Source: Netflix / Netflix
There’s never a shortage of travel shows about food, but rarely will a viewer find in-depth exploration on dishes from the diaspora—let alone a Black authority on the subject—until now. In a matter of weeks, Netflix will release an original show called High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America, involving one of the most decorated food historians in the industry.
According to a press release reported by Eater, the docu-series, adapted from a book of the same name by highly renowned author Dr. Jessica B Harris, is described as “part culinary show, part travelogue.” The show will be hosted by Whetstone Magazine and media company founder Stephen Satterfield.
As described in the press release, Satterfield “embarks on a vibrant and powerful culinary journey alongside chefs, historians, and activists that celebrate the courage, artistry, and resourcefulness of the African American people.”
Typically, shows gloss over the connections of racism and slavery to African American cuisine in favor of attracting viewers with feel-good stories for ratings. This show, however, unapologetically approaches those topics head-on by examining the influence of racial disparity, classism, and labor relations in food culture. At the end of the series, viewers will have a deeper understanding of “America’s deep-rooted history of slavery, and the impact on American food as we know it today.”
High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America, debuts on May 26. Make sure to watch it on a full stomach, though. The close-up shots of delicious food on an empty stomach are unnecessary torture.