From KCRW, I'm Evan Kliman and you're listening to good food.

There is no island in the Caribbean that hasn't been tossed back and forth like a marble

on a school yard between the colonial hands of the Spanish, English, French and Dutch.

These European powers rejected and alienated centuries-old cultures, agriculture and technology.

They forced their language, religion and food into the culture and brought people

from all over the world to this region.

The Caribbean.

We say it like it's one thing, one place, but actually it consists of many thousands of

miles, over a thousand islands, and contains five continents of influence.

Between the 16th and 19th century, millions of African men, women, and children were brought to the islands against their well.

And in her new book, Kodeuar, Leilani Lewis shares this important history and the rich cuisine have brought forth.

Hi, Lelani.

Hi, nice to speak to you.

Oh, we're so happy to have you.

Your book is titled Code Noir, which refers to a French document regulating the

treatment of slaves. Why name a book celebrating food culture after such a

monstrous document?

Yeah, it's a question that I do get a lot and

a few French people have seen the book on the shelves and been completely outraged by it,

which is entirely understandable because it was a very dehumanizing document with 60 articles written about how to regulate, punish how much grams of food each enslaved African should be given.

But I just felt that for so long Caribbean and culture and just black

culture in general had been completely overshadowed by the suffering that they had experienced

...