The Rich, Complex Origins Behind Fried Catfish

Golden-fried catfish is an essential part of Southern foodways. Prized by some and disparaged by others, it has long been appreciated in the region, and in time gained wider acceptance and acclaim. As a cultural culinary icon, its history runs deep. Soul food connotations to fried catfish, in fact, have origins that trace back to the diets of the people who built the wealth of America but gained very little in return.

Abundant in the American South, especially in the Mississippi River Valley where the majority of enslaved people toiled, catfish were already valued by many in West Africa, the region from which most enslaved Americans were transported, according to "Soul Food" author Adrian Miller. In his book, Miller elaborates on how this familiarity with the catch likely traveled into the American colonies, where enslaved people fished to sustain themselves – as time allowed– with the area's wide array of seafood. The simplicity and speed of frying allowed cooks to serve many people at once, and eventually, catfish-centered fish fries became the heart of gathering traditions that nourished Black communities in America. With the fish's rise in popularity, exporters succeeded in taking the "mudcat" national.

But as Adrian Miller explains in "Soul Food," before fried catfish could become the pride of what came to be called soul food in the 1960s, it was at the heart of many Black social spaces, becoming a central part of annual celebrations of Emancipation and the Fourth of July after the Civil War. Newspapers commented on fish fries marked by red lanterns and revelry among attendees, reinforcing fried catfish's connection to Black cooking traditions. When punitive taxes for holding the events were announced, articles were written describing exactly who would be paying those levies. Among other communities, catfish consumption was slower to catch on. Miller points out that while catfish was eaten by white people, its association with Black Americans was often furthered by stereotypes. The fish has gone through seasons of widespread favor and disfavor, he explains.

Catfish experienced an image problem over the years, an issue which had various roots — among them its "muddy" flavor, caused not by filthy water or dirty food eaten by the fish, but by its natural environment: mud. Being a "bottom-feeder" presented other problems. For instance, Miller notes that catfish is forbidden for consumption by the Nation of Islam and Seventh-Day Adventists for that very reason.

Although an appreciation for catfish — an important source of nutrition stretching back to the beginnings of the Black experience in America — kept the fish fry alive and thriving, catfish farming in the second half of the 20th century was said to have replaced cotton farming in many areas, with Black people's labor again being exploited.

Today, catfish production accounts for the majority of American aquaculture, and catfish even has an honorary month in August each year. The change from the perception of "dirty" catfish among some Americans to its status as popular fare, and an iconic Southern dish, came after a concerted effort by farmers to both change the flavor of the fish, making it blander and thereby more palatable, and to expressly market it. (However, Miller notes that, due to price fluctuations, both whiting and tilapia have become popular alternatives.)

Because of the culinary knowledge and dietary preferences of enslaved Africans and their descendants held in bondage for more than 200 years, fried catfish continues to feature proudly and prominently in many Black American kitchens. More than simply being just another example of Southern cuisine, fried catfish has indelible links to Black communities because of the ways the food has been perceived, as well as historical tides which shaped the country's foodways.