Digestible Bits and Bites #17 - September 2014
Below: Heirloom tomatoes from Haystrom Farm in Prince Edward County, Ontario

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Digestible Bits and Bites

The monthly newsletter of the
Culinary Historians of Canada
Number 17, September 2014

Upcoming CHC Events

Sunday, September 28, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Recipe for Victory: Food and Drink at Home and Abroad During the First World War
Fort York National Historic Site, Toronto, 416-392-6907, ext. 225
Fort York and CHC present a symposium that explores the fascinating history of domestic and military food and beverages during The Great War with panel discussions and cooking demos, including a reconstructed Aldershot Oven, period displays and a butter-tart tasting with Elizabeth Baird. Guest speakers include Dorothy Duncan, Liz Driver, and Madeleine Kloske; the keynote speaker is Andrew Robertshaw, noted BBC personality, military culinary historian and author of Feeding Tommy: Battlefield Recipes from The Great War, 24HR Trench and Frontline Cookbook, Battlefield Recipes from the Second World War. Admission: $75 ($65 before September 12). Preregistration and payment are required. Registration: 416-392-6907, ext. 221

Sunday, October 5, 1 to 3 p.m.
Cookery of the Great War
Eldon House (481 Ridout Street N, London, Ontario, 519-661-5169)
While more than 600,000 Canadian troops were mobilized and sent overseas during the First World War, those left behind wanted to do their duty too. Women were asked to work in factories, help out on farms and raise funds to help supply soldiers with both necessities such as socks and luxuries such as chocolate. They often held fundraising teas. In the Eldon House kitchen, chef and culinary historian Angel Commins will demonstrate several WWI-era recipes that would have been served at such an event 100 years ago.
$15+HST per person. Registration: 519-661-5169

Join the Culinary Historians of Canada!

CHC members are part of a network of people dedicated to exploring Canada’s culinary history. Benefits include discounts on special events and access to members-only activities like the Picnic in the County. In addition, members are listed in the CHC directory and receive their own copy. The membership year runs from September to August. Join us today!

Regular Membership: $30 (1 year) $55 (2 years)
Supporting Membership: $55 (1 year) $75 (2 years)

Download a membership form here or contact membership@culinaryhistorians.ca to find out more.

News Roundup

CHC Heritage Preserving Competition Deadline Approaches
As you may know by now, CHC has introduced Heritage Jam and Pickle categories to the annual preserving competition at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair (RAWF). Prizes range from $30 for third prize to $150 for Grand Champion Pickle or Jam Maker!

Rules: “Heritage” is defined for this competition as 1967 and earlier. Competitors must submit two Mason-type jars with a $5 fee and a full recipe (indicating canning and processing techniques) for each category entered. Canning and processing techniques must meet current food-safety standards, even though the original recipe may not (no paraffin!) Complete competition rules are posted online at both Culinaryhistorians.ca and Royalfair.org.

Mon Sep 29: Deadline to submit entry form. Participants will be mailed a confirmation form, number tag, and stickers for each entry.
Mon-Fri, Oct 20-24, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.: Jars must be couriered, mailed or personally delivered to RAWF’s Agriculture Products Clerk.
Tue, Oct 28: Judging date
Fri Nov 7-Sun Nov 16: Winning jars are displayed at the Harvest Path in Hall B at RAWF.

Taste Canada Reveals Short Lists
In early August, Taste Canada―The Food Writing Awards 2014 announced the finalists for this year's awards, which are the highest honour for food writing in the country. The winners will be announced on October 20 at the Taste Canada Gala at Oliver & Bonacini’s Arcadian Court in Toronto, to be broadcast by Gusto TV, Canada’s new food and lifestyle channel.

Culinary Narratives/Narrations Culinaires

The New Cider Maker’s Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide for Craft Producers by Claude Jolicoeur (Chelsea Green Publishing)
The Stop: How the Fight for Good Food Transformed a Community and Inspired a Movement by Nick Saul & Andrea Curtis (Random House Canada)
The Antarctic Book of Cooking and Cleaning by Wendy Trusler & Carol Devine (Vauve Press)
Miel, L’art des abeilles, l’or de la ruche by Anicet Desrochers & Anne-Virginie Schmidt (Éditions de l’Homme)
Les saveurs gastronomiques de la bière by David Lévesque Gendron & Martin Thibault (Éditions Druide)

General Cookbooks/ Livres de Cuisine Générale

At Home with Lynn Crawford: 200 of My Favourite Easy Recipes by Lynn Crawford (Penguin Canada Books)
In the Kitchen with Stefano Faita: Over 250 Simple and Delicious Everyday Recipes by Stefano Faita (Penguin Canada Books)
The Flavour Principle: Enticing Your Senses with Food and Drink by Lucy Waverman & Beppi Crosariol (HarperCollins Publishers)
Entre nous by Jonathan Garnier (Les Éditions Transcontinental)
L’atelier de Daniel Vézina, mes classiques préférés, recettes étape par étape by Daniel Vézina (Les Éditions La Presse)
Dans la cuisine de Danny St-Pierre by Danny St Pierre (Les Éditions La Presse)

Regional/Cultural Cookbooks

Toronto Star Cookbook: More Than 150 Diverse and Delicious Recipes Celebrating Ontario by Jennifer Bain (Appetite by Random House)
Three Sisters Back to the Beginning: Timeless Greek Recipes Made Simple by Betty Bakopoulos, Eleni Bakopoulos & Samantha Bakopoulos (Adelfes )
Sea Salt: Recipes from the West Coast Galley by Alison Malone Eathorne, Hilary Malone & Lorna Malone (Harbour Publishing)

Single-Subject Cookbooks/Livres de Cuisine Sujet Unique

Butter Baked Goods: Nostalgic Recipes from a Little Neighborhood Bakery by Rosie Dayki (Appetite by Random House)
The Deerholme Mushroom Book: From Foraging to Feasting by Bill Jones (TouchWood Editions )
Gastro Grilling: Fired-up Recipes to Grill Great Everyday Meals by Ted Reader (Penguin Canada Books)
Les Règles d’or des épices, recettes et récits de Ethné et Philippe de Vienne, chasseurs d’épices by Philippe et Ethné De Vienne (Éditions du Trécarré)
Citron : 100 recettes et beaucoup plus by Isabelle Lambert (Modus Vivendi)
Cuisiner au fil des récoltes: 170 recettes pour profiter des fruits et légumes edited by Geneviève Rossier./Coup de Pouce (Les Éditions Transcontinental )

RENDER Feminist Food and Culture Quarterly
RENDER (renderfoodmag.com) is a new website and magazine that examines food culture through a feminist lens. It's currently seeking short and long-form nonfiction essays, profiles and reviews, as well as recipes, illustrated techniques and artwork. November 15 is the pitching deadline for the Spring 2015 issue, which will focus on "Timing" (as in work/life balance, mentoring, opening, closing, youth, aging, aged, parenting, children, life trajectory and so on).

The summer 2015 issue (with a pitching deadline of March 14) is themed around "Transit" (food tourism, ethical consumption, travelling foods, food carts, globalization, migrant labour, etc.) Contributors' guidelines are posted at renderfoodmag.com/contributors-guidelines. Pitches should be emailed to editor-in-chief Lisa Knisely (lisa@renderfoodmag.com)

Food Styling and Photography Workshop
On Friday and Saturday, October 3 and 4, FoodographyPEC (foodographypec.com/workshops) will offer a pro-level, hands-on workshop with food stylist Ruth Gangbar and photographer Christopher Gentile in a historic Old Ontario Schoolhouse that is part of the Jackson’s Falls Country Inn in Prince Edward County, Ontario. A maximum of 12 participants will have access to authentic artifacts for propping. Their subject matter (and luncheon menu) includes Paul’s Famous Game Pie with House-made Chutney and freshly picked Fall Fall Harvest Fixings, desserts by The Pink Lunch Pail and a Pinot Noir wine tasting provided by Long Dog Winery.

For further information, contact Ruth Gangbar at 416-779-6513 or ruth@foodographypec.com. Admission: $375+HST for the Saturday workshop alone, or $500+HST for the workshop plus double-occupancy accommodations and meals including an Elk Bourguignon supper on the Friday and breakfast, the lunch described above and a snack on Saturday

Call for Papers: Women in Agriculture
Submissions are requested for Women in Agriculture Worldwide: Key Issues and Practical Approaches, part of Gower Publishing's “Women in Sustainable Business” series. Chapter proposals or questions can be emailed to either of the editors: Amber J. Fletcher of the University of Regina (amber.fletcher@uregina.ca) or Wendee Kubik of Brock University (wkubik@brocku.ca).

Submissions should include the author's names and affiliations, the title of the proposed chapter and an abstract of 250 to 300 words. The deadline for abstracts is September 30, with first drafts due in January 2015. Suggested topics include:

Understanding women’s agricultural contributions
Strategies for sustainability
Tools and approaches for empowering women in agriculture
Policy issues and recommendations affecting women in agriculture
Methods for ensuring participation and meaningful consultation
Addressing issues of representation for agricultural women
Everyday strategies and resistance

Ontario Culinary News Launches
Many of us were sorry to hear that the Women's Culinary Network was ceasing to exist. However, from its ashes now springs Ontario Culinary News, (@CulinaryOntario on Twitter) a new website and monthly e-newsletter for Ontario's culinary community. It will be accepting advertising and posting event listings, news releases, invitations and contributed articles. Visit ontarioculinarynews.com to subscribe (it's free!) News and editorial ideas should be sent to editor@ontarioculinarynews.com.

Events of Interest

SEPTEMBER 2014

Saturday & Sunday, September 6 & 7: Bread Baking Workshop, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Toronto, Ontario). Montgomery's Inn welcomes Chef Thorsten Pannek, Artisan Baking Instructor at George Brown College, who will conduct workshops about grains and milling methods. Participants will prepare a sourdough by hand, practice a variety of shaping techniques, then bake their bread in an outdoor wood-fired oven. Maximum 10 participants. Admission: $350+HST per person (includes a light lunch and snacks. Registration: 416-394-8113
Sunday, September 7: Harvest of the Past & Harvest Food Festival, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Edmonton, Alberta). Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village celebrates Alberta's agricultural roots at this annual fall event that features traditional harvest activities from the period of 1892-1930, including a threshing bee with vintage farm equipment, grain deliveries to the historic elevator, making kapusta (sour cabbage), grinding wheat and canning produce from the museum's heritage gardens. 780-662-3640 or history.alberta.ca/ukrainianvillage
Friday to Sunday, September 12 to 14: Learn to Camp 18th-century Style (Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia). The Fortress of Louisbourg invites new campers to travel back in time to the 1700s for an overnight camping trip. Everything for camping 18th-century style at the Fortress will be supplied, even the flint and steel to start the fire. 902-733-2280 or fortressoflouisbourg.ca
Sunday, September 14: City Cider, Noon to 5 p.m. (Toronto, Ontario) Not Far from the Tree and Spadina Museum present an all-ages cider celebration with freshly pressed cider made right in a heritage orchard and hard cider from Ontario cideries. Admission: $8 (advance). $10 (door). Free for children under 12. 416-392-6910 or notfarfromthetree.org
Saturday, September 20: Pioneer Harvest Festival, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (Toronto, Ontario). Black Creek Pioneer Village hosts a Mennonite and Pennsylvania-German festival replete with homemade pies, cheese curds, sausages, apple butter, handmade ice cream and many international foods, as well as historic ale sampling in the brewery, cider mill and sausage-making demonstrations, historic cooking, apple schnitzing and grain threshing. 416-423-9229 or torontomennonitefestival.ca
Saturday, September 20: Louisbourg Live: Founders' Feast (Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia). A full-course 18th-century gourmet dining experience, perfectly paired with select wines inspired by the Louisbourg Governor's own cellar and followed by a classical concert exploring historic elements of the Fortress and interesting personalities that would have inhabited the 18th-century settlement. 902-733-2280 or fortressoflouisbourg.ca
Saturday & Sunday, September 20 & 21: On Common Ground Festival, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Toronto, Ontario). Multidisciplinary arts and cultural festival staged inside Fort York. Free admission. 416-392-6907 or toronto.ca/fortevents
Saturday & Sunday, September 20 & 21: 1860s Fall Fair Weekend, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Morrisburg, Ontario). Upper Canada Village invites entries in such categories as livestock, agricultural and dairy products, vegetables and flowers. Admission: Free with regular entry. 613-543-4328
Saturday & Sunday, September 20 & 21: Harvest Festival (Ottawa, Ontario). Learn how to turn Canadian fall crops into delicious, healthy snacks and how to reduce food waste at Canada Agriculture and Food Museum. 613-991-3044, 1-866-442-4416 or cafmuseum.techno-science.ca
Sunday, September 21: Harvest Festival, noon to 4 p.m. (Toronto, Ontario). Todmorden Mills Heritage Site celebrates the harvest season in the valley with live music, historic recipes and tastings and more. Admission: free. 416-396-2819 or toronto.ca/todmorden
Thursday, September 25: A Spirited Affair: Celebrating Beer, Whisky and Wine, 7 p.m. (Toronto, Ontario). Travel back in time to the Victorian 1860s at Black Creek Pioneer Village's annual fundraising event, where ballroom dancing and traditional ales were all the rage, then get whisked into the early 1960s to listen and dance to music from the Beatles and the "Rat Pack" era while sipping on cocktails and enjoying fine foods. These two time periods come to life with costumed character actors, live music and dancing, while participants enjoy craft beer, whisky and wine paired with local gourmet food. Proceeds help restore historic buildings at Black Creek Pioneer Village. Admission: $80. Buy tickets at blackcreek.ca/spiritedaffair
Thursday, September 25: Thirsty Thursday, 7 to 10 p.m. (Etobicoke, Ontario). Montgomery’s Inn presents Thirsty Thursday tavern night with beer, wine, or a Thomas Montgomery specialty in the restored 1847 barroom along with Irish stew, fresh baked bread and live traditional music. Admission: free. Cash bar, $5 for a bowl of stew, while supplies last. 416-394-8113 or montgomerysinn.com
Sunday, September 28: British Home Child Day (Toronto, Ontario). Black Creek Pioneer Village presents a full day celebrating the lives of British Home Children that culminates in a dinner for members of the British Home Children Advocacy and Research Association. 416-736-1733 or blackcreek.ca
Tuesday, September 30: Ontario Genealogical Society's Oxford County Branch 35th Anniversary Celebration, 6 p.m. (Woodstock, Ontario). Blogger, historian, genealogist and cook Carolyn Blackstock presents "Cooking the Books: Using Local Historic Cook Books" at South Gate Centre (191 Old Wellington St.) Admission: Dinner & speaker $30. Speaker only $15. 519-421-1700 or oxford.ogs.on.ca

LOOKING AHEAD

Friday & Saturday, October 3 & 4: Food Styling and Photography Workshop (Prince Edward County, Ontario) See News Roundup, above. foodographypec.com/workshops
Sunday & Monday, October 12 & 13: Thanksgiving Dinners (Toronto, Ontario). Black Creek Pioneer Village. 416-736-1733 or blackcreek.ca
Thursday, October 16: Oktoberfest Beer & Cheese Pairing, 7 p.m. (Toronto, Ontario) at Black Creek Pioneer Village. 416-667-6284 or blackcreek.ca
Sunday, October 19: Apple Harvest Tea, 1 to 4 p.m. (Etobicoke, Ontario) at Montgomery’s Inn. 416-394-8113 or montgomerysinn.com
Sunday, October 19: Designer Georgian Tarts, 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (Toronto, Ontario). Using 18th-century recipes and techniques, participants will prepare (and sample!) a variety of sweet and savoury baked dishes including intricately shaped custard tarts and ornately decorated “florendines” made with puff pastry in the 1826 Officers' Mess Kitchen at Fort York National Historic Site. Admission: $75+HST (lunch & recipe package included). Pre-registration and payment required. 416-392-6907, ext. 221
Sunday, October 26: Hallowe'en Harvest, noon to 4:30 p.m. (Pickering, Ontario) at Pickering Museum Village. 905-683-8401 or pickering.ca/museum.
Monday, October 20: Taste Canada Gala (Toronto, Ontario), at Arcadian Court. tastecanada.org

CONTINUING

To Sunday, October 5: Collecting Culinaria (Calgary, Alberta). Historic Lougheed House presents an exhibition on prairie recipes, cookbooks and domestic manuals from the Victorian era to the 1970s. The items on display are chosen from the 3,000-strong holdings of the Linda Miron Distad Culinaria collection at University of Alberta in Edmonton. 403-244-6333. View the fascinating companion piece, an online exhibit titled "Culinaria: A Taste of Food History on the Prairies" at omeka.library.ualberta.ca/exhibits. It's replete with facsimiles of the holdings, like the Ukrainian-English cookbook and the CPR-Ministry of Natural Resources brochure pictured above.
To December 2014: Bon Voyage / Bon Appétit (Vancouver, British Columbia). The University of British Columbia's Rare Books and Special Collections and historian Larry Wong are presenting an exhibit of menus from the Canadian Pacific Railway Company’s ships, trains, planes and hotels, curated from UBC Library’s Chung Collection of more than 1,000 menus from the 1890s to the 1980s. Most are in English, but some are in Chinese, Japanese, French or German. 604-822-2521

Academic Conferences

September 18-19, 2014 (Hampton & Norfolk, Virginia USA)
1619: MAKING OF AMERICA
The Joseph Jenkins Roberts Center of Norfolk State University & Hampton University present a conference on Early American foodways.

October 3-5, 2014 (Waterford, Ontario)
HARVESTING HISTORY & INNOVATION
The 2014 ALHFAM (Association of Living History, Farm and Agricultural Museums) Central Canada Regional Conference, hosted by Waterford Heritage & Agricultural Museum and The Crooked Stovepipe.

October 30 to November 1, 2014 (Moscow)
HISTORY OF FOOD AND NATIONAL FOOD CULTURE
Lomonosov Moscow State University's Center of National Intellectual Reserve and the Academy of Gastronomic Knowledge and Culture jointly present the first research and practice symposium in Russia focused exclusively on the history of food and eating traditions of different nations. Further information: symposium@gastac.ru

November 2-4, 2014 (Williamsburg, Virginia, USA)
400 YEARS OF CHOCOLATE AZTEC TO ARTISAN
Guest speakers include Dr. Howard-Yana Shapiro, one of the world’s top cacao scientists. Dr. Michael Coe, Professor Emeritus, Department of Anthropology, Yale University, will discuss the place of chocolate in early Mesoamerica. Ruby Fougère, Curator of Furnishings, Collections and Conservation Supervisor, Parks Canada, will look at chocolate in French Canada. Foodway staff will offer a presentation on chocolate in 17th- and 18th-century Europe and North America. Dr. Deanna Pucciarelli, Program Director, Hospitality and Food Management Program, Ball State University, will explore how chocolate production methods evolved during the 19th century, and John and Tracy Anderson of Woodhouse Chocolate in St. Helena, California, will delve into modern artisanal chocolate making.

November 20-23, 2014 (Baltimore, USA)
WHAT PERFORMS?
The 2014 joint conference of the American Society for Theatre Research and the Theatre Library Association (ASTR/TLA) explores the everyday meaning of the performative acts of cooking and eating and questions how theatre and performance studies can help us understand the daily shape of eating on a dying planet.

November 29 to December 1, 2014
FERMENT – THE EVOLUTION, SCIENCE, PRACTICE AND PHILOSOPHY OF MODERN GASTRONOMY (Wellington, New Zealand)
Deadline for proposals: October 1, 2014
"Ferment" is a joint meeting of the New Zealand Food History Society and the Australian Symposium of Gastronomy. It aims to bring together scholars, cooks, food writers and armchair foodies to discuss ideas in modern gastronomy. The possibilities for presentation and discussion encompass the full breadth of 21st-century gastronomy, from economics, sustainability, organics and globalisation to indigenous foods, foraging, fermentation, fadism and, of course, the future. Abstracts of about 500 words should be submitted to duncan.galletly@otago.ac.nz. Further information: nzfoodhistory.macmate.me.

December 4-6, 2014 (Montánchez, Spain)
FOOD, INTERNET AND SOCIAL MEDIA
Deadline for proposals: October 15, 2014
The 39th ICAF Conference (International Commission on the Anthropology of Food and Nutrition) explores food culture in the age of virtualization and the virtual relationship around social networks. The internet reveals food manners, social and ethnic identities, new behavioural patterns and eating habits, while creating neologisms like “foodporn”, “gastrosphere” and “instafood”. The organizers welcome 200- to 300-word abstracts for papers in Spanish, English or Portuguese that discuss the role of the internet on food and nutrition in modern culture. Abstracts should be emailed to icafmontanchez2014@gmail.com with a brief biographical statement.

March 6-8, 2015 (Little Rock, Arkansas, USA)
CARVING PATHS THROUGH LIVING HISTORY
Deadline for proposals: October 31, 2014
The Arkansas Living History Association seeks proposals for workshop and session presentations for a conference that will examine ways living historians can collaborate with different groups or each other to further the interpretation of history. To submit a proposal, download a form from arkansaslivinghistory.com.

Food for Thought

Niagara Food: A Flavorful History of the Peninsula's Bounty by Tiffany Mayer (The History Press, September 2014)
The Niagara region has a unique culinary history and tradition. From its mild microclimate that supports the cultivation of tender fruits to its role as the birthplace of the Canadian wine industry and home to a new generation of trailblazing chefs and restaurateurs, the Niagara region boasts a food and wine heritage that rivals any in North America. Niagara food writer, advocate, and activist Tiffany Mayer provides a thoughtful look at the many elements of Niagara's culinary past and present, including the planting of the first orchards and vineyards, the rise and fall of the local canning industry, the artisans responsible for crafting the region's most beloved food products, and the Greenbelt Act, which protects more than a million acres of the area's most precious agricultural land.

Stratford Food: A Culinary History to Savour by Steve Stacey (The History Press, July 2014)
Acclaimed events like the Savour Stratford Perth County Culinary Festival have put Stratford on the map as a destination for foodies. How did this relatively small city develop such a significant culinary reputation? The story stretches back to the very roots of Stratford; food and agriculture have always been a critical element of the city's cultural milieu. In fact the deed for Stratford City Hall includes a condition that its operations must always accommodate a farmers market. Generations of Stratford residents have nurtured the area's food heritage, and a nationally renowned theatre scene have made it possible for the small city to support dozens of world-class restaurants.

Ontario Beer: A Heady History of Brewing from the Great Lakes to the Hudson Bay by Alan McLeod & Jordan St. John (The History Press, May 2014)
Ontario boasts a potent mix of brewing traditions. Where Europeans explored, battled and settled, beer was not far behind, bringing the simple magic of brewing to Ontario in the 1670s. Early Hudson’s Bay Company traders brewed in Canada’s Arctic as Loyalist refugees brought the craft north in the 1780s. Early 1900s temperance activists drove the industry largely underground but couldn’t dry up the quest to quench Ontarians’ thirst. The heavy regulation that then replaced prohibition centralized surviving breweries. Today, independent breweries are booming and writing their own chapters in the Ontario beer story.

(Descriptions based on information provided by the publishers)

Across the far-flung regions of Canada, a lot is happening in the fields of food and history. This monthly digest is a forum for Canadian culinary historians and enthusiasts to tell each other about their many activities. This is a place for networking and conversation about Canadian culinary history happenings. Each month, Digestible Bits and Bites is shared with members of the Culinary Historians of Canada and other interested persons who request to be on the distribution list. Everyone is welcome to submit items for publication, as long as the information arrives in the editor’s inbox at cadmus@interlog.com by the 25th of the previous month.

The Culinary Historians of Canada would like to share this digest with a wide audience. You are encouraged to post or forward this information.

Administrivia

Submissions to Digestible Bits and Bites are welcome at cadmus@interlog.com, although inclusion is at the editor’s discretion. Links to relevant websites are appreciated but not essential.
Past issues of Digestible Bits and Bites are posted onthe Culinary Historians of Canada website.