Leigh and I always envisioned As We Eat as an ongoing conversation and open dialogue about food and the role it plays in our lives, in our families, in our communities, and in our cultures. That is the genesis of the name - a way of describing the things we talk about “as we eat.”
To encourage conversation, we launched the Family Recipes, Traditions, and Food Lore community on Facebook where lately we’ve had some interesting discussions - here are some highlights!
Foods that remind us of a place
Last week I traveled from my wintry Seattle home to Southern California on a brief work trip. I welcome the opportunities to visit my company’s headquarters in Long Beach, CA because its practical to stay with my mom, where I have the blessed indulgence of a mom-cooked meal.
This visit I had a large, steamed artichoke all to myself. We ate artichokes often, served either with drawn butter or safflower mayonnaise (or both!), and the nutty, earthy taste of it just tasted like California to me – and after all, Castroville, CA is the Artichoke Capital of the World!
Artichokes came to California in the 1880s and were primarily meant as a specialty crop mostly enjoyed by Italian immigrants and their descendants, but they proved easy to cultivate and their popularity spread throughout American cuisine beyond Italian and Mediterranean cooking.
I asked our Family Recipes, Traditions, and Food Lore community on Facebook if they could tell me about a food that reminded them of a particular place, and I found the answers interesting:
Kathy S said:
“Beans and rice don't remind me or taste of a place but they remind me of raising my kids. It's a very nostalgic meal for me.”
Another friend Valkyrie L. said this about her hometown dish:
“Wisconsin has a big Friday fish fry part of its culture. I measure all other fried fish against a specific bar in my hometown.”
And Edward G. shared this delectable photo of a shrimp-stuffed artichoke that reminds him of New Orleans:
Repurposing spare food
When Leigh made matcha ice cream a few weeks ago, she ended up with three extra egg whites that she wanted to use rather than waste. Our community had no shortage of ideas!
We had solid recommendations for meringue, pavlova, cookie paint, coconut macaroons, and egg drop soup, but the dark horse candidate to claim those egg whites was divinity!
Divinity is commonly composed of egg whites, sugar, and corn syrup and flavored with vanilla and sometimes with nuts. Its fluffy texture may have earned the sweet its name as it inspires thoughts of heavenly clouds.
Speaking of weather, Leigh’s research turned up this gem from Bill Neal’s “Biscuits, Spoonbread, and Sweet Potato Pie” about divinity:
“Divinity is a tricky confection to make under the best circumstances --almost impossible under less than good.
The recipe in one community cookbook advises a short consultation with the local meteorologist: ‘Please remember candy doesn't set unless the barometer reads 30 in. or over; doesn't make a difference whether it's raining or not, just watch your t.v. for the barometric pressure.’”
Sugar rationing in World War II nearly doomed divinity to extinction but it has regained popularity as a retro and Southern traditional treat.
Reading history in a recipe
Reading recipes included in the 1886 “The Woman Suffrage Cookbook” has been an illuminating and sometimes confusing experience; the section on sweets and breads especially had me wondering about slow and quick ovens and gem pans. It is a humbling lesson in exactly how much home kitchens and food preparation has changed between the late 19th Century era of my great-grandmothers and me today.
My mental gymnastics had me thinking about the challenges of writing down recipes – especially when you are uncertain about the skill sets of your readers – and so I went to the As We Eat community with this query:
“Tell me about a time that you jotted down a treasured recipe to share with a family member or friend. Was it easy or challenging? Did you focus mainly on ingredients & technique, or did you try to capture ephemeral but important details about how the dish should look, smell, or ‘feel’? Anything surprise you about the experience?”
Miranda M said:
“In the UK its extremely rare for people to make cookies at home; they usually teach kids to make cakes or cupcakes. So my cookies, pretty standard back home, are very well received here and everyone wants the recipe.
Turns out it isn't the recipe that's tricky but the timing to get the right finish is hard. So, I spend most of my time trying to find the words for how they'll know when it’s time to take them out to get the right texture.”
Kay S shared this thought:
“My ]granddaughter] wants to learn how to cook/bake etc and I have written down a couple of her favorite recipes that came from my mom ( her great grandmother) and the cards have dates of when my mom gave them to me. (1966, fond memories..) and because they don’t teach Home Ec anymore I had to spell out all techniques….every detail”
We’ll be continuing this conversation next week as we continue our exploration of Hattie Burr’s compendium. You won’t want to miss this!
If you’ve been inspired by these conversations, why don’t you join in?
We would love to connect with you
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