Why Catfish Is A Soul Food Staple

Soul food has a very important history in the United States. If you walk into a soul food restaurant — no matter if it's in New York City, Los Angeles, or the American South — you're probably going to find at least one catfish dish on the menu, most likely in fried form. This freshwater fish is endemic to rivers and lakes throughout the U.S. and has grown to become a cornerstone of soul food. A fried filet of catfish served alongside dishes such as hushpuppies, collard greens, and creamy coleslaw are classic soul food favorites. However, catfish's rise to culinary prominence today has a long and painful history, as it is deeply tied to the diets of enslaved people from West Africa who were forced to cross the Atlantic Ocean.

Many ingredients they cooked with, including catfish, were used out of necessity. Even after slavery was abolished in the 1860s, Black Americans still faced systemic barriers that made it difficult for them to build wealth, and therefore relied on ingredients that were cheap and easily accessible. A lot of times this meant utilizing unpopular cuts of meat, such as oxtail (which is currently experiencing a rise to superstardom). Catfish was considered an undesirable catch, often referred to as "mudcats," because they can be found in shallow, muddy waters. Because of this, many people found their taste to be off-putting. But since there are some catfish species that are native to West African countries, enslaved people were already well-versed in catching, preparing, and making them taste good. This made it a go-to protein source for enslaved people, who then cooked the fish by coating it in cornmeal and frying it in hot grease.

Both during slavery and after it, catfish played an important role in the social lives of Black Americans. Since it was quick to cook and could feed a crowd, catfish was an ideal protein to serve at social gatherings — and that's how the tradition of Southern fish fries was born. Today, fish fries are often associated with Friday, an influence from Catholic immigrants who abstained from eating meat on Fridays. However, enslaved people were often given some downtime on Saturday afternoons and evenings, and they took that opportunity to gather and prepare a big meal.

After the abolition of slavery, nearly 6 million Black Americans left the South during the Great Migration to settle in other parts of the country. They brought their cooking and social traditions with them to the western, midwestern, and northern states. One such tradition they brought with them was get-togethers centered around fried catfish, which are still a prominent part of social life in Black communities. Throughout the mid-20th century, especially during the Civil Rights Movement, the term "soul food" rose to popularity during a time when Black cooking was often used as a stereotype to further stigmatize Black folks. Coining their cuisine "soul food" was a response meant as a celebration of Black heritage and resilience during centuries of hardship, and fried catfish remains an iconic soul food staple today.