Why Black people love Chicken

When the great gods of the Yangtze and the Mekong are joyfully tearing through dog meat, the entire world keeps silent. Also, when the elite and curvy gods and goddesses along the great Mississippi are busy swallowing tons of pork chops, the whole world sees and says nothing. However, when the old but gentle gods of the mighty tree of ancient origin touch pieces of chicken, the entire universe suddenly gets suspicious. But ast we all know, the gods of the great Iroko and the mighty Baobab are always right.

I was shocked when a friend of mine who returned from America years ago, came down with the story that most black people in America find it very uncomfortable eating chicken in public places. When we asked him why, he said it is a stereotypical view in America that black people love chicken and watermelon. That sounded quite funny to me at first. Why? Because, to me, if you are not a vegetarian or vegan but you hate fried chicken then there is something very wrong with you. Also, just imagine a ball of watermelon on a hot summer afternoon. 

Chicken in the African culture is more than just food. In the olden days in Africa (and even today in some rural communities), just like in biblical times, anytime someone offended the gods of the land, they had to pacify the gods and atone for their sins. This mostly included some blood sacrifices. The easiest and quickest way to pacify the gods was with chicken and eggs. In other words, people sacrificed chicken to pacify the gods of the land. In most cases, the blood of the chicken was sprinkled on the altar of the gods as a sign of atonement just like in the old testament of the Bible. The meat was then cooked and shared.

In the traditional African religion, an egg and a full chicken carry the same weight so sacrificing a chicken is the same as sacrificing an egg. However, as a sign of respect, the eggs often came in dozens (12s). Although sheep, goats, cattle, etc. were all used for sacrifices, chicken was and remains the most affordable and easy to come by and that is why most sacrifices were and are often made using chicken. Maybe this explains why so many Africans, including our brothers and sisters in America, held and continue to hold chicken in such high esteem. Chicken is a favorite meat we all share with the gods.

In Africa, we often "assassinate" chicken on festivities such as Christmas, Easter, Eid, yam festivals, birthdays, naming ceremonies, weddings, etc. Chicken goes well with almost every dish. From Jollof rice (favorite in Liberia), to Fufu and palmnut soup (favorite in Ghana), all the way down to Eba and egusi (favorite in Nigeria). Chicken remains the undefeated heavyweight champion when it comes to African dishes.

Pork is something I personally don't like. In fact, eating pork is considered a taboo in most communities across Africa. Also, dog meat, house cats, frogs, snakes, lizards, insects, etc. are all a big NO for me (and I believe most people across Africa). Interestingly, these animals I just mentioned are all favorites at different parts of the world. In fact, a CNN documentary I watched not long ago clearly showed that anything that moves is on the menu in China, Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and some other countries in that corner of the world.

In other words, everyone has their favorites and Africans just happen to love chicken which also happens to be the most popular meat on planet earth.