Sweet Potato Spritz by Nicole Taylor

In Invisible Man, Ralph Ellison writes vividly about his protagonist purchasing warm, round, butter-topped sweet potatoes from street cart vendors in Harlem.

Photo by Beatriz da Costa

Excerpted from Watermelon and Red Birds by Nicole A. Taylor:

In Invisible Man, the 1953 National Book Award–winning and bestselling novel by Ralph Ellison, Ellison writes vividly about his protagonist purchasing warm, round, butter-topped sweet potatoes from street cart vendors in Harlem. His description of the no-frills snack is…