New England Cuisine

New England Maine Vermont Massachusetts Rhode Island New Hampshire Connecticut Upstate New York Northern Long

Island

A Challenging Land

The New England culinary region closely follows geopolitical boundary, overstepping only into upstate New York and northern Long Island.

New England’s ability to produce its own food is restricted by geographical barriers and climactic extremes.

Mountain, Forest, and SeaNew England’s arable

coastal plain is narrow, squeezed between the mountains and the sea.

As you move inland the land quickly rises to piedmont, low mountains, and finally to the rugged Northern Appalachian Mountain chain.

In northwestern New York State the land flattens into temperate high plateau.

Agriculture is ProblematicNew England has little arable land.

Most of New England’s soil is deposited in narrow river valleys and small basins between mountain ridges.

Tracts of viable farmland are small—rarely more than 250 acres in size.

Agriculture is Problematic Steep terrain precludes using large farm

machinery. Rugged terrain and rushing rivers made

transport of crops difficult.

Agriculture is Problematic

New England’s climate is one of extremes.

Crossroads of weather patterns results in extremely changeable and unpredictable weather. Nor’easters are frequent.

Despite median latitude, New England can suffer extremely hot and bitterly cold temperatures.

Much of New England has a short growing season.

New England Native Americans

EASTERN AND COASTALALGONQUIANS

NORTHERNIROQUOIS

Agriculturalists Lifestyle and food

ways similar to Plantation South natives

Early contact with Europeans

Numbers decimated by war and disease; many tribes wiped out

Hunting and gathering more important than farming

Aggressive and warlike Later contact with

Europeans Eventually controlled

much of northern New York State, Mid-Atlantic, Great Lakes region, and Ohio Valley

New England Native Agriculture

Good farmers working under poor conditions

Among few Native American groups to practice fertilization

Relied on hunting and foraging to supplement crops

Three Sisters (corn, beans, squash) considered high status foods

Corn was and is considered sacred

Native FishingCoastal tribes fished beaches, bays, and inlets. Fish was eaten fresh and preserved with salt. Also fished for clams, oysters, mussels, scallops and lobsters. Inland tribes caught freshwater fish and traded for salt fish.

Hunted and Foraged FoodsHUNTING Venison, bear, beaver,

moose Rabbits, squirrels, other

small game Wildfowl

FORAGING Fiddlehead ferns (left) Wild blueberries and

cranberries Other wild fruits and

berries Wild mushrooms Wild vegetables and

greens

Maple SyrupSweetness from Trees

In early spring, New England Native Americans tapped maple trees to extract the slightly sweet sap.

They boiled the sap, using hot stones in sling bags over glowing coals, until it reduced into a thick, sweet syrup.

Seasoning with maple syrup is the basis of New England’s (and America’s) preference for sweet-savory flavors.

New England’s First Settlers:

Pilgrims and Puritans Most early New England settlers were upper-

middle-class townspeople from urban East Anglia.

Most were part of separatist Protestant groups that emigrated to flee religious persecution.

Few had wilderness training or farming experience.

Their preferred Old World foods would not thrive in the new colony.

They adopted indigenous foods out of necessity, not by choice.

Food Attitudes

MINIMIZED FOOD CULTURE

CULINARY CONSERVATIVES

Considered food as merely fuel for the body

Considered spending time and money on fine food to be frivolous and sinful

Many make-ahead dishes for the Sabbath

Reluctant to adopted indigenous foods

Culinary ideas brought by immigrants did not significantly change the cuisine

Resisted eating seafood until later in history

New England Colonial Cuisine

OLD WORLD FOODS, DISHES

CARIBBEAN IMPORTS

Wheat flour breads, quick breads

Apples: fresh, dried, and liquid

European root vegetables and cabbages

PRESERVED FOODSSalt meat and salt fishCrackers

MolassesRumCOLONIAL HYBRIDS

Colonial baked beans (with salt pork and molasses)

The Thanksgiving turkey,

pies, sweet and savory,hybrid cornmeal dishes

New England Yankees

New England’s economy was not based on agriculture. Rather, Yankees gained economic viability through:

Lumbering Manufacturing (including industrial food production)

Fishing Sea trade and other forms of commerce

New England

In 1621, the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag celebrated the first Thanksgiving, which lasted for three days.

Some say lobster, goose, duck, cod, pumpkin , etc. were on the menu, the actual origins and menu remain a mystery, theories abound.

Commemorating the harvest? Day of thanks for the help of the Indians? Combination of the two? Regardless, it is a day to give thanks to our

rich bounty.

Traditional New England Cuisine

New England cooking is simple, straightforward, plainly seasoned, and inexpensive to prepare.

(Today, however, New England seafood has become expensive.)

New EnglandClambake

A favorite Native American contribution to New England Cuisine.

Clambakes did and still do commemorate all sorts of events ranging from weddings to political elections.

New England Clambake

Modern times, most prepare clambakes by stacking alternating layers of seaweed and foods such as:

Unpeeled potatoes (new, red) Clams Lobster Corn (in the husk)

New England Clambake

Dig a pit in the sand. Line it with stones. Top with wood. Burn wood for an hour. Stones become hot. Remove ash and fire. Lay seaweed over stones Place clams on seaweed Cover with animal hide (pilgrims) or canvas

(modern day). Keeps steam inside.

Topography

With the Atlantic Ocean forming the eastern border of New England, the colonists found abundant fish and seafood for eating as well as exporting.

The waterways also provided excellent transportation.

Climate

Harsh winters created survival problems for early immigrants.

Necessary to preserve food. This provided substance through the cold winter months. Some techniques include:

Salting Drying Smoking Pickling

Climate

With cod and sea salt readily available from theAtlantic Ocean, salt cod became a staple in the New England diet. In addition to cod, the colonists salted any extra meat and fish, including pork and venison.

Climate

Although it was an important ingredient for preserving, salt remained very expensive until 1800. With plenty of wood available from forests, smoking serves as another common method of preserving. As a result, the cuisine of New England features hearty foods, which matches the most robust weather found there.

Ingredients

Fish and Shellfish: cod, scrod, salmon, mackerel, bluefish, shad, oysters, halibut, Pollock, lobster, scallops, clams, crabs.

Game: deer, rabbit, wild turkey, quail, duck, pheasant.

Milk and cheeses Beans, corn, squash and pumpkin. Cold weather veggies: beets, cabbage, winter

squash, turnips, parsnips, carrots and potatoes. Cranberries, blueberries Apples Maple syrup

Cooking Methods

The settlers of New England prepared many foods by boiling, baking, grilling, or steaming.

Like the Native Americans the settlers boiled any available ingredients in one pot

Boiling ranked as the most popular for several reasons. First, Native Americans boiled many foods. Secondly, the British boiled many foods, so the colonists were accustomed to boiled foods.

New Englanders relied on the very fresh taste of seafood since they seasoned it with few or no herbs or spices.

Cooking Methods

In cold winter months survival was difficult.

Colonist worked morning till night just to take care of basic survival needs.

There was always an iron kettle buried in the ashes of the fire or a pot of soup or stew hanging just above.

This required little effort to cook. Little stirring required.

As a result, food that “cooked on its own” was a necessity.

Cooking Methods

Boston brown bread steamed for hours in a pot of water.

Baked beans cooked for at least five hours in the embers of the fire.

For this reason, long slow (one pot) cooking dishes filled menus throughout winter.

Cooking Methods

Soups and Chowders: One-pot cookery The new settlers created

the first American dish, a fish soup or stew called chowder. (no milk or potatoes)

Most famous : Clam Chowder

Its name is derived from the French word for a large copper pot, la chaudiere.

Cooking Methods

Originally, clam chowder was made with fish and seafood, pork flavorings and hardtack (very hard crackers) and water.

Chowder recipes can be documented from the 1700’s, clams did not appear in written recipes until the 1830’s

Clam chowder must contain two crucial ingredients: Salt pork or bacon and clams.

Today, recipes add any number of other foods, but traditional New England clam chowder contains potatoes and milk or cream

Water and tomatoes form the base of Manhattan clam chowder

Clams: Quahog (hard shelled)

Cockles: Tiny, delicate

Littleneck <2 inches

Cherrystone <3 inches

Quahog: Largest, usually chopped and used in recipes. Tough.

Razor Clams:(Jackknives)

Steamers: Soft shell

Facts In the early days, Maine residents typically

feasted on salmon with cream sauce accompanied by peas for the Fourth of July.

“Cape Cod Turkey”: salted cod cooked with scraps of or pork and topped with a cream sauce containing eggs.

Toll House cookies: the first chocolate chip cookie was made at the Toll House Inn in Whitman, Massachusetts, in 1930.

Amelia Simmons of Connecticut wrote American Cookery, the first American cookbook. 1796.

1900- the first hamburger in a bun was served in New Haven, Connecticut

Facts

Native Americans taught the settlers to make a bread, originally called “journey cakes,” from a mixture of ground corn and water. After shaping the dough into a patty they cooked it over an open fire. Most people think the name derived because the cornbread was easy to prepare while traveling. They were a standard in the diet of migrating settlers. No one knows why or when the named changed to “johnnycake.”

Cooking Vessels

Spider- a pot perched on three legs that kept the bottom of the pot above the embers.

Spit- for roasted and grilling meats or birds.

Brick lined over next to hearth for baking breads or pies.

Cooking Vessels

Baking in an oven next to the hearth or in a covered pot set in embers, regulating temperature was very difficult.

This resulted in inconsistencies.

Foods from the Sea

Codfishfresh cod, including Boston scrodsalt cod dishes

Cold-water lobster Clams

hard-shell (quahogs)soft-shell (steamers or Ipswich)

Oysters Scallops Mussels

New England Chowder

A hearty soup that always contains potatoes and a preserved pork product; most are seafood-based

ClambakeClams, lobsters, fish,

corn on the cob, and new potatoes are baked in a seaweed-lined pit dug on the beach

Foods from the Land Maple syrup, maple sugar Berries

cranberries (left)low-bush blueberries

Fruits and vegetablesapplespotatoes

Dairy productsNew England cheddarice creams

Smoked meatshamsbaconCanadian bacon

Dining Out in New EnglandBoston restaurants are known for high-quality ingredients,

simple preparations, and large portions.The Parker House Hotel created signature New England

dishes, such as Parker House rolls and Boston Cream pie (below).

Future of New England Cuisine

Thus far New England cuisine has changed relatively little.

New England’s seafood resources are endangered by pollution and over-fishing.

Native American cuisine is being rediscovered and redefined.