Time again for the annual wearing of the green wherever you might live! But first, here's a little history and a few favorite Irish Cookbooks! Read more about the history of St. Patrick's Day and Irish Foodways ...
We love history, we love books, we love cooking and we adore trains! We have 2 great books that will help you imagine you are on a luxury train heading to your favorite destination.
Dining by Rails by James D. Porterfield is a feast of history, menus, photographs and recipes. There are even poems and songs written to celebrate the luxuries of dining on the train. Click here to visit the online Pullman Museum
The Harvey House Cookbook by George H. Foster & Peter C. Weiglin is about the dining experience at the stops along the Santa Fe Railroad. in the late 19th and early 20th Century. More delectable recipes, history and photos to keep you refreshed on your journey. Click here to visit the online Harvey House Museum.
We love food that moves! Picnics, road trips, cruises, train trips, hiking and backpacking meals... you name it, and we love to bring food along.
This week, we are recognizing the birthday (March 5, 1836) of Charles Goodnight who is credited with creating the "Chuck" wagon to take food to the hungry ranch workers and cowpokes. Charles Goodnight was a rancher, a Texas Ranger and roamed the Western United States throughout the later part of the 19th Century. He saw a need to provide hot meals to the ranch workers and cowboys on the roundups and on the trail and outfitted an old surgeon's wagon as what might well be the very first chuck wagon. At first, the cooking was pretty plain and simple, but as the years have progressed, there are cooks who have elevated the simple fare of the chuck wagon and even compete in competitions throughout the American Southwest.
Take a look at some of the cookbooks available to help you experience life on the trail.
A Taste of Cowboy: Ranch Recipes and Tales from the Trails by Kent Rollins. If I knew the ranches served up food like this, I would have learned to ride a horse! This book is full of contemporary stories, photographs and recipes that share life on a ranch. We want to cook the WHOLE book!
Calf Fries and Cow Pies: Recipes and Remedies from the Old West Heritage. by Jayne Peace and Jinx Pyle. The authors are from some of the ranching families of Central Arizona. They've collected recipes from around the Southwest that highlight the history and evolution of ranch cooking - and a few stories to go with. Most people know what cow pies are, but are you wondering what Calf Fries are? Hmmmm?
National Cowboy Hal of Fame Chuck Wagon Cookbook: Authentic Recipes from the Ranch and the Range. by B. Byron Price. Full of stories, folklore history and recipes that reflect this part of the Western American Heritage. Updated for modern families (instead of loads of hungry cowboys) this book takes you on a journey into the past. Lots of photos to help you imagine the dust trail.
Chuck Wagon Cookin' by Stella Hughes. Rooted in Arizona history and ranches around the west, this book gives both history and folklore about cooking out on the range. Hughes also includes some tried and true home remedies.
And don't forget to wet your whistle with Cowboy Cocktails! Take a swig of the Wild, Wild West with 60 historically inspired cattle kingdom cocktails. Based on trail life after the Civil War, the cow towns at the time, and on the drinks enjoyed there, Cowboy Cocktails gives you a true taste of the cowboy lifestyle. With charming sidebars throughout, learn some surprising history about cowboys and their experiences in the Wild West.
Check out these online webinars happening in March - Trains! Ice Cream! Family Recipes!
This was quite possibly the first cookbook published in the United States by an African American author. Robert Roberts was the butler to Massachusetts's governor Christopher Gore. After the governor's death he felt the younger generation of servants needed some guidance and wrote this reference book.
Click on this link to access a free PDF and learn a bit about the life of the 19th century servant.
The man on the 100 dollar bill lived an incredible rich, wildly active and even controversial life. He was a scientist, statesman, gourmand, historian, newspaperman, postmaster, ambassador, possible a spy, an enslaver in his early life, an abolitionist in later life and so much more. Rather than ramble on about all the life and times of Benjamin Franklin, I'll share some resources - including some food related history as well!
The Library of Congress holds a tremendous collection of Franklin's papers, biographies and ephemera. In this collection you can find hundreds of letters from Franklin as he traveled between Europe and the United States. Transcriptions are available for some of the items, otherwise, you have to be brave and try to decipher the writing of the 18th Century! One favorite item is this undated manuscript sent in a letter, the "Manner of Making Parmesan Cheese."
The National Archives has transcriptions of Franklin's early writings, letters and records from his businesses.
And take a look at this Recipe for Milk Punch, held by the Massachusetts Historical Society, which also has a large collection of papers from Franklin and the other early politicians and statesmen as well as letters to and from family and friends. There's nothing like getting lost in the rabbit hole of everyday life in the 18th Century!
For a really good overview of the life of Benjamin Franklin, - both achievements and controversies, take a look at this article on History.org, and this article on Franklin and the Vexing Question of Race in America by Dr. Emma Lapsansky-Werner.
And then, because this is Booklady Cooks, and cooking is what we do -- we share this YouTube video edition of A Taste of History.
Ecuador's Día de los Difuntos (Day of the Dead) Celebration.
Monday, November 4 · 5 - 6pm MST
Join us for a special cultural presentation on Ecuador's Day of the Dead traditions, hosted by the Atlantic Institute. On November 4, 2024 LaRahna Hughes will offer an insightful look into this unique and meaningful celebration. Discover how Ecuadorians honor their ancestors through vibrant rituals, food offerings, and community gatherings that blend Indigenous and Catholic customs.
Through captivating footage and personal photos, you'll gain a deeper understanding of the cultural significance of this holiday, known locally as Día de los Difuntos, and its role in fostering connection across generations. Whether you're new to the tradition or eager to expand your cultural knowledge, this presentation will provide a thoughtful exploration of Ecuadorian customs and values. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn about the rich cultural heritage of the Day of the Dead in Ecuador.
LaRahna Hughes, Atlantic Institute
FREE (Donations accepted)
History in the Kitchen - Native American Foodways
Saturday, November 9 · 8:30 - 9:30am MST
This online series illuminates what kinds of food were eaten by different people in colonial Virginia. In November 2024, we'll be exploring Native American Foodways.
Every 45-minute class spotlights a dish eaten by one of the following groups: the Mason family; people enslaved at Gunston Hall; the white laborers, shopkeepers, and tenant farmers; and the peoples native to this land. Participants will learn how social class and wealth affected what food people had access to.
Kids and adults alike will have a great time learning history while cooking! This program is designed for families with kids 10-18, but is open to participants of all ages. All sessions are complimentary.
By Gunston Hall, FREE
Medieval Christmas Food & Customs by Prof Giles Gaspar
Saturday, November 30 · 7 - 9am MST
A fascinating illustrated talk exploring the Christmas food & customs shared between medieval and modern times.
This talk will be presented on Zoom at 14.00 GMT. (UK time) Please log in between 13.45 - 14.000 to ensure we can start on time. We will ask attendees to mute microphones and turn off cameras (to preserve bandwith and ensure a smooth stream) at the start of the meeting. A Question & Answer session will follow the talk, with questions invited via the chat function.
Richard III Society Gloucester Branch, £ 5.00 (about $ 7.00. The platform will figure it out for you).
Emma Kay and the Museum of Kitchenalia - Emma Kay keeps food history fun, exciting and all over social media, which we love! She has written 13 books and we are working to collect them all! We also love her YouTube channel with short, lively and fun snippets of food history and the unusual implements that have been a part of the kitchen arts in the deep, dark past. Her new project is the digitization of her extensive collection of historic kitchenalia. We can't wait to explore the online exhibits!
Kitchenlit.com with Kimberly Reynolds. Kimberly has made her list of 2025 New Cookbook Releases available on her blog and does excellent reviews of all things food and cookbook related including online cooking class reviews. A great cookbook site!
Cookbook Divas is another site that does so much to review and share cookbook and cooking information. A great place to go to for cook alongs and a cookbook club!
So many online opportunities in October! This month I'm highlighting 2 British organizations that do a superb job of creating meaningful online events. I was so grateful for all of the online events during the Covid years, and while I am so happy to be out and about at all the wonderful live events, sometimes its nice to stay at home with a cup of tea and learn on my couch! I want to give a tremendous THANK YOU! to Patricia Bixler Reber who writes the Researching Food History Blog for here extensive listings of both live and recorded online talks. You can see her current list HERE.
See you online!
Tuesday, October 22, 2024. 17:00 BST
We need to talk about : Gleaning in the 21st century: old traditions and new solutions for our waste-conscious world. Oxford Food Symposium Kitchen table discussion group. FREE, advanced registration required.
"...there was a time when your fathers, your husbands and your brothers were so often awakened by the call of the gleaner’s drum..."" — Critic, Léon Daléas
The 19th century social and class critique levied by Millet’s painting of women scavenging harvest leavings as gleaners contrasted by the harvest’s wealth in the background still resonates globally today. His painting inspired French New Wave filmmaker, Agnès Varda’s (2000) documentary, “The Gleaners and I.” Following collage artist Louis Pons’ admonition, “junk is a cluster of possibilities” forcing us all to not fritter away our resources.
Anyone outside of the economic elite out of necessity or for ethical reasons is tethered to obtaining adequate food, contending with waste, recycling, upcycling and repurposing of ingredients, prepared dishes, containers.
Our October Kitchen Table Conversation will include Eleanor Barnett, author of “Leftovers: A History of Food Waste and Preservation,” where she explores the ingenious ways our ancestors have extended the life of the foods they ate through preservation and recycling of food scraps; and Usha Thakrar, Executive Director of Boston Area Gleaners, (BAG). Her organization is committed to improving access to affordable, healthy food for our communities, and supporting equitable, just, and sustainable local food systems while supporting growers and reducing food waste. They rethink the local supply chain between regional family farms and consumers ensuring that fresh, healthy, affordable food is available to everyone."
Tuesday, October 24, 2024, 2:00PM - 3:00PM London Time
"Carla Baker: Where did northern Tasmanian apples go? (lightning talk)
Chihyin Hsiao: Changes for Soup: Charitable Food and the Plight of Manchester's Paupers during the Early Victorian Era" The Institute of Historical Research. FREE - Requires advanced registration
Apples played a central role in the ecological colonization of lutruwita, Tasmania, also known as the ‘Apple Isle’. By the early twentieth century, much of Tasmania was covered in apple orchards, reaching 3 million commercial trees by 1950. An icon of British domesticity, the apple’s swift acclimatization was perceived to be legitimization of British settlement and used to justify the theft of Indigenous land. Land grants were offered to those who would farm the land ‘productively’. In the West Tamar region in northern Tasmania, ‘Anglo-Indian’ soldiers purchased orchards which were promoted as an investment or retirement opportunity. At the core of Tasmanian apple advertising was the imagined location of the ‘Apple Isle’, an idyllic, pure, English farming utopia. Apple crate branding and multi-faceted advertising campaigns were employed to support this distortion of Tasmania’s geographical and cultural remoteness.
The soup kitchen was a common form of poor relief in early Victorian England. Previous scholarship has indicated that hunger was a familiar experience for industrial laborers due to the rising cost of food and the growing population in urban areas. Building upon this, this research investigates the social aspects of soup kitchens, which have been marginally discussed and yet to be explored with public records. Here, the primary focus is on issues such as how local soup kitchens were set up, how these establishments were financed, what was considered nutritious for paupers, and the seasonality of such ingredients. Through an examination of cookery books, public announcements, advertisements, and readers' comments in provincial newspapers during the Hungry Forties, this research attempts to evaluate the accessibility of charitable soup kitchens in the Greater Manchester area, where industrial laborers were densely populated, and pauperism was on the rise. It begins by examining the fluctuating prices of staple food items such as corn, bacon, onions, carrots, etc., then delves into the setup of soup kitchens, grounded in the commonly accepted political ideology of 'self-help.' Finally, it explores the ticket system of soup kitchens, which ultimately provided paupers with the opportunity to access readily-prepared hot food. Through the exploration of archival materials mentioned above, it is hoped that more textual examples can be included in broader studies of Victorian philanthropy and working-class diets.
Tuesday, October 29, 2024 from 17:00 - 19:00 London time
Kitchen Lab - From Polish roots to New York icon- The evolution and craft of the classic bagel. Oxford Food Symposium. Birgitte Kampmann and Simi Rezai-Ghassemi. FREE - requiring registration
"I asked how Cathy likes her bagel and this is her reply: “My standard order (because one always goes out to a local deli for bagels) is for a ’toasted everything with veg cream cheese,” a wonderful panoply of salty, crunchy, hot-cold sensations. More flavorful than the unadorned bagels of my New Jersey childhood, I’m a partisan, firmly believing that New York City bagels are the best in the world.”
Cathy Kaufman has lived in New York City for more than 40 years and teaches in the Food Studies department at The New School, including a course on the foodways of New York City.
As always, recipes will be sent to all who sign up, so you can bake along with me in real-time.