The African American Meaning Of "Put Your Foot In It" Saying About Cooked Food Or Baked Goods (with theories about the origin of that idiom)

Edited by Azizi Powell

Latest revision - September 3, 2023

This pancocojams post presents information and opinions about the meanings of the African American idiom "put your foot in" as it related to cooked food or baked goods.
 
The content of this post is presented for linguistic and socio-cultural purposes.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post..
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*Click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-Uz2L4h6Y8 for a 2023 YouTube video from Oregon State University about idioms. Sindya Bhanoo, that video's vlogger, gives this definition for idioms: "Idioms are phrases which cannot be understood simply by looking at the meaning of the individual words in the phrase. We use idiomatic expressions all the time. If your friend is “beating around the bush,” they are avoiding speaking with you about something directly.  “That’s the way the ball bounces” suggests that some things are just out of our control."...

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SECTION I - THE STANDARD ENGLISH MEANING OF "PUT YOUR FOOT IN IT"
From https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/put%20one%27s%20foot%20in%20it
"put one's foot in it

idiom

informal

: to say something that causes someone to be embarrassed, upset, or hurt especially when the speaker did not expect that reaction

I really put my foot in it when I asked her about her job. I didn't know she had just been fired"  
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In standard American English, a more common way of saying "put your foot in it" is "to put your foot in your mouth". Here's a definition for that idiom:
From https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/put-foot-in-mouth
"put your foot in your mouth

idiom

to say or do something that you should not have, esp. something that embarrasses someone else:

I really put my foot in my mouth – I asked her if Jane was her mother, but she said Jane is her sister."

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SECTION II - ONLINE QUOTES FOR THE AFRICAN AMERICAN MEANING OF "PUT YOUR FOOT IN IT" 
This section includes some definitions of the African American meanings of "put your foot in it". My analysis of these definitions is given below.

ONLINE QUOTES #1
From https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=put%20your%20foot%20in%20it
[Pancocojams Editor's Note:
There are five urbandictionary.com definitions for "put your foot in it" as of September 1, 2023, All definitions on urbandictionary.com are reader submitted and all of these definitions refer to the African American meanings of that idiom. 

These definitions are given in order of their ranking on that page, with the top rated definition given as #1]
1. "put your foot in it

when someone says you put your foot in somethin, that means you know how to cook whateva 'it' is, well

mmm. yo mama's frie dchicken is off da chain! you know she put her foot in it!
by yay area baby May 29, 2005

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2. Put your foot in

Meaning that it is fantastic! Usually referring to a great meal.

Mom, you put your foot in those collard greens!
by Stacia22 August 12, 2008  

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3. Putting your foot in it

To do something very well, to excel at something. Basically to 'kick it in the ass.'

We ate at some excellent BBQ last night at your restaurant. You will definately do good business as long as you keep putting your foot in it like that.
by Bubba 99 August 17, 2009

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4. put your foot in

This is when you achieve something to the best of your ability. It is often used in African American communities to describe cooking something especially well

"Damn laquita you put your foot in those ribs."...

by sussmeout December 8, 2008

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5. put your foot into

#1: To really put an effort into something; to do an outstanding job.

#1: "Judging from the way our parade float looks, you really put your foot into making the float look good".
by VaNellie September 29, 2005

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ONLINE QUOTE #2
From https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-origin-of-the-culinary-idiom-put-your-foot-in-it-as-means-of-acknowledging-someones-exceptional-cooking-skills

Karly Horowitz, 2017
Studied Culinary Arts at Cypress College
"I found the real, actual answer to this one although I've never heard the expression before:

Put your foot in it." In Black American English, this phrase is used to compliment excellent cooking. It means a meal is remarkably cooked. ... It should be noted that the phrase has a completely different meaning in (old-fashioned) British English"

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ONLINE QUOTE #3
From https://wordsmith.org/awad/awadmail587-extra.html AWADmail Issue 587 - Extra
A Weekly Compendium of Feedback on the Words in A.Word.A.Day and Tidbits about Words and Language
..."The phrase or saying: "You put your foot in it!" or "I put my foot in it!" is often used by African-Americans to indicate that something is particularly tasty or well done. For example, I make a very good mac 'n' cheese. My friends and family members will say after eating it, "Girl, you put your foot in it!" meaning that I gave it my best efforts or all (down to my feet/toes). It can also be used by the person who has accomplished or done something to describe his efforts. For instance, when someone compliments me about a dish or cake that I have made, I can reply, "Thanks. I put my foot in it!" When I have used this phrase among non-African Americans especially young children, I always receive a glare, a puzzled reaction, or a surprised look of sheer horror as they think that my toes might have actually touched their food.

-Gail K. Johnson, Mitchellville, Maryland (gail.k.johnson usdoj.gov)
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This excerpt from that page was quoted on Jan 10, 2018 by csicska on https://forum.wordreference.com/threads/i-put-my-foot-in-it-i-cooked-with-extra-love-and-care.3411249/

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ONLINE QUOTES #4
From https://www.reddit.com/r/NoStupidQuestions/comments/kvi6g5/whenever_my_grandmother_cooks_the_family_always/ r/NoStupidQuestions,2019 by Wise_DarkLord
"Whenever my Grandmother cooks, the family always says "You put your foot in this Macaroni"......Is that what makes the Food taste good. PEOPLE ARE PUTTING THERE FEET IN IT?"

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Reply
Kovarian, 2019
"It apparently is an expression in Black US culture basically meaning "you put a lot of love into this and it's very good and well cooked." It has nothing to do with actual feet in the actual food. I have no idea where the expression comes from."

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SECTION III - A FEW ADDITIONAL EXAMPLES OF THE AFRICAN AMERICAN MEANING OF "PUT YOUR FOOT IN IT"
These examples are given in no particular order and are numbered for referencing purposes only.
1.  From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szhTtl6CuO8 Patti Labelle - You'll Never Walk Alone (LIVE) HD, published by Andranik Azizbekyan; Nov 26, 2010; Apollo Theatre, New York City; 4 May 1985 [discussion thread comment]
 @ethelstevenslove2957, 2014
"Yes she put her foot in this song......."

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2. Click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNF3fo1007w for a video about a 2022 African American cookbook by Tracey Carter entitled "Girl You Put Your Foot In That". Here's a summary of that cookbook from https://www.amazon.com/Girl-You-Your-Foot-That/dp/B0BFV49Z5P?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Girl You Put Your Foot In That!: Secrets From a Caterer's Kitchen
" "Girl you put your foot in that!" is a celebration of the African American kitchen from a caterer's point of view, With over 100 recipes and tips to help even the most inexperienced cook, get you in and out of the kitchen fast. This cookbook shows how to create sensational dishes that will delight everyone. Some of the recipes featured in this fantastic cookbook are “Ba da boom” collard greens, “Tastes like some more” Baked macaroni and cheese and “You done lost your mind” BBQ ribs. This book will make you laugh out loud while learning how to put you foot in it too.

[…]

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Independently published (September 22, 2022)"

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3. Excerpt from the article "https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/jussie-smollett-patti-labelle-pies-empire-alicia-keys-interview-6806160/ Jussie Smollett Co-Signs Patti LaBelle Pies, Reveals ‘Empire’ Guest Wishlist byAdell Platon,12/16/2015
"“I was really, really blown away because I know sweet potato pie,” he [actor Jussie Smollet from the Empire television series] said on the red carpet. “My mother makes sweet potato pies. She’s from New Orleans but Miss Patti put her foot in that pie. Her foot! And it was amazing.”...

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4. Excerpt from https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/therootdc/post/put-your-foot-in-it-wings/2011/09/23/gIQAsFaqqK_blog.html “Put your foot in it” wings" by Troy Queen, September 23, 2011
"In honor of the Skins flying high so far this season with a 2-0 record, I think the burgundy and gold faithful are in need of some good ole fashion wings to keep the positive elevation if you catch my drift.

Since we’re playing the Cowboys on Monday night, the fans deserve something that tastes like they really put their foot into it.  Hold up; let me digress for a moment. Who in the world came up with the saying “put your foot into it” in regards to food? Someone’s foot or just the thought doesn’t exactly salivate the glands. My gut tells me this is definitely old southern slang.

So I decided to run the term by a colleague from Meridian, Miss., and he confirmed the term is as southern as chicken fried steak. Apparently, this is the highest compliment given among African-Americans in the south regarding how good your food tastes."...
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This article continues with cooking instructions.

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5. Selected YouTube discussion thread comments from the vlog entitled “Did your put your foot in it?” 🤣 #shorts published by The Gerber Fam, Jan 12, 2022 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTOX6u5Jo9w
Note: This vlog features an interracial couple (a Black woman and a White man).

[Letters are added for referencing purposes only. All of these comments are from 2023]

a. @tiffanyd.8660
"A foot adds flavor!! 😆 🦶🏽"

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Reply
b. @alvaral100
"I thought that might go over some people's head since he didn't reference food.😂"

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Reply
c. @beesknees213
".... especially to collard greens!!!"

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Reply
d. @TanyaMedina77
"I grew up in the south &  I never heard this term!! I HAVE to ask… do you really put put your foot in the greens 🥬"

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Reply
e. @hellobye7734
"@TanyaMedina77  REALLY?! never in the south?!"

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Reply
f. @coffeenut6124
"@TanyaMedina77 no lol it’s just means you did a good job cooking it"

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Reply
g. @karensardis9022
"​@Tanya Medina  No, a lot of black ppl use that term to say: "Did you try especially hard to make this??"

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h. @dwayneharris6067
"Peter, that Gumbo looked so good. You did put your foot in that. Lol."

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i. @ms.keyshawineglass7590
"I love the eyebrow spike and the "I sure did" after "did you put your foot in it" 😆🤣🤣🤣😭"

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j. @fedcop4JC
"When I said to my white, Hawaiian, and black because of me grandson that I put my foot in it about my dinner he ran away yelling “EEEEEWWWWWWW!!!” "

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k. @cindytitus6942
"This was HILARIOUS, these are phrases used in the black community daily!😁😁😁😁"

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l. @denisesalt9729
"If the foot wasn't in it, IT probably don't taste right"

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There also are several YouTube comedic "shorts" posted in 2022/2023 that usually feature a skit of a young Black person declaring that a certain dish is delicious and asking the cook (someone portraying a Black mother) what she point in it. The mother says "I put my foot in it" and then showing that one of her feet is missing. 

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SECTION IV- ONLINE QUOTES ABOUT THE POSSIBLE ORIGIN OF THE AFRICAN AMERICAN MEANING OF "PUT YOUR FOOT IN IT"
From https://www.reddit.com/r/etymology/comments/g6fw5j/can_anyone_help_me_find_the_etymology_for_the/#:~:text=Where%20dipping%20the%20toe%20would,it%20(the%20whole%20foot).

[Pancocojams Editor- Numbers are added for referencing purposes only.]

1. AStrangerSaysHi, 2019
"Can anyone help me find the etymology for the AAVE phrase "to put one's foot in it" as a compliment to one's cooking?

For anyone not familiar, in Southern African-American cultures, a highly regarded compliment to the chef would be to exclaim that he "put his foot in" the dish.

The closest I have found for a coherent etymology was someone who posited that it expands from the phrase "to dip one's toe in" something. Where dipping the toe would mean to try with a tiny effort or test the water, this phrase indicates that the chef didn't only put a small effort into his cooking (the toe), but instead put his all into it (the whole foot).

Other than that, I haven't found anything more plausible."

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2. Bordeterre, 2019
"There’s a surprisingly similar expression in french, but with a totally different meaning. "Mettre les pieds dans le plat" (Put your feet in the dish) means something like "talk bluntly about a subject that, given the circumstances, should be handled with care or not handled at all". Since Louisiana is in the south of the states, maybe the meaning was lost in translation. Or the two expressions could be totally unrelated"

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3. LUIGIISREAL2017, 2023
"I Only know about this idiom from The Proud Family!"
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Pancocojams Editor- Here's information about The Proud Family from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Proud_Family
"The Proud Family is an American animated television series created by Bruce W. Smith that originally ran on Disney Channel from September 15, 2001, to August 19, 2005.

A revival, known as The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder, was announced in 2020 and made its premiere on Disney+ on February 23, 2022.[1][2]"
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The Proud Family Season 2 first began on United States television on September 27, 2002. I don't know the specific date that particular episode first aired.

Here's a recap of The Proud Family episode that mentions "putting your foot in it":
From https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Recap/TheProudFamilyS2E12HmmmTastesLike Recap / The Proud Family S 2 E 12 Hmmm Tastes Like
"Suga Mama and Oscar unexpectedly form a partnership to have her phenomenally tasting "Get Up and Go" bars distributed by Proud Snacks, while everyone wonders what the secret ingredient is that makes them so great.

[…]

Suga Mama kept telling everyone "Let's just say I put my foot in it" regarding her Get Up and Go bars. Turns out she wasn't kidding.

[…]

When everyone finds out that the secret ingredient to Suga Mama's "Get Up and Go" bars is her foot, everyone from coast-to-coast starts gagging, including Trudy and Oprah.

… As is to be expected, Oscar's Proud Snacks make Penny and her friends sick. Later, Suga Mama inadvertently becomes one herself simply due to the revelation that she makes her treats with her foot, grossing her fans out.”…

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4. AStrangerSaysHi,2023
"I heard it growing up in Appalachia. Still haven't found a good etymology for it though."

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5. AStrangerSaysHi, 2023
"Having done some more work on the etymology, it's from the French expression, "mettre les pieds dans le plat."

French Creole speakers lost the original meaning of "to talk bluntly about sensitive matters."

Then, because of the association of French=Fancy, it was used to compliment someone's cooking.

Then, as the Creole/Southern Black population was quite close-knit, it became English over time.

Any better ideas?"

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6. Responsible_Ad8946, 2023
"It's a saying of African American origin. It just means you put a piece of you in it, like worked really hard on it. Akin to "putting your heart into it" though the heart is metaphorical in this sense you get what I mean."

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7. AStrangerSaysHi, 2023
" "African American origin" doesn't really help with etymology. I'm aware of the meaning and have both used and heard the phrase many times in my life. I'm searching for etymology here. Why use "foot;" where did the phrase originate; does anyone know when the phrase began being used; is there a historical text that popularized its usage; how far back does it go? Those are the kinds of questions I'm seeking answers for."
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In addition to these theories, notice the theory that is given in #3 of the urbandictionary.com definition that indicates that "putting your foot in it means "To do something very well, to excel at something. Basically to 'kick it in the ass.'" The idiom "kicking something's ass" doesn't have to mean winning a physical fight. Instead, it can mean that you really did a good job at something. 

Another way of saying basically the same thing is given in Section III, #5 g above: "Did you try especially hard to make this??"

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Another theory about the origin of the African American meaning of "put your foot in it" is that given in Online Quite #3 (above) that it derives from the meaning that a person gave their cooing their best efforts or all the way down to their feet/toes).

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SECTION V -  MY ANAYLSIS OF & SPECULATIONS ABOUT THE AFRICAN AMERICAN EXAMPLES OF "PUT YOUR FOOT IN IT" 
1. The African American meaning (use) of "put your foot in it" most often refers to cooking or baking  very well, and especially cooking or baking a specific dish very well. 

2. Less often, the African  American use of the idiom "put your foot in it" the word "it" refers to other things besides cooking or baking food very well.

Examples: "To really put an effort into something; to do an outstanding job" Online Quote #1, #5,
and the quote about Patti Labelle really putting her foot in her 1985 performance of the song "You'll Never Walk Alone" at the Apollo Theatre.(Section III, #1 of this pancocojams post.)

3. There are no verifiable origins for where and when the African American meaning (use) of "put your foot in it" first occurred.

Based on anecdotal evidence, that saying originated among African Americans in the South. If you accept the theory that that saying is a re-working of the French idiom "mettre les pieds dans le plat" (English translation: "foot in the plate"), then the African American saying came from Louisiana French Creoles decades ago. I think that this is the most likely source of this African American saying. 

The earliest online example of the African American meaning (use) of "put your foot in it" is the idiom's use in a Season 2 episode of The Proud Family, an African American animated television series. Season 2 of that series began in 2002.  (Read Section IV, #3 above). However, the "put your foot in it" idiom meaning cooking or baking very well had to have been known among some African Americans prior to this episode in order for that plot to be understood among African American (that series' targeted audience).

4. A number of online references to the African American meaning (use) of "put your foot in it" refer to this being something that older people (grandmothers, mothers) say or people share that they heard it growing up. Therefore, it seems to me that this saying is much older than the early 2000s when it (apparently) first appeared in the United States mass media, including television and online dictionaries. 

5. Given the examples of the African American meaning (use) of this idiom that I've found that  refer to other things beside cooking or baking, it's possible that the African American meaning (use) of "putting your foot in it" may have originally referred to other things besides food, and later (due to the folk process and its specified use) contracted to that present day more specific reference for food that taste very good. 

6. The use of the African American meaning (use) of the idiom of "put your foot in it" to refer to doing other things besides cooking or baking well hasn't been completely abandoned, but is used during the same periods of time as the idiom's more restricted definition.  

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