Brown Oyster Stew with Benne (Sesame) Seed

This dish, contributed by Mrs Augustine T. S. Stoney to Charleston Receipts, is one of those which show the African influence exerted on southern cookery by the blacks. Benne was originally brought over by slaves, who regarded it as a good-luck plant. The seeds are ‘parched’ in a heavy pan on the stove, or in the oven, until they are dark brown.

The recipe calls for bacon. In the old days salt-cured ‘side-meat’ of pork would have been used in