Who were the first people to eat collard greens? Food historians believe that the cultivation of the ancient leafy vegetable began in the Mediterranean region of the world approximately 5,000 years ago.
They later appeared in the gardens of Europe, Africa and Asia. Yet, Tufts University researchers and other experts agree that the origins of collard greens are rooted in America’s Black culture.
“We have records of collards being grown in the gardens of enslaved African Americans. In Africa, there is a wide range of wild, dark, leafy greens that people depend on. So, this was reminiscent of home for them,” says Ira Wallace, the godmother of the Heirloom Collard Project.
A Cooking Pro December 2024 report confirms the link between collard greens and enslaved Africans in the U.S. “While they were initially cultivated in Europe, the transatlantic slave trade brought them to the Americas, particularly to the southern United States. This chapter of history reveals how African slaves incorporated collard greens into their diets, blending them with local cooking techniques and flavors. Thus, collard greens became a symbol of resilience and cultural identity.”
Passing Down Collard Greens
As a master gardener, writer and researcher, Wallace makes impressive contributions to the preservation of collard greens and their cultural connection to African Americans. The part-owner of the Southern Exposure Seed Exchange in Minerva, Virginia, is legendary for spearheading the start of the Heirloom Collard Project in 2016.
The project’s collard people – farmers, gardeners, seed stewards, educators and researchers – work together with Wallace to preserve rare collard green varieties from seeds saved and shared by generations of growers, primarily Black families in the Southeastern states.
While many older varieties have vanished, Wallace and her group are dedicated to preserving the dozens of heirloom collards that have been grown for decades, keeping them alive and thriving on farms and in gardens.
“I thought this is a chance to take Black people and Native people who have sometimes been written out of culinary history and put them front and center for the work they have done,” Wallace states.
The heirloom seed steward first learned to love and respect the collard greens that grew in her grandma’s garden. “Our garden was kind of special because we had a big old pecan tree that was a bit on the south side of it, so we could have greens further into the summer than other folks,” Wallace recalls.
“We tried to grow them all year, but she said we really only could harvest them ten months of the year because in July and the first part of August, it was too hot for them to be tasty. But the rest of the year, they were fine!”
Grandma’s soulful collard greens have planted marvelous memories in the minds of Black cooks and chefs across the U.S.
Houston’s Chris Williams keeps braised collards on the menu at the award-winning Lucille’s Fine Southern Food, which he opened in 2012. The chef/owner serves organic collards grown in the restaurant’s garden. “I can remember sitting on a chair peeling collard greens. I remember in those moments that the sun was brighter and the air was cleaner,” says the restaurateur.
Williams began cooking collard greens as an adult after starting his culinary career. Yet, he never forgot the experience of helping his father’s mother put a pot of collards on the stove. “I feel like I tasted the romance of the process of making the greens. Even then, I knew that this is a plant from the earth and something special,” the acclaimed chef reflects.
“Something about collards felt ancient. Even though they weren’t my favorite thing to eat, I had respect for what they were and what they represented. They tasted familiar and like home.”
By Phyllis Armstrong
