Barbara Lauterbach
Barbara spoke about New Hampshire foods from early days through to the present. She and her daughter had done exhaustive research on the subject and she was brimming with interesting facts such as plain cooking was pious, shellfish was regarded with suspicion, fiddleheads were unknown – foods that were later used, but in the early days when they could have enriched the diet, were not used. Thanksgiving was not a feast day as we know it, nor was it sitting at a bountiful table with the Indians – it was a day of prayer and thanks for survival in a new land.
The first cookbook was by Amelia Simmons. New Hampshire. food was plain and simple – adapted to the climate and availability. Seventeenth century pease porridge was served for many meals and morphed into pea beans. Beans were a staple of the early diet. Lydia Marie Child’s cookbook was published in 1828. White flour was a luxury and was used only for the “upper crust” of pies – thus the saying “upper crust”. Cabbage was familiar as were the many dishes made from corn – sweet corn was not known as such until the 1850’s.
The boiled dinner was a dish that could be cooked in one pot over an open fire so was popular. Red Flannel Hash followed.
Hardtack was sampled by all those in attendance.
Barbara found a great deal of information in Hayden Pearson’s book “Countryman Cooking”. The Salt Pork Dinner, Salmon and Peas on the 4th of July – still popular today.
Tortiere – a Canadian meat pie, served mostly on Christmas Eve by the French Canadians who had migrated into New England to work in the mills/ Cider was in every New England home as was rum. Seasonings and spices not native to the area were introduced around 1828. Barbara talked about other favorites such as apple pie and cheese for breakfast, salmon or tuna wiggle. She passed around some ‘hardtack’ a very hard cracker-like food that sustained the Pilgrims on their journey to the new world. She had a word about the Shakers who were way ahead of everyone in kitchen accessories.
At the end of her talk, Barbara entertained questions from the audience. She also handed out recipes with a reading list included. CLICK HERE to download it.
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