How Soulful Collard Greens Are Rooted in Black Culture, Cooking and Farming

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.”

Oakland’s internationally recognized executive chef, Tanya Holland, also admits that collard greens were not her preferred vegetable as a kid. “They definitely weren’t something I sought out until later when I actually had a restaurant. I prepared them then because I couldn’t think of having a soul food restaurant without collard greens,” says the former owner of Brown Sugar Kitchen.

Holland closed her popular restaurant at the end of 2021. She served vegan collard greens there, but her mom used the traditional method. “My mom would cook them on the stovetop with the ham hock for hours, probably with her secret blend of seasonings. You remember the texture when they are cooked for several hours. They are really broken down.”

The California resident grew up in the suburbs of Rochester, New York, and spent summers with grandparents in Louisiana and Virginia. Her experiences with collard greens in those places left an impression of their starring role at African American family events.

“They were that symbol of us serving our food. They were at all the picnics and all the Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Eve celebrations.  If there were buffets, guests would serve themselves. Or the collard greens were on the table, and you passed them around. I’d be hard-pressed to think of that kind of gathering without collard greens,” says Holland.

Cooking Soulful Collard Greens the Traditional Way

Cooking soulful collard greens was not a joyful experience the first time Lucille’s chef/owner encountered them at B. Smith’s, one of the first Black-owned fine-dining establishments in D.C. On Williams’ first day as an intern at the Union Station restaurant, chef Rahman “Rock” Harper told him to go check on the collard greens.

“I opened up this huge vat, and steam came out and burnt my entire arm. It was a severe burn, and I had to roll my sleeves down and keep working.” Williams continues the story and reveals why he kept quiet about his injury.

“By the time I came back the next day, my arm had swollen up to the size of a loaf of bread. But you couldn’t say anything. You didn’t want to let on that you had hurt yourself on your first day on the job.”

Houston’s two-time James Beard Award finalist for Outstanding Restaurateur did not cook collards in his own kitchen until he got ready to open Lucille’s, the Museum District restaurant named after the culinary pioneer Lucille B. Smith.

“When we decided to name Lucille’s after my great-grandmother, it was a given that we had to have greens and fried chicken on the menu. We had to learn how to make fried green tomatoes because we were following her lead,” says Williams.

The executive chef set out to capture the nostalgic taste and aroma of the collard greens cooking in his childhood home for Lucille’s guests. “I started building the recipe on the smell at my parent’s house. It took me a couple of days to get the recipe right. I got one I thought was close to it,” Williams acknowledges.

“For the collard greens at Lucille’s, we use ham hocks. That’s how I got that smell back by boiling those ham hocks for 30 minutes.”

The cover of Todd Richards’ best-selling cookbook “Soul: A Chef’s Culinary Evolution in 150 Recipes” features an array of broad collard leaves. A collard green leaf tattoo is also visible on his forearm in a photo from the 2018 cookbook. The chef’s favorite variety is the Georgia Southern collard, which can grow 36 inches or taller.

“Those are the best ones. I can’t tell you how special Georgia Collards are,” Richards declares. “Matthew Raiford, who is a good friend of mine, grows collards. His greens sometimes have a bluish tinge, similar to kale. They have this sweetness to them that you don’t usually get with commercially grown collards.”

Chef Raiford’s collards can be found at Gilliard Farm, a family operation in Brunswick, Georgia. The land purchased in 1874 by Raiford’s his great-great-great-grandfather has nourished collard greens and other organic produce for six generations.

The family history behind the collards that Chef Richards’ relatives cooked dictated the one ingredient that was never to be left out. “I would say that ham hock was always present in all of our collard greens I ate as a kid. The levels of vinegar were the differentiating points on the styles of collards.”

Richards mentions what makes his pot of greens different from his sister’s, and it is the presence of mustard, turnip or other greens. “I do just straight collards, but she does hers mixed. That also shows that my sister hung out with that side of the family more than I did,” he relays with a chuckle.

The owner of Atlanta’s Soul Food & Culture eatery learned that cooking temperatures and times, along with the season, determined how your collard greens would turn out. His grandmother also taught him there’s more than one way to cook them.

“The broad leaves or winter collards were prepared mostly the traditional way. But she would save the younger greens on the inside, chop them and cook them with bacon, onions and a little bit of vinegar,” Richards explains.

The chef believes his grandfather’s fatal heart attack motivated his grandmother to sauté collards years before that method became popular. “My grandmother wanted to become more conscious of the food everyone was eating. She looked for different ways to prepare things we would normally have,” says Richards.

No matter how collards are prepared, African American chefs and home cooks everywhere know to clean the greens vigorously and season them well. Chef Holland calls it a demanding task. “They are laborious – prepping them, washing them and getting them in the pot. They shrink down to almost nothing from where you start, of course,” she says.

So, for most Blacks, serving up good luck with a whole mess ‘o greens on New Year’s Eve meant separating the large center stems from huge piles of collard leaves. “I like taking out that center rib. I feel like it makes them more tender, so I say it’s worth it. Look at the leaves to make sure they are all consistent in color. The veins should be nice and clear, and the leaves should not be discolored or wilted,” offers the Oakland chef.

RELATED: For the Love of Oxtails: African American and Caribbean Communities’ Ode to an Ancestral Legacy

Today’s Changing Collard Green Recipes

The opening of Brown Sugar Kitchen in 2008 prompted Holland to create a meatless collard dish her patrons could appreciate. Her vegan recipe begins with organic collards and ends with Tabasco sauce.

“We would usually cook them down maybe 30 minutes at the most. Mine were definitely more al dente than what I grew up with or what some people think they should be,” says the cookbook author.

Her vegan recipe is in her 2014 cookbook, “Brown Sugar Kitchen: New-Style, Down-Home Recipes from Sweet West Oakland.” Holland still buys organic collard greens from her local farm market when she cooks them at home.

“That makes a big difference for me. I really taste the earthy flavor and the freshness. Every now and then, I will add a smoked turkey leg or wing. That smoked flavor is a great addition. I do like ham hocks too, but I don’t use them as much,” she clarifies.

Chef Holland’s highly praised podcast, “Tanya’s Table,” lets her discuss the California and global influences on her soulful cooking, such as adding collards to a Middle Eastern vegetable dish. “I created this collard green tabbouleh. It is made with bulgur wheat, tomatoes, onion, parsley and extra-virgin olive oil. It’s really fresh and delicious,” says the chef.

Other modern recipes for collard greens are showcased in Holland’s third cookbook. “Tanya Holland’s California Soul: Recipes from a Culinary Journey West” is on the 2022 best cookbook lists of the San Francisco Chronicle, Food & Wine, Epicurious and other top publications. “I’ve created some recipes like my collard green pesto for a grilled lamb and a collard green-wrapped fish that I steam.”

Like Holland, Chef Williams enjoys devising innovative uses for collards, the oldest member of the cabbage family. He puts the hardy greens in a pesto, a tabbouleh dish and a harvest salad served at Rado Café & Market.

Lucille’s Hospitality Group created the market inside the rejuvenated Eldorado Ballroom to bring fresh local produce and more nutritious food to the Third Ward community. “I wanted to celebrate the community still there but showcase our food in a newer, lighter, healthier way,” says the Houston restaurateur.

The Heirloom Collard Project’s trailblazer prefers a Brazilian recipe for cooking collard greens. Wallace details the quick and easy process. “First, you wash your greens well. Then, take the big mid-rib out and stack up five or six leaves before rolling them like a cigar. Cut them in thin slices chiffonade style.”

She continues with the cooking instructions. “I take a few cloves of garlic, chop them up finely, and put them in a frying pan, usually a cast iron one, with a little bit of olive oil. Cook the garlic until it begins to turn slightly tan. Then, you add the collards and put a lid on. They take 10 or 15 minutes to cook that way. This is especially good early in the season when your collards are tender.”

The Virginia gardener also likes making the summer salad she tasted in Jamaica. “Instead of cooking the collards, they massage them like you would kale. They add salt and a little bit of hot pepper and dress the salad lightly with oil and vinegar,” says Wallace.

“What is nice about it, too, is you can make it in the morning and serve it for dinner. It’s not going to lose quality.”

Sharing Soulful Collard Green Blessings

Wallace, who is 76,  discovered early in life that America’s Black communities are not alone in being thankful for the blessings soulful collard greens deliver. She tells the story of going to the Lumbee Homecoming in Robeson County, North Carolina, and eating fry bread with collards and hot peppers.

“What I know from my experience is that the Lumbee tribe carries on the tradition of making collard sandwiches and collard kraut. They have this fabulous festival, and the collard is one of the vegetables celebrated,” says the respected heirloom steward.

As Chef Richards continues to tour for his critically acclaimed “Roots, Heart, Soul: The Story, Celebration and Recipes of Afro Cuisine in America,” he likes to share his love of using collard greens in the popular dishes of other cultures, especially fried rice.

“With African influences, it might have more berbere spice. If I want to go Asian, it might have soy sauce instead of Worcestershire. Regardless, ginger is always in both styles. It shows how versatile collard greens are.”

The Atlanta resident’s “Roots, Heart & Soul” podcast on Heritage Radio Network gives Richards more opportunities to spread the good news about collard greens. “We’re not keeping them all to the South. As Jackmont Hospitality expands restaurants, we find ways to get collard greens on the menus.  It’s utilizing them in ways I grew up as a kid and paying homage to the Black family, but also expanding people’s knowledge of what collard greens can be,” adds Richards.

In Kendleton, Texas, Lucille’s 1913 Farming Initiative expands the reach of the Black cultural treasure by growing three varieties of organic collard greens. “If you taste them fresh, collards taste like strawberries. I wanted to start showcasing the different sides of collards,” says Chef Williams.

The visionary entrepreneur launched his 1913 nonprofit during the pandemic to provide meals for food-insecure communities. Its sustainable farming programs, including the Community Collective garden, now sell produce at wholesale prices, generate employment opportunities for local residents and distribute organic supplies to a community kitchen and the hospitality group’s restaurants.  

Williams emphasizes what makes the farm’s collard greens a gift that can benefit everyone. “They are super food, robust, filling and really good for you. It is not a plant that was always respected and appreciated, but we know how to make them delicious.”

More than a thousand miles away in Virginia, the founders of the Heirloom Collard Project and Southern Exposure Seed Exchange are elevating recognition of and respect for the plant deeply rooted in the culture of African Americans.

“I’m hoping that growing collards, eating collards and saving seeds will continue to be a part of community, school and home gardens, especially in African American communities,” says Wallace.

As one of the original stewards of heirloom collard green seeds preserved by generations of farmers and gardeners in America’s Southeast, Wallace recognizes the urgency of involving more young people in her mission. They are needed to pass on what our Black ancestors recognized – the value of incorporating these dark, leafy greens into our diets.

“I find that the kids at the school gardens like these collards. So, it adds more nutritious food to the tables of people in our communities,” Wallace stresses. “Too often in our Black neighborhoods, the healthy meals our grandmothers provided have been replaced by fast foods.”

The Heirloom Collard Project received more than 60 collard green varieties collected by cultural geographers Ed Davis and John Morgan, who traveled to ten southern states over 20 years ago in search of heirloom seed savers. The scholars’ work outlined in the 2015 “Collards: A Southern Tradition from Seed to Table” honors Black people’s contributions to the glorious history and preservation of collard greens.

Wallace concludes, “I’m not always going to be the person touting the horn of collard greens. But we’re working with a lot of young people just out of college who want to get closer to the land. We hope that interest will continue through their lives and be spread in the communities where they ultimately live and grow their gardens.”