Afro-Vegan: Farm-Fresh African, Caribbean, and Southern Flavors Remixed

In Afro-Vegan, chef and activist Bryant Terry performs a radical act of culinary remixology. He deconstructs the foundational cuisines of the African diaspora—the hearty comfort of the American South, the vibrant stews of the Caribbean, and the complex spicing of the African continent—and reassembles them through a strictly plant-based lens. This is not a mere collection of vegan adaptations but a deliberate, creative project that treats these food traditions as a living, evolving conversation. Terry seeks to honor the past while decisively pushing it forward, proving that the soul and depth of these cuisines reside not in animal products, but in their distinctive spice palettes, cooking techniques, and communal spirit.

The book is meticulously structured, beginning with an essential primer on crafting the foundational spice blends—like Ethiopian berbere and North African za'atar—that form the aromatic backbone of the recipes. From there, it unfolds as a global journey, each dish a thoughtful fusion. A Kenyan-inspired irio becomes Smashed Potatoes, Peas, and Corn electrified with Chile-Garlic Oil. A Moroccan tagine transforms into a Cinnamon-Soaked Wheat Berry Salad. Creamy Coconut-Cashew Soup pays homage to Brazil while incorporating classic Southern okra and tomatoes, and Crispy Teff and Grit Cakes marry an ancient Ethiopian grain with stone-ground corn from the Deep South.

Beyond the recipes, Terry frames cooking as a holistic cultural practice. Each chapter is accompanied by curated music playlists and book recommendations, inviting the cook to create a full sensory and intellectual experience around the meal. Essays woven throughout the text contextualize the dishes within histories of migration, resilience, and community, arguing that understanding this journey is as vital to the meal as the ingredients themselves.

Afro-Vegan thus operates on multiple levels: as an innovative cookbook that expands the boundaries of vegan cuisine, as a historical document tracing the diaspora's edible legacy, and as a manifesto for food justice that connects the personal act of cooking to broader social and ecological consciousness. It is essential for adventurous home cooks, students of food history, and anyone seeking to decouple profound flavor from animal protein, discovering a world of untapped vibrancy on their plate.

The cookbook is celebrated as a revelation, particularly praised for successfully investing plant-based cooking with the deep, complex soul and heritage typically associated with meat-centric diasporic cuisines. Readers are captivated by the vibrant, explosive flavors and the rich cultural and historical context Terry provides, which many find as nourishing as the recipes themselves. Criticisms are rare but note that some dishes require specialty ingredients and a committed time investment, positioning the book as a project for inspired cooking rather than quick weeknight meals. The consensus is that it transcends the vegan category to become a seminal work on global flavor.