Culinary Historians of Washington, D.C. March 2014 Volume XVIII, Number 6

Culinary Historians of Washington, D.C. (CHoW/DC)founded in 1996, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, educational organization dedicated to the study of the history of foodstuffs, cuisines, and culi-nary customs, both historical and contemporary, from all parts of the world. Donations are tax deductible to the full extent of the law.

www.chowdc.org

From Soot to Soufflé

Jim Porterfield, Elkins, W.Va. Sunday, March 9

2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Bethesda-Chevy Chase Services Center,

4805 Edgemoor Lane, Bethesda, MD

Our guest speaker, Jim Porterfield, is the author of Dining by Rail: The History and the Recipes of America’s

Golden Age of Railroad Cuisine (St. Martin’s Griffin, 1998), and From the Dining Car: The Recipes and Stories BehindToday’s Greatest Rail Dining Experiences (St. Martin’s Press, 2004). Porterfield is also a Contributing Edi-tor for Railfan & Railroad magazine, where his monthly “On the Menu” column details all aspects of rail dining. He is the Director of both the Center for Railway Tourism at Davis & Elkins College, in Elkins, West Vir-ginia, and the American Society of Railway Artists, a professional association repre-senting the interests of its member artists. www.jamesdporterfield.com. The history of meals served on American trains begins with road kill and concludes with high cuisine prepared by some of the nation’s best chefs. In be-tween, railroad dining cars made numer-ous contributions to the nation’s pantry, culinary practices, and food culture. One account of a meal taken by train passengers appeared just a few years after the first train pulled by a locomotive de-parted Charleston, S.C., on Christmas Day in 1830. Seems the train hauling the writer of that account collided with a herd of oxen, and during the eight hours needed to right and repair the locomotive, passengers carved steaks from the ox carcasses, started a bonfire, and enjoyed a repast.

Inclement Weather Advisory

If there’s a question about whether the weather will cause a cancellation of a CHoW meeting, first check your e-mail.

A CHoW-DC Google group message will be e-mailed to members. If you are not part of the CHoW Google group or do not have e-mail, call any Board member to learn of possible program cancellations due to weather (see page 6 for contact information).

Any decision to cancel would be made the night before, if possible, or no later than 10 a.m. on the day of the meeting.

CHoW/DC publishes CHoW Line eight times each year. More information can be found at www.chowdc.org.

SEE PAGE 7 to join or renew your membership.

Less than 100 years later, in the 1920s, celebrity chefs such as Paul Riess of the Southern Pacific Railroad, who is cred-ited with introducing curry to the Ameri-can diet, George Rector of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad, an internationally-acclaimed cookbook author and restaurateur, and others were crafting menu items for their respective employers. Railroad dining car departments and their on-board crews faced a number of unique challenges, chief among them being working in a tight space. Beginning with George Pullman’s first dining car, the Delmonico, named after the famous New York restaurant when the dining car was introduced in 1868, and continuing today on Amtrak’s newest Viewliner dining car, kitchen space has been generally limited to a room measuring 8 feet by 18 feet. Here three cooks and a chef prepared as many as 300 meals in a three- to four-hour pe-riod, often three times a day.

Dining car on the B&O Railroad's Capitol Limited, June 12, 1925.

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September 8, 2013. Gabriella Petrick, “Industrializing Taste: Food Processing and the Transformation of the American Diet, 1900-1965”

October 13, 2013. Rob Kasper, “Baltimore Beer: A Satisfying History of Charm City Brewing”

November 10, 2013. Monica Bhide, “Sacred Foods of India through Its Temples, Mosques, and Gurudwaras” December 8, 2013. Cancelled due to bad weather.

January 12, 2014. John DeFerrari, “The History of Washington, D.C.’s Seafood Restaurants”

February 9, 2014. Luigi Diotaiuti and Amy Riolo, “Pasta and Cheese Making History in Southern Italy”

March 9, 2014. James D. Porterfield, “From Soot to Soufflé”

April 13, 2014. Cooperative Supper, Alexandria House

May 4, 2014. Joy Fraser, “Addressing the Haggis: Culture and Contestation in the Making of Scotland’s National Dish”

CHoW Programs 2013-2014

What Happened at the Sunday, February 9, CHoW Meeting?President Katy Hayes called the meeting to order at 2:40 p.m., welcoming 65 attendees, including 50 CHoW mem-bers and 15 guests.

ANNOUNCEMENTS 1. Shirley Cherkasky passed out flyers for the Tapas Exhibit now on display at the Former Residence of the Ambassadors of Spain at 2810 16th Street NW, Wash-ington D.C. The exhibit opened on January 24 and will run until March 23, 2014. Gallery hours are Wednesday to Friday 2:00-6:00 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 a.m.- 6:00 p.m. This exhibit is free and open to the public. More information is available at www.spainculture.us. 2. CiCi Williamson reminded attendees about the upcoming Les Dames d’EscoffierD.C.’s “Celebrating FOOD!”event. It is the ninth Salute to Women in Gastrono-my, held on Saturday, March 8 from 8:30 a.m. – 5:45 p.m. at the Universities at Shady Grove in Rockville, Md. Com-plete information about “Celebrating Food!” can be found at www.lesdamesdc.org.

WHATZIT: Members brought 4 “Whatzits” to the January meeting. 1. Amy Riolo brought a steel implement, about 7 inches long with a straight handle and a broad “half moon” with a sharp edge along the end that is a pasta cutter. 2. Claudia Kousoulas brought a simple steel “key” with a small slit in the straight end of the key that is a sar-dine can opener. 3. Claudia also brought a knife with a navy and white plastic handle with the knife end rounded with a small extra piece jutting out from the end side of the knife. Some attendees guessed this might be an implement for shucking oysters but Claudia admitted she really didn’t know what it is and was hoping a CHoW member could identify the piece. 4. One of the door prizes was a “whatzit,” a long silver oval piece about 8 inches long and 3 inches wide, slightly bowed, with a center piece cut like a honeycomb with holes punched through. This is a garlic masher.

PROGRAM: Sheilah Kaufman introduced the Febru-ary speakers, Luigi Diotaiuti and Amy Riolo, who spoke about “Pasta and Cheese Making History in Southern Italy,” focusing on the rich culinary traditions of the Basili-cata and Calabria regions of Italy. Samples of ricotta salata, pecorino, and caciocavallopodolica cheese were distrib-uted. Chef Luigi Diotaiuti brought and rang goat and cow bells used on his family’s farm in Basilicata. CHoW mem-ber Amy Riolo is an author, chef, and an internationally recognized expert on Mediterranean cuisine. She is known for fusing the worlds of cuisine, culture, and history in her work. Luigi Diotaiuti is an award-winning chef, author, and authority on Italian cooking and living. He is also the chef/owner of Al Tiramisu Restaurant in Washington, D.C., which has served authentic Italian cuisine for over 16 years.

DOOR PRIZES: Members attending the monthly meetings can enter a drawing for a door prize. Thank you to Claudia Kousoulas for donating the cookbook prizes.

REFRESHMENTS: Thank you to Anne Whitaker for pro-viding beverages and supplies for the meeting, and to our members who brought the following refreshments:

Diana Ash Dark Chocolate Pecan Tarts; Mixed Fruit and Almond Cream TartFrancine Berkowitz Waffle CookiesBeverly Firme Pear Yoghurt CakeClaudia Kousoulas Ricotta TartPhyllis Krachmal Cocoa Zucchini Walnut SquaresQuentin Looney Sambuca BiscottiJane Olmsted Black Rice SaladClara Raju Fried Pastry StripsAmy Snyder Dove Chocolate Hearts

The meeting adjourned at 4:05 p.m. Thank you to the members who volunteered to reset the meeting room.

Respectfully submitted,Beverly Firme, Recording Secretary

Co-operative Supper At the March meeting we will discuss and vote to select a theme for the April meeting, which is our co-operative supper at Alexandria House. Please bring your ideas! Past themes 2001-13 were: “White Foods”--“Middle East/Silk Road”--“Food of the Chesapeake Region”--“Recipes from Community Cookbooks”--”Recipes from Julia Child”--“Caribbean Holiday”--“Foods of Virginia”--“Good Food for Bad Times”--“Presidential Recipes”--“Indigenous Pre-Contact New World Foods”--“A Book Report”--“Civil War Foods”--“Medieval Food History.”

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Culinary Humor

By Tom Weiland

A few days ago, I told my wife that the “MRE” (“Meal, Ready to Eat”--a backwards name for a military ration)

is rather “cheesy,” and I started thinking about the double entendres, euphemisms, and metaphors of food. The name “MRE” is kind of cheesy and the quality is a bit cheesy, but MREs also contain dubious cheese-like substances: a cheesy triple entendre.

Just think of the plethora of mildly humorous food and cooking references in everyday life. If I move my work to the back burner, I have an empty plate, but if I move it to the front burner, I have fish to fry. If I program a com-puter with spaghetti code, then I really suck eggs. If I can make life’s lemons into lemonade, I’ll be the apple of your eye. It’s as easy as pie for a politician to cherry-pick sta-tistics. Even if my humor is as dry as a saltine, I still hope for a few snickers. And killing the fatted calf means you’re living high on the hog.

The different levels of sophistication are amazing, too. There are literal-turned-figurative phrases, like the car-rot and stick system of simple rewards and punishments. There is a bit of whimsy in notions like a moon made of green cheese or visions of sugarplums dancing in your head. There is childish longing and foreboding in a ginger-bread house in the woods.

Some terms are a lot more sophisticated. You “follow the breadcrumbs” when you reverse-navigate through the internet. “McDonaldization” is the tendency to apply fast-food production standards to other processes, but not necessarily in a good way. Similarly, “ketchupization” is the introduction of American culture in places that don’t particularly appreciate it (made popular when Euro-Disney was being built in France). Obversely, the “Pizza Effect” is where some aspect of culture goes to another country, morphs, then is reintroduced to the original country (like Italian flatbread was reinvented as American pizza and then introduced back to Italy).

Food metaphors are very relatable to most people. I sometimes make up my own. To describe something noisy and disorganized, I compare it to “a handful of popcorn on a hot griddle.” If I say, “As sociable as raw garlic,” you know exactly what I mean. Or try, “My heart is like a chocolate bar in the back pocket of life.”

You should make up your own food metaphors, too. It’s as easy as broccoli. Cheers! TW

CULINARY HISTORIANS OF THE PHILIPPINES (CHOP)CHoW member, Regina Newport, President and co-found-er of the Culinary Historians of the Philippines, sent an update on the many activities in 2013 and planned tasks for 2014. On January 13, 2013. Regina Newport & Evelyn Bu-noan gave a presentation to ChoW on “Philippine Cuisine: History and Culture in a Caldero.”

“I thought two fundraising activities that CHOP organized last year would be of special interest to CHoW members.“

1. “Amy Besa Talk, March 7, 2013.

Amy spoke about the latest project of her non-profit, Ang Sariling Atin Culinary Heritage Institute (ASA), which is dedicated to documenting and preserving Philippine culinary traditions and native ingredients through the establishment of community kitchens in the Philippines. Their first community kitchen in Dumaguete has been built, with assistance from Silliman University, and will soon be operational. ASA will develop scientifically based research methodology to gather data on flavors of the dif-ferent regions of the country and, with the help of acade-micians, write a book on Discovering the Filipino Palate: the Food, Flavor preferences and Meals of the Filipino People. Now that CHOP has obtained its non-profit status, we hope to collaborate with ASA on its community kitchens program once the appropriate funds are raised to finance our side of the operation.”

2. “Tulong-Tulong Fundraising Dinner for Typhoon Yolanda Victims

On November 20, 2013, a fundraiser was held at the Swiss Residence. The CHOP Board is very happy to report on its resounding success. The event was organized by CHOP, Amy Besa’s ASA, and the Swiss Ambassador, Ivo Sieber, and his wife Gracita Tolentino Sieber (a founding member of CHOP). We raised Php 330,117 from donations from the 54 attending guests and 15 non-attending donors. All the food, drinks, work and service were donated (both by our own team and by purveyors), so every cent of the money raised went to the Yolanda relief efforts of Aid Line Philip-pine Swiss (ALPS), which provides humanitarian assis-tance to Filipino communities in times of crises. We have Amy Besa to thank for spearheading the series of fundrais-ing dinners to benefit our Kababayans in the south, which gave CHOP the opportunity to do its share.”

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Welcome, New Members!Name Special InterestKaren Tees Teaches family and consumer science

Marta Kern Herb gardener, loves good food Nicholas Colonial & Native American gastronomyEaton

T h e Elec-t i o n DayUpcoming Events CHoW FIELD TRIP To the National Agriculture Library By Katy Hayes

On Friday, April 18 CHoW members will be visiting the National Agricultural Library’s Special Collections Division. The tour will commence at 11:00 a.m., and should last 1-1.5 hours. This event is free.

The tour will focus on materials relating to culinary his-tory. If there is something you would especially like to see, please let me know in advance and I will forward your request to staff there.For more information on Special Collections, see their web-site: http://specialcollections.nal.usda.gov/. Please make a reservation in advance, no later than Sunday April 13 (the date of CHoW’s Cooperative Supper). You will need to bring a photo ID to enter the Library. Send an email to register to artemiscooks@gmail.com or telephone Katy Hayes at 301-655-1830.

DIRECTIONS:The National Agricultural Library's Abraham Lincoln Building is located in Beltsville, Maryland, 15 miles north-east of Washington, D.C., near the intersection of U.S. Route 1 and Interstates 95 and 495 (Beltway Exit 25-North). • The Library occupies a 14-story building on the grounds of USDA's Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC).• There is free parking on the grounds• Address and Phone:National Agricultural Library10301 Baltimore AvenueBeltsville, MD 20705-2351(301) 504-5755

A Slice of Pi Friday, March 14, 2014 at 6:45 p.m.Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center 1100 Jefferson Drive, SWMetro: Smithsonian (Blue/Orange),

You can’t ignore the power of the number 3.14—either in geometry or as an excuse to celebrate all things mathematical on Pi Day. Celebrate Pi Day in style at the Smithsonian with sci-ence educator Anna Quider, a physics Nerd Nite speaker. Math-focused trivia, challenges, and explorations of how buttoned-up math overlaps with the flashier worlds of art and music are part of the equation, as well as plenty of surprises. Grab a slice of pie (of course), a beer, or glass of wine, and toast to the day that adds up to plenty of fun. Fee: $25-30 www.si.edu

The Riversdale Kitchen Guild Open HouseMarch 16th from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Sample soups and assorted breads cooked over the open hearth. The Kitchen Guild prepares seasonal foods using 19th century recipes and demonstrates open hearth cooking techniques at the Riv-ersdale House Museum and is looking to expand its mem-bership. Please join us at this open house to learn more about this interesting volunteer opportunity. Riversdale House Museum is located at 4811 Riverdale Rd, Riverdale Park, MD 20770. Please RSVP by March 14th at 301-864-0420 or riversdale@pgparks.com

Bento: Japanese Culture in a BoxThursday, March 20, 2014 at 6:45 p.m.Location to be sent with registration.Open a bento box and you’ll find more than a colorful and tasty lunch. This Japanese tradition provides a window into an entire culture of food. Food writer and cookbook author Debra Samuels leads a hands-on pro-gram that offers insights into lunch-

time in Japan, a cooking demo, and a chance to assemble your own bento boxed-meal. Fee: $35-$45. www.si.edu

BlogHer Food Conference, Miami, May 14-16 David Leibovitz is keynote speaker. See October 2013 Chowline,page 7 about last year’s conference in Austin, Texas. ChoW’s Claudia Kousoulas spoke about how writ-ers use culinary history to discover the back story about common foods. Claudia’s photo is on the link to the 2014 conference. http://www.blogher.com/blogher-food-14

2014 The International Year of Family Farming

Food and Agriculture Association of the United Nationswww.fao.org/family-farming-2014/home/en/

According to the French web site, www.frenchfoodintheus.org/spip.php?article5146, family agriculture represents 70% of the world food production and family farmers ac-count for 40% of the global active population. But para-doxically, 72% of starving people are farmers, not earning enough to be able to provide food in sufficient quantities to their families. This is one of the main issues addressed by the organizations participating in the International Year of Family Farming. Another main concern of the year 2014 will also be to find innovative, sustainable and productive ways to make family farming feed the world by 2050.

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BOOK REVIEWThe American History Cookbook

by Mark H. Zanger, Greenwood Press, 2003, $38.95, paper, 158 pages

Claudia Kousoulas is an urban planner who also writes cookbook reviews. Her blog is appetitefor-books.wordpress.com

By Claudia Kousoulas

In these 350 recipes, ranging between 1524 and 1977, Zanger explores not only the sources and character of diverse American foodways, he illuminates the practice of culinary history as well.

The book is arranged chronologically, beginning with a chapter on the First Nations and Early Settlers, but chapters are also arranged around historical topics such as Trains, Cars, and Trailers or the Women’s Exchange Movement. He uses food to explore political campaigns, social movements, leisure time, and ideas about health. Placing recipes in topical context highlights how food was and is used as a social signifier. Zanger recounts the recipes and ritual surrounding Native American recipes for early corn and late corn, the colonists’ efforts to recreate foods of home with New World ingredients, or Confederate widows upholding the side when they baked a Robert E. Lee Cake or a Jefferson Davis Pie. In that first chapter Zanger chooses recipes that make con-nections among the nation’s diverse native and settler populations. He describes a “corn cuisine” that links Native American Sagamite with Mexican/Aztec Champuradas and the Brunswick Stew of the American South. Zanger often cites his sources, which allows interested readers to dig deeper, and which also educates the reader about culinary history as well as American cookery. He describes his process as well, for example, looking at a British cookbook of the time and cross-referencing it against available New World ingredi-ents, family letters and diaries, estate inventories, and court cases. In choosing recipes, he casts a wide net, expanding ideas about American cooking and history. For example, in Early Colonial Dishes, he includes En Lokesoppa from the circa 1638 Delaware community of New Sweden, Potaje de Fideos from 1601 New Mex-ico, and a French-inspired Frykecy circa 1669. From its founding, North America was diverse with populations and foodways, mixing in places like New Orleans and remaining distinct in others such as the Pennsylvania Dutch area. And he finds food commonality in places we don’t al-ways look. Recipes designed for kids in the post- World War II era emphasize sweets, the same kids who would probably be explor-ing Pho in the wake of the Vietnam War, and making granola and guacamole in the 1970s. The recipes, even without cooking them, are revealing. The range of corn dishes, from Broadswords and Indian Bread to Pausarawmena and Nasaump range from breads to porridges, from griddled to standing dishes, each requiring a particular type of corn—parched green, fresh sweet (though not as sweet as contem-porary varieties), dried, or treated with lye. As for cookability, recipes are presented as originally recorded and with modern measurements, ingredients, and instruc-tions that will translate to contemporary kitchens. But, Zanger notes, they haven’t been “improved,” since he wants them to be “doors into history.” To balance authenticity with cookability, he worked with historical interpreters who bring history to life with their cook-ing, to understand all that goes into making some of these dishes. Zanger’s goal is hands-on history and for nervous cooks he notes, “Bad food is part of history.” But he encourages even expe-rienced cooks to follow the recipes exactly—even the seemingly massive amounts of butter and eggs—the results can be surprising and will be a more accurate reflection of what the historical cook intended to serve.

More recipes and links at www.historycook.com

CHoW Needs YOU!Record turnouts for meetings...great speakers on wide-ranging and interesting topics...all due to dedicated members who serve on the board, return the meeting room to order, and help with refreshments. If you enjoy our meetings, newsletter, field trips, and Google Group postings, please help us maintain our amazing record of excellence. • We need someone with a laptop who can set it up with CHoW’s very own projector and get it ready for the speaker at meetings. • Help return the room to its original order, and take bagged trash to the lower level lobby. • Assist with refreshment setup/removal. • Web site re-design and programming. • Run for a Board position.

We will have vacancies on our Board that will need to be filled. They will be announced soon. Please volunteer. It’s not difficult, and you’ll derive a lot of satisfaction working with other CHoW members.