There's a lot of culture
and family behind soul food. I think that's why
they call it soul food, right? - What's soul food?
- Like southern food, like okra? - Grits. - Like chi
tlins. - Oh, cornbread, mmm!
- Cornbread, yeah. - There's like big arguments, like
you do not put sugar in your grits, yes, you put sugar
in your grits. - And we're not being punished?
We just get to try stuff? - (PvF) You just get to try stuff. - Woo!
- What!? You're being serious!?
- (PvF) Yes, I'm being serious! - I can't still tell! - (narrator) History of southern-style
greens in America started during slavery. They were typically given
leftover food from the main house to survive.
- Mmm. -
See, like I love it because...
- Is this chitlins? - There's so much...
- (Jayse) No. - History behind it too,
you know? - (narrator) Other scraps
they were given, such as ham hocks. - Ham hocks? - Ooh, okay, those are
collard greens. - Oof, oh, see?
- Those look good! - Collard greens
with ham. - (narrator) It's enslaved people's
creativity and resourcefulness that ultimately lead to the famous
recipe we know and love today. - Woo!
- Okay, alright. - ♪ Oh, collard greens ♪ ♪ Three degrees low
♪
♪ Make it hot for me ♪ ♪ Drop that oh ♪ - (PvF) A staple of southern
U.S. cuisine, collard greens are often stewed
with other green leafy vegetables, and traditionally eaten
on New Year's Day to ensure wealth
within the coming year. - Oh, I didn't know that. - (PvF) They are also often
eaten with salted meats, and today we have
some ham hocks for you to try. - Yummy!
- Yum! - Alright, alright.
- I feel healthy already. - (laughs) I feel healthy already. - Mmm! - Ooh smells great!
- Uh-huh! -
Oh yeah, this smells great. - Oh, that's really good. - I don't feel like you can
ever go wrong with ham hocks. - What exactly is a ham hock? - (PvF) It's called pork knuckle,
and it's the joint that attaches a pig's
foot to its leg. - Oh!
- Wow! Well, it's delicious, thank you.
- Yeah, it's really good! - It's like a salad stew. - Mmm!
- Oh my God, it's so good. - (PvF) How is it? - It's so good, and it's so healthy, because these dark leafy greens
are really good for you. - For me it's like i
n between
kale and spinach, I feel like kinda, the texture,
just wise, 'cause it's a little bit firmer
than spinach, but not quite as tough
as kale. - Yep! - (PvF) Collard greens are actually
kind of a superfood. They have been associated with
cancer prevention, detox support, heart health, digestive support, and contain anti-inflammatory
properties. - Ooh.
- Really? - So they are very, very
good for you. - I will be taking these home. - Ham hocks (laughs)
have been known to cause high blood pre
ssure.
(both laugh) - Yeah, I mean, this is a vegetable
that I could definitely get down on. - (laughs) I was just gonna say,
I mean, I do love vegetables, but like this takes it
to a whole nother level. - Making eating your vegetables...
- Good. - Fun, good. - This is delicious.
Absolutely delicious. - This is fire.
- Delish, delish. - I'm excited.
- So good. - We're already starting
off so strong. - Yeah. - (narrator) Today, I'm making
some fried catfish. - Oh, fried catfish! I've never tried
this!
- Yum! - Oh!
- Ooh! - I've never had catfish. - I've had catfish once. - You've never had catfish?
- Uh-uh. - Oh, it's so good! - Yeah, I love fish.
- Oh, you're gonna love this. - Grew up with fish. - That looks delicious. - (narrator) Okra is another
ancient superfood that can be found in
many southern dishes. - And okra, yes!
- Both of these? - I have never had okra either.
- No? - No! (laughs) - Oh, Okra.
- Okra! - I think it's so good. - (gasps) Ooh.
- This actually looks so bomb. - (
Sharon) Right? - Woo hoo!
(Nick laughs) - Little crispy okra bites,
oh my God! - (Jayka) Oh my God! - (PvF) Seasoned and fried
'til golden brown and delicious, fried catfish is integral to
American soul food, and is very popular
at fish fries. Fried catfish can be served
with just about anything, so here's another staple
of soul food, fried okra. - What it is, tar tar? - Tar tar?
(both laugh) - I don't like saying tartar! - Pick that up, oh, look at how
crispy and delightful that is. - Mmm! - T
ry some of that tartar sauce
that's not aioli and... - Okay, that's probably smarter. Oh, it's like literally a fish. - A little tartar. - This is so good.
I love all fish. - That's good, huh? - It's really good.
- Mm-hmm! - This is my first time
having catfish. - It kinda smells more like chicken
than fish. - I'm not gonna stop eating
this fish 'til they take it away. - I love it! - It doesn't really have
a fishy taste. I've never really had catfish,
I guess. - It's like tender on the inside.
- The okras are really good!
- It's super good, huh? - It's like so flaky. - They're so light and crispy
and airy. - I'm really messing with
the okra, bro. (laughs) That's good! - (PvF) So catfish became
the preference amongst enslaved people, because it was easily found
in southern lakes and rivers, and it was very easy
to prepare. In the 1960s, when the
cotton farming industry collapsed, many cotton farmers in the south
chose to flood their fields in order to grow catfish. - Wow.
- Really? S
o they would just flood
their fields to get these? - (PvF) Mm-hmm.
- That's wild. - Right? - Why do they call it
catfish? - 'Cause it looks like a cat. - You ever been stung
by a catfish? - But is that like,
their like... - Yeah, their little whiskers. They've got little pointers.
- Oh. - Yeah, the okra's where
it's at for you, huh? - That's really it.
It's really it, dude! - I like the fish, to be honest.
- Yeah. - Or like, this is my new favorite,
because... - This is your new fav? - Yeah, so
far. - I just believe that anything fried
is delicious. - I'm already, I mean,
we're two for two... - Right.
- As far as I'm concerned, like, everything is just...
(whistles) - (narrator) In America, grits are
basically synonymous with the south. - I love grits!
- Yum! - Oh, you were just
talking about it! - Cajun shrimp and grits!
- Mm-hmm! - Do you like sweet or savory?
- Savory. - Savory, okay, you like 'em
with cheese? - Mm-hmm. - I love grits. - Wow. - (narrator) Often paired their grits
w
ith shrimp caught from the creek. - Yummy! - When I tell you shrimp and grits
are just the it. - I love shrimp!
- (whispers) Oh my God. - I'm a huge shrimp girl. - Yes, shrimp and grits
is so good, too. - So good! - Ooh, this is beautiful! - Oh, wow! - They plated everything so good
for us today! - (Sharon) Thank you. - ♪ Yes ♪ - You're lying!
- Woo, look at that! - (PvF) Grits is a type
of thick and creamy porridge made from ground,
dried corn. Though traditionally eaten
for breakfast, this di
sh, called shrimp and grits,
is often enjoyed during supper, and consists of seared shrimp,
bacon, and of course, grits. (Dani claps) - Sorry, I love shrimp
so much! (laughs) - Going in. - Yeah, there's no hesitation
without the punishment, you know? - I love shrimp!
- It's like, let's get in there! - This is, I think,
the best thing so far. - I'm not sure if I was
expecting that texture, but it's not, I, it just wasn't
what I was expecting. - Is it, 'cause you,
yeah, yeah, yeah. - I was just ki
nd of like...
(laughs) - Good! - She did say she was gonna cry
if there was shrimp. - No, I love shrimp! - She was like if there's
actually shrimp, I might cry. - Mmm! (laughs) - 10 out of 10.
- Really? - Mm-hmm,
this is my favorite. - Om!
- Yeah, you're gonna like that. And I love the om!
(both laugh) - Oh my God!
- Mmm! - Om!
- Alright. ♪ (tense music) ♪ It's so good.
(Sharon laughs) - It'd be tough to eat this
for breakfast though, I feel like you'd be so full. - Oh yeah. - (PvF) That's why
it's shifted
to more of a later in the day, kind of dinner meal.
- Yeah! - The texture of the grits
is so perfect too. - Mmm.
- Oh my God. - It's so good, oh my God!
- It's really good, huh? - (PvF) Jayka's having a moment.
(both laugh) - I love shrimp. - (PvF) Oh my God,
are you getting emotional? - Yeah, this is like really good! - (PvF) There are tears
in your eyes! - I got the soft texture
of the grits, with the little bit of pop
of the sauteed onions, and the salt from the ham, and then thi
s really fresh shrimp
that's like perfectly sauteed. It's working. - (PvF) You feel it in your soul? - I do!
- Mm-hmm! - (PvF) Do you guys know about
the sweet vs. savory grits debate? - Mm-mm.
- Uh-uh. - (PvF) So the traditional way
of preparing grits errs on the savory side,
even often adding in cheese. - Mm-hmm. - (PvF) But in recent years,
more and more people have been adding sugar
to their grits for a sweeter flavor. - Hmm. - (PvF) It is a hotly debated topic
amongst southerners. - It's li
ke oatmeal, do you put
like brown sugar on your oatmeal? - (PvF) Yeah.
- Yeah. - You know what I mean?
I don't, personally. - Yeah, I don't wanna get
in the middle of that debate. I'd rather just eat both.
- Mm-hmm. - I remember when you and I
went to that soul food place, and there was like, somebody told us
to put sugar in our grits. - (PvF) Mm-hmm. - And then some other
person was like no, you do not actually
put sugar in your... - (PvF) Put cheese in them.
- And we're like I don't know. - (P
vF) Yeah.
(Sharon laughs) - Mmm, I'm gonna
keep eating this, sorry guys. - It's so good.
- 10 out of 10. - It's delicious, 10 out of 10. - This is my favorite thing I've eaten
on the channel so far. - Mm-hmm! - This is my favorite one
so far. - (laughs) She just keeps...
- (PvF) Didn't you say that last time? - Yeah, I did, okay? - (narrator) Chitterlings, widely known
by the abbreviated term chitlins. - Chitlins! - (narrator) Are boiled
pork intestines. - Oh no!
- Oh. - What!? (laughs)
- Shit-
lins? - Okay, yep, yeah, I'm here for it.
Let's try it. - I don't like intestines, trust me,
I've tried every time! - Yeah, I've had chitlins. - (narrator) They would give
the slaves the remainder. This was usually composed
of large amounts of offal. - Mm-hmm. - Of offal! - Offal, or offal, yeah. - (narrator) West African slaves,
however traditionally used every portion of the animal.
- Oh my God! (Nick laughs)
Oh my God! Why!? - Is this it? - Oh my God.
- Mmm. - (PvF) Chitterlings, or more comm
only
referred to as chitlins, are a dish made with
small intestines of pigs, and often cooked with onions,
peppers, and potatoes, to give them more flavor. - Okay, let's get in there, Izzy. - I feel like I might like this,
I don't know. - I think you will.
I think, I'm confident. - Oh wait, it smells
a little bit odd. - Ooh. - I don't know. Just a little bit. - It does have a certain
smell to it, doesn't it? - I'm telling you, my mom
always makes, like dishes with intestines. I refuse to eat 'e
m. - It's pungent, I think is the word.
- It's like sour! - Yeah! - (PvF) Does it taste better
than it smells? - For sure. - Bro, that's not my favorite.
(Izzy laughs) - Mm, okay.
- Let's try. - Well, let's go.
- One, two... Oh, you're getting a big bite. - You know what it is? I think 'cause intestines is more
of like, it's a texture thing for me. - Mmm. It tastes better
than it smells, mm-hmm. - Definitely.
- (Jayse) Yeah. - (PvF) Yeah? - It's not bad. - I literally feel like I'm eating
inside
the pig, bro. - Mm, no, I don't like that. - It makes your breath
smell bad. (laughs) - It tastes stale, to me. - (PvF) So chitlins come from
a universal idea of waste not, want not. Many cultures around the world
have adopted this idea and created many recipes using every
piece of an animal they can manage. For example, haggis in Scotland,
and isaw in the Philippines. - Yeah, haggis.
- Philippines! - What's isaw?
- Chicken intestine? - (PvF) Mm-hmm.
- Yeah. - Nah, it's like beer. The first tim
e you have a beer,
you're like ugh, this is gross. But the second time you're like
hey, this isn't so bad. You know what I mean? Sometimes you just gotta have,
acquire a taste for something. - Mm-hmm.
- (PvF) Yeah. - (narrator) Black eyed peas
originated in West Africa, and were brought here
to the United States by the Mid-Atlantic
slave trade. - Black eyed peas.
- Okay. - Oh!
- I love that band. (laughs) - Black eyed peas
are so good! There's another
ham hock in that, I think. - Never tried. -
(narrator) Enslaved Africans
would cook down black eyed peas. - Oh. - (narrator) And add animal parts
like ham hock. - More ham, yes!
- Wow. - Mmm! - It's a stew? (Dani claps) - Oh my God! - Ah! - This looks like straight beans.
- Woo! - Yes!
(Nick laughs) - (PvF) Similar to collard greens,
this dish, Hoppin' John, is often eaten on New Year's Day
to bring a prosperous year. Hoppin' John is a hearty dish
originating in South Carolina, consisting of black eyed peas,
rice, onion, and thick-cut bac
on. - Yeah, let's go.
- Ash, this is so good. (laughs) - You're welcome! - Ah!
- These are peas? - (PvF) Yeah. - They look like beans, yeah.
- Don't they look like beans though? - I love the band
Black Eyed Peas. (laughs) But I've never, like, I didn't know
it was an actual food. - Wow, they're fully plating us
like full meals. (laughs) - (Sharon) Mm-hmm. - I didn't know this had
like a name to it. My grandma used to make this
all the time. - It's good, I like it.
- Mmm. Just got that thick
litt
le ham hock there. (PvF laughs)
Delightful. - So good.
10 out of 10. - I like the texture
of these beans. They're very like
crush in your mouth. (laughs) - They're good, huh?
- Mm-hmm! - And then that cornbread.
- Bro, I love cornbread. - Oh dude, cornbread's so good. - Kornbread "The Snack" Jete! She's my favorite drag queen.
(laughs) - You're such a dork.
(both laugh) - Thank you, I would jump at
another opportunity to have some Hoppin' John.
(PvF laughs) That was for Chris. - ♪ Gotta get that
♪
- Okay. (laughs) - You're supposed to sing along!
- I'm trying to remember the words! - ♪ Boom, boom, boom ♪
(both laugh) - It's like not overbearing, like,
or overpowering at all. I feel like it's actually
really light. - You're right.
- (PvF) So fun fact. Leftover Hoppin' John is sometimes
referred to as Skippin' Jenny. - Skippin' Jenny?
- Skippin' Jenny? - Hoppin' John is actually,
tomorrow it's gonna be Skippin' Jenny. - Hoppin' John,
Skippin' Jenny? - (PvF) Mm-hmm.
- That's super cute.
- This is my favorite
so far, actually. - (PvF) Mmm! - It just reminds me of what,
yeah, like Sunday dinner. - It's good, yeah. - I like it, but my shrimp and grits
are still holding. - Yeah, the shrimp and grits. I really like the thick-cut
bacon in it, though. - Oh yeah, this is
hardcore SharWare. - SharWare moment! (both mimicking air horns) - So dumb.
(both laugh) - (narrator) Did you know
that hush puppies have a unique tie
to slavery? - Hush puppies.
(Izzy gasps) - I love hush puppies! -
Hush puppies are so good!
- Hush puppies! - (narrator) Used hush puppies
on the trail, as they were running away. - Wow.
- Oh wow. - (narrator) It was a distraction
for the bloodhounds. - Oh, wow! - (narrator) It would be to
hush the puppies. - The puppies, oh my God.
- Dude, that's wild! - That is incredibly dark
and atrocious, but wow, okay. - But I think that's why
it's really cool that, you know, when we're trying these, like it's really important
to acknowledge, like... - The history, yeah.
- The history behind it. - What's the...
- What's in it? - Yeah, what's...
- Like what is... - (PvF) You guys will learn
if you give me a moment. - (laughs) Ash,
we want answers! - (PvF) Typically served
on the side of seafood or barbecue, hush puppies are small round balls
made from corn meal batter. They are then fried
until crispy on the outside, and tender on the inside. - I always thought hush puppies
was like cornbread, like corn in the middle. (hush puppy crunches) - I don't know, they l
ike the
chicken nugget things that I remember from getting
when I was a kid. Instead of chicken nuggets,
we were like oh cool, this is like a bread
chicken nugget. - They kind of look like
dango balls to me. - Oh my God, during like,
the pandemic, I would eat a lot of these.
They're so good. - It's sad that we're so
glossed over our history so much that we just go into
Bubba Gump's or wherever, and order hush puppies without knowing that this
is where it came from. - This also seems like a fun
little snack. - Definitely.
- (PvF) Mm-hmm. - This is a game day
snack for sure. - Mm-hmm! - I frickin' love it.
- Yeah see, it's not so bad. - I would not turn these away ever.
- Ooh, maybe with ranch. - Oh, yeah, some ranch.
- Low key, I love ranch. - Maybe like some
honey mustard. - Did you guys make these?
- (PvF) Mm-hmm. - Mmm, really good job.
- (PvF) Yeah. - 10 out of 10, bro.
- Shocker. - It's just the intestines. - (narrator) This staple in
the black community has a very deep past,
and
it's time to talk about it. - Ah.
(Dani claps) Sweet potato pie!
- Sweet potato pie! - Mmm! - Ooh, sweet potato pie!
- Sweet potato pie! - I've never had sweet
potato pie either! - Aw! - I love pie, I love pumpkin pie.
I've never had sweet potato pie. - You are in for a treat.
Do you like pumpkin pie? - Yeah. - It's like even better.
It's so good. - Is it sweeter? - Pie crust just made from scratch,
yum yum! - Yep! - I've never had it! - No, I've never had it either.
I've had sweet potato. - It
looks really good.
- It looks so good. - Oh, this is gonna be
so good. - ♪ Yes ♪ - (PvF) To cap things off
with a dessert, we've got a lovely slice
of sweet potato pie, a traditional dessert
originating in the south, and often enjoyed around
the holidays in place of pumpkin pie. - I like sweet potato fries. Did you just eat that
like a pizza? - Yeah.
- (PvF) Oh. (Jayka laughs) - That's sweet potato pie?
- (PvF) Mm-hmm. - Wow! - Wow.
That's so good. - I like it better
than pumpkin. - That taste
s like pumpkin pie.
(laughs) - No, but it's a little
different texture than a normal pumpkin pie though. - Oh my God. I'm just going right back in. - That's like smoother
and more flavorful than pumpkin pie. - Mm-hmm. - Almost like citrusy
and bright a little bit. - It tastes like pumpkin pie! - Like, it's just got a little
bit lighter... - Honestly, I can't spot
the difference between this and pumpkin pie,
I'm not gonna lie. - It's like, it's light,
I like it. - (PvF) Mm-hmm.
- I do like sweet
potato pie, like I said, better than pumpkin.
- It's nice and airy. - It's really, really good. - I don't know, I think I like
this one better. - Mmm! - I think I do like this a little bit
more than pumpkin pie though. - It's so good, right? - Sweet potato's like
sweet naturally, and pumpkin is not really...
- Oh, it's not yeah. - As sweet naturally,
so I feel like they have to put a bunch of stuff in it
to make it sweeter. - (PvF) So there's actually a bit
of a rivalry between pumpkin pie
and s
weet potato pie. - And sweet potato pie?
- No! - (PvF) Which is due to
regional differences. - Come on, again! - See, again, it's not...
- Let's eat all the pie! - It's not a thing, like,
I mean, it's not a competition! - No, just eat all the pie!
- It's just... (laughs) - (PvF) Pumpkin pie became popular
amongst northern states due to its profitable yield
during autumn, while sweet potato pie grew in
popularity with the southern states. This is because the sweet potatoes
thrived in the south, d
ue to the vegetables' predisposition
for growing in warmer climates. - Yeah, yeah, so it was just entirely
about the environment of like, what grows better?
- (PvF) Mm-hmm. - I think that's so interesting
of like how the environment can fully change what you can
and can't grow. - They're both good. - But why does there
have to be a fight? - Right?
- I think it's just to sell more pie. (Jayka laughs)
You know what I mean? - This was a win! - This was a total win.
High five. - No, I learned a lot
! - Honestly, I had a lot of firsts
this episode, of trying new stuff.
- Mm-hmm. - Dude, it was all delicious.
Dude, the catfish. I'd have the catfish
with the collard greens. - There's so much history
behind these amazing foods, and it's important
to acknowledge that, but the shrimp and grits, man. I'm gonna be dreaming about those.
(both laugh) - We already know
what your favorite was. - (laughs) I loved the Cajun
shrimp and grits! - I think the rice and black eyed peas
I think is probably my
favorite. - Honestly, I think it was
the collard greens. - Oh wow! - I think it was the collard greens. - Collard greens for him.
- Yeah! - The cornbread and hush puppies
are like, if not the same. - (PvF) Alright! - I'll have Skippin' Jenny
for lunch tomorrow. (laughs) - (PvF) Nicole, do you like pumpkin
pie or sweet potato pie better? - Sweet potato,
it's gotta be sweet. I love pumpkin, but like, there's just something about
sweet potato that's so good. Cheers!
- (PvF) Mmm. Thank you guys so
much for watching
this soul food episode. What other foods do you wanna
see us try? Let us know in the comments
down below. - Bye!
- (PvF) Mmm, bye! Mmm, I feel it in my soul.
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