What foods did African slaves eat?

When African slaves were brought over from Africa and sold to Americans, they were fed lard, corn meal, molasses, a bit of meat, flour, peas and other greens from their slave owners. The meals were usually given to slaves on Saturday and were meant to last for the entire week.

Slaves who lived farther north tended to get better food and better overall treatment at the hands of their owners. The financial status as well as the ideological belief of the slave owners also greatly influenced the way that the slaves were treated. Regardless of where they lived, the African slaves were rarely given enough food to eat.