Slaves’ Whistling Walk

Let’s be honest and call the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade what it really was: The European Slave Trade. That’s because the Atlantic Ocean couldn’t have enslaved anyone. From the 1500s to the 1800s, adults and children from western and central Africa were brought to the Americas to work with no pay on plantations and in the homes of slave masters.

To ensure slaves would not sample their masters’ food, they were required to whistle while carrying dishes from the kitchen—usually separated from the main house—to the slave owner’s dining table. What is the name of this act? The Whistling Walk.

Chef Kevin Mitchell of Charleston, USA, explained in this 2019 TV interview.