Existing comment:
The Kitchen:
The Kitchen, so necessary to running a household, was located at some distance from the main house. Concealed between trees, a small building once stood on these exposed foundations. Virginia planters built separate kitchens because of the risk of fire and the constant heat from an open hearth. African American women, skilled in the European manner of cooking, worked under their mistresses' supervision to prepare daily meals and the more elaborate fare offered to guests. After the day's hot and heavy work, the women returned to their own families to cook foods that likely combined American ingredients with African styles of preparation. |