Celebrate Kwanzaa with this three-ingredient watermelon spritzer recipe.
Plus, learn why the holiday is so important.
Experts in This Article
Brandi Barnett is the creator of the food blog Brandis Diary.
She is also a high school teacher, teaching social studies and African American history.
I didnt grow up celebrating Kwanzaa.
In fact, it wasnt even something I knew about until I went to college.
Brandi Barnett is the creator of the food blog Brandi’s Diary. She is also a high school teacher, teaching social studies and African American history.
We get this term because people from different countries came to America, bringing their cultural traditions with them.
But, historically, people of African descent didnt come to America; we werebroughtto America.
When that happened, we were assimilated into another culture, losing ours in the process.
We werent allowed to speak our native tongue or dress in our native style of clothes.
All of that was lost, an attempt to sever our ties to our culture.
What Kwanzaa does is recaptures what was lost and creates a sense of community for our people.
Kwanzaa is from December 26 to January 1 and is a celebration of the harvest.
Its a time when people come together to celebrate the fruits of their labor.
So if you have one child, there will be one ear of corn on the table.
Brandi Barnett is the creator of the food blog Brandi’s Diary. She is also a high school teacher, teaching social studies and African American history.
If you have two children, youll have two ears of corn, and so on.
Fried chicken and watermelon both have negative connotations that were placed on people of African descent.
Because of this, some Black people are hesitant to embrace these foods.
But watermelon is a fruit thats native to Africa and it represents so much culturally.
My watermelon spritzer recipe is very simple.
Its just strained watermelon, lemon-lime flavored carbonated water, and fresh mint.
The trick is crushing the chopped watermelon by hand and straining it with a cheesecloth.
This releases its natural oils, which are then infused into the drink.
It looks really festive this way, too.
This year for Kwanzaa, I plan on having a feast with my African American studies class.
I think Ill serve some watermelon spritzers up for them too.
The fruits of our labor have been harvested.
Its time to raise a glass.
Cut and cube your watermelon.
Place half of the cubes flat on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
Allow it to freeze overnight.
Crush the other half of the cubes with a potato masher, then strain through cheesecloth.
Combine the strained liquid with your sparkling lemon-lime water.
Hit your sprigs of mint on your hand to release the oils and add to the liquid.
Allow to sit in the refrigerator for at least two hours (or overnight if possible).
Place your frozen watermelon chunks in a glass, pour your watermelon spritzer and enjoy.
As told to Emily Laurence.
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