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Digestible Bits and Bites #47, March 2017
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Digestible Bits and Bites
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A delicious Marmalade Bakewell Tart by Moira Sanders, third-place baking winner at Mad for Marmalade. Photo by Mark D'Aguilar
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CHC News and Upcoming Events
Two Exciting New Events for 2018
At the final edition of Mad for Marmalade, CHC and Fort York National Historic Site announced that the beloved marmalade event will be succeeded by not one but two culinary celebrations, to be held in Toronto beginning in 2018:
Hungry for Comfort: Surviving a Canadian Winter, an exploration of the foods and traditions that have kept generations of Canadians fortified against the cold. The inaugural event, which will focus on First Nations foodways, will be held on Saturday, February 24, 2018.
Canada’s Table: Our Celebration of Cookbooks, a festival devoted to cookbooks and authors of the past and present. It will launch on Saturday, October 13, 2018.
"Can She Bake a Cherry Pie?"
Harvest Meals and Foodscapes of Plenty in Rural Ontario
Meal after raising barn, Sylvester Main Collection, Archival & Special Collections, U. of Guelph, XA1MSA230, Image no 93b
On March 11, CHC will visit Guelph, Ontario, for a presentation by Professor Catharine A. Wilson of the Department of History at the University of Guelph. Dr. Wilson, whose current research is on “Bee-ing Neighbours”—the study of reciprocal work—invites participants to feast their imaginations on the meals provided by host families at barn raisings, threshing days and quilting bees in 19th- and 20th-century Ontario.
Plentiful and sumptuous repasts were an integral part of these events, a payback for the assistance neighbours freely gave. Hearty food attracted people to the job, kept them energized throughout the day, and made them happy to return. The offering up of food was also a performance: it entertained guests, expressed the host’s status in the community, showcased the talents of farm women and created long-lasting memories.
Dr Wilson, who holds the Redelmeier Professorship in Rural History, is the founder and director of the Rural Diary Archive, a digital repository of more than 140 diaries. She will introduce the project and share what the diarists as well as era cookbooks tell us about the role of harvest meals in rural hospitality, with insight into the timing, preparations, settings, menus and service. (She will also explain how volunteers can help transcribe diary entries online!)
To complement the talk, we have arranged for an introduction to the University of Guelph's renowned Culinary Arts Collection. Melissa McAfee, Special Collections Librarian, and Kathryn Harvey, Head of Archival & Special Collections, have kindly offered to tell us about the holdings and to create a display of historic cookbooks especially for our visit.
1:30 to 2:15 p.m. | Introduction to the Culinary Arts Collection at the University of Guelph Library's Archival & Special Collections
Lower Floor, McLaughlin Library, 50 Stone Rd. E., University of Guelph
2:30 to 3:30 p.m. | Talk by Professor Catharine Wilson on Harvest Meals
Room 117, MacKinnon Bldg., 87 Trent Lane, University of Guelph
Please reserve tickets at Eventbrite.
- Admission is free. However, to help the CHC offset room rental costs, a suggested donation of $10 ($5 for students) will be gratefully received.
- Parking in the university lots is free on weekends.
- Please meet a little before 1:30 at the entrance to Archives & Special Collections, which is on the lower floor of the McLaughlin Library.
- The McLaughlin Library is adjacent to the MacKinnon Building. After the visit to the archives, we will walk next door for the talk.
Great War baked goods with a Canadian flavour: the table (at Montgomery's Inn) is set for the CHC's upcoming departure to the Vimy 100 commemoration in France. Photo by Carolyn Crawford.
The Road to Vimy
by Carolyn Crawford, Luisa Giacometti, Sherry Murphy & Samantha George
The countdown to our Vimy adventure has started. Samantha George has created a Vimy 100 pilgrimage page on Facebook called Feeding Victory (@feedingvictory on Twitter), which goes live March 1 and will keep everyone up to date on the CHC adventures in France from April 5 through 12.
On February 21, Culinary Historians Sherry Murphy, Luisa Giacometti and Carolyn Crawford held a mini-trial run of the material about wartime home front and front-line cooking that will be presented at Vimy, presenting to a group of seniors from Dunfield Residence who were visiting Montgomery’s Inn,
Sherry Murphy prepared three items: War Bread, Bean Croquettes and "Delicious Dish," and she baked Maple Leaf cookies, Rock Cakes and Ginger Nuts. Sherry had previously prepared a Vegetable Loaf, while Carolyn had baked a War Cake. Books, resource material, poems, posters and newspaper clippings were displayed for people to view.
Sherry talked about the different cooking methods and types of cookers used in the preparation of food on the front line, such as the Soyer stove and the Aldershot oven. She showed items that would have been sent in a haversack, such as hot foods like pea soup, as well as ginger nuts or hard tack in case of emergencies.
Shirley described the map of the different stations to set up a field kitchen in the trenches, depending on where the Germans' line was set up. The diagram showed the start from the small towns where trains were loaded with men, horses, wagons, cookstoves and equipment to set up a base, as well as with ammunition. This was about 30 miles from the enemy line.
There were many stops along the way, with little shops for the soldiers to buy extra rations, cigarettes and other treats. The train stopped at the Railhead depot and from there unloaded the wagons, horses and supplies to go another 20 miles on foot to set up the field kitchen and then build the trenches another 5 to 10 miles away.
Sherry also explained some practices like the OXO tin, which, when empty, was kept for each soldier to use for the daily rum ration of exactly two ounces, and the helmet that could be used as a cooking vessel to heat up stew.
Sherry's son fabricated a facsimile "Tommy cooker," which could be made from a mess tin placed on top of a square cookie tin; it had holes in the top and sides to heat up rations or boil water for tea. It was heated by means of a small tin of gel (similar to a sterno can used in camping) that can be lit with a match. The gel did not create smoke, so it did not draw the attention of the enemy. At night, when the smoke could not be seen, the men could use small pieces of wood instead.
Hard Tack made by Sherry Murphy and the volunteer historic cooks at Fort York.
Carolyn talked about how homes in Canada (particularly in rural Canada) would not necessarily have had electricity or gas for cooking in their homes, and many still used wood-fired cook stoves. Farmers in Canada were encouraged to maximize production. They produced so much so that Canada prospered agriculturally.
She also discussed War Cake and how it was made. This eggless, milkless style of cake was made because these foods were rationed, and all Canadians were expected to minimize their food use at home so that as much food as possible could be sent to the front line. She showed photos of Canada Food Board propaganda posters with slogans like “Waste Not, Want Not,” explaining that housewives were encouraged to use food efficiently; recipe booklets distributed during this time showed how to use leftovers and avoid or minimize the use of rationed foods.
Luisa spoke about rationing and the types of food that were rationed. She pointed out that vegetables grown in the Victory garden were used in the Vegetable Loaf. She went on to explain how groups such as the Women’s Institute, companies such as Five Roses or Canada Starch, and the government were influential in the type of food that women prepared. She discussed how women contributed to the war cause both at home as “housoldiers”—housewives who were expected to efficiently run their households—and in the factories.
The notable difference between the First and Second World Wars was that in the earlier period women were encouraged to grow and preserve as much food as possible at home. Luisa concluded by showing how a treat such as a bottle of Coca-Cola could be sent over to a soldier inside a loaf of bread ("Coke bread") since there was no bubble wrap in those times and the bottles were made of glass.
It was a pleasure presenting to this group as they recounted stories of their experiences as children of the war and stories passed down from their families. All enjoyed samples of the different food items.
WAR STORIES (photos below): Top left: Carolyn Crawford (left) and Sherry Murphy (right) in costume. Top right: Visitors from Dunfield Residence. Bottom left: Miniature cookstove. Bottom right: CHC President Luisa Giacometti (right, in dark clothing) welcomes the Dunfield seniors to the CHC Vimy presentation.
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A scene of maple syrup making by Cornelius Krieghoff, 1849, Library and Archives Canada, C-0110410
Canada 150 Food Blog Challenge: March 2017
CHC invites food bloggers to participate in our Canada 150 Food Blog Challenge. This month, the theme is perhaps the quintessential Canadian ingredient: maple. The approach could be an experiment with a historic recipe, a report on a visit to a traditional maple producer, a family story that relates to the topic, an essay about food history ... or any similar topic that has a Canadian connection.
We’re looking for blog posts of any length, in either French or English, that relate to the topic. To enter, simply publish your entry within the month of March and post it on the CHC Facebook page before midnight on Friday, March 31. (To guarantee being included in the April newsletter roundup, it would be best to post a few days before the deadline.)
At the end of 2017, we’ll choose our favourite participating blogs and sponsor them for entry into Taste Canada’s 2018 blog category. Bloggers need not contribute every month to be considered.
So far, 18 bloggers have signed up to participate. New since last month are:
Here are the pieces posted in answer to the February theme of "doing without":
... and a few late entries in our Fish and Seafood challenge:
Mad for Marmalade
The 10th and final edition of Mad for Marmalade, Crazy for Citrus! was a sold-out success on a beautifully sunny day. Held in association with (and at) Fort York National Historic Site on Saturday, February 18, it was a fittingly sweet end to a decade-long tradition that has brightened up the dullest month for marmalade lovers of all sorts.
It could not have taken place without the diligence of the organizing committee, including Fort York program officers Bridget Wranich (a CHC co-founder) and Melissa Beynon; volunteer historic cooks Elizabeth Baird (who once again assembled heaps of delightful door prizes for all present) and Mark D’Aguilar (who designed the beautiful program booklet); chef/cookbook author Daphna Rabinovitch (who chaired the Redpath Marmalade Competiton), and CHC president Luisa Giacometti, vice-president Samantha George (who handled media relations), secretary Carolyn Crawford, treasurer Sylvia Lovegren and electronic media chair Julia Armstrong.
The day ran smoothly with the invaluable assistance of our volunteers: from Fort York, Elizabeth Baird, Joan Derblich, Mark D'Aguilar, Brenda Dalglish, John Hammond, Rosemary Kovac, Jan Main, Peggy Mooney, Sherry Murphy and Mya Sangster; and from CHC, volunteer coordinator Emily MacKenzie, Shirley Farrar, Elka Weinstein, Bernadette Pileggi and Ann Cement.
Presenters Joel MacCharles (author of Batch) and Camilla Wynne (founder of Preservation Society and author of Preservation Society Home Preserves: 100 Modern Recipes), were among the most engagingly passionate of all the marmalade experts to have appeared on the M4M stage. CHC publications chair Sarah Hood also presented a short talk at the end of the day.
Sincere thanks are due to all the workshop leaders: Melissa Beynon (who stood in for Rosemary Kovac), Mya Sangster, Elizabeth Baird, Jan Main, Brenda Dalglish (in the photo above by Mark D'Aguilar), Jennifer MacKenzie and Wanda Beaver. (Mary Luz Mejia was unfortunately sidelined by illness.)
The citrus-themed lunch catered by Our Splendid Table was praised on all sides. It consisted of Marmalade Chicken, Citrus Basil Lentil Salad, Moroccan Carrot and Orange Salad, Green Salad with Orange Dressing and Orange Cilantro Rice.
Dessert was researched and prepared by Bridget Wranich, Melissa Beynon, Emily Cooper and Ieva Lucs, along with Fort York volunteer historic cooks Elizabeth Baird, Brenda Dalglish, Joan Derblich, John Hammond, Ellen Johnstone, Rosemary Kovac, Peggy Mooney and CHC refreshment coordinators Sherry Murphy and Mya Sangster. Bread and Butter Pudding, from the Canadian Housewife’s Manual of Cookery edited by Henry I. Richards (Hamilton: Spectator Office, 1861), was served with Custard Sauce from Hannah Glasse's 1796 The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy.
Our thanks to the following companies for their generosity in providing competition prizes, door prizes and gifts for participants: Redpath, Cuisinart, AMC, Bernardin, Canadian Living, Canolainfo.org, Healthyflax.org, Penguin Random House, Ricardo, Robert Rose, Sask Mustard, Tetley, Unilever, Whitecap, Richters, Lorimer, Harper Collins Canada, Goose Lane, Interlink Publishing and Thomas Allen & Son.
2017 Redpath Marmalade Competition Winners
Judges’ Choice
- Marianne Froehlich (Plum Cranberry Orange Conserve)
Pure Seville Orange Marmalade
Judges: Janey Hale of Appetito Events and Catering Inc. & cooking instructor and caterer Brenda Kwon Hing
- 1st Prize: Fathiya Abdulla Rahim
- 2nd Prize: Sarah Hood
- 3rd Prize: Ingrid MacRitchie
Citrus Marmalade
Judges: LCBO cooking-class coordinator Joanne Leese & freelance food stylist/recipe writer Miranda Keyes
- 1st Prize: Susannah Tabur (Grapefruit Marmalade)
- 2nd Prize: Jane Kessler-Copeman (Seville Orange Marmalade with Scotch)
- 3rd Prize: Fathiya Abdulla Rahim (Japanese Sumo Mandarin Marmalade)
Preserves with Citrus
Judges: Alison Fryer of The Cookbook Store & food consultant Heather Trim
- 1st Prize: Marianne Froehlich (Plum Cranberry Orange Conserve)
- 2nd Prize: Inese Grava-Gubins (Thai Infusion Meyer Lemon Jam)
- 3rd Prize: Mark D’Aguilar (Ugli Jamaican Jerk Marmalade)
Baking With Marmalade
Judges: Rhonda Caplan of Smucker Foods of Canada & food stylist Olga Truchan
- 1st Prize: Pam Edmonds (Nellie’s Key Lime Sponge Cake, pictured in the photo above by Mark D'Aguilar)
- 2nd Prize: Mya Sangster (Battenburg Cake)
- 3rd Prize: Moira Sanders (Marmalade Bakewell Cake)
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MORE MARMALADE: Top left: Mya Sangster's precisely geometrical (and second-place winning) Marmalade Battenberg Cake. Top right: Joel MacCharles waxes enthusiastic about 10-minute preserving methods. Bottom left: Camilla Wynne demonstrates her mastery of drunken marmalade. Bottom right: Sylvia Lovegren (left) and Daphna Rabinovitch (right) welcome participants into the 2017 Redpath Marmalade Competition. Photos by Mark D'Aguilar.
For more photos from the event, see our Flickr album.
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Upcoming CHC Events
- Saturday, March 11: “Can She Bake a Cherry Pie?” Harvest Meals and Foodscapes of Plenty in Rural Ontario (see news item, above).
- Friday to Tuesday, April 7 to 11: Vimy Ridge 100, Arras, France—As part of the 100th anniversary of Vimy Ridge, the CHC will animate a presentation with demonstrations about food on the Canadian home front during WWI and WWII.
- Friday, May 26: The Why of Butter Chicken Pizza: Change as a Constant in Canadian Cuisine, Toronto—A talk about the search for a true Canadian cuisine, by Lenore Newman, author of the soon-to-be-released book Speaking in Cod Tongues: A Canadian Culinary Journey.
- Saturday, June 3: Catharine Parr Traill Book Launch, Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library, Toronto—CHC member Nathalie M. Cooke of McGill University (founding editor of CuiZine: the Journal of Canadian Food Cultures) and CHC past president Fiona Lucas will speak about their new book, Catharine Parr Traill’s Female Emigrant’s Guide: Cooking with a Canadian Classic. Attendees will have a chance to examine some of the library’s holdings that relate to pioneer Catharine Parr Traill, her family and her domestic writing.
- June (Date TBA): 1867-themed dinner, Falstaff Family Centre, Stratford, Ontario.
- Saturday, July 1 (Canada Day): Cross-Canada Confederation Picnic—CHC invites members and friends across the country to host an 1867- and/or 1967-themed picnic and share their photos and videos via a website created for the purpose.
- Saturday, August 12: Lucy Maud Montgomery Outing, Norval & Glen Williams, Ontario—A full-day tour to the home and gardens where Anne of Green Gables author Lucy Maud Montgomery lived from 1926 to 1935. Includes a lunch and transportation from the Toronto area.
- September (Date & location TBA): The McIntosh Apple—Esteemed food writer Marion Kane will talk about the McIntosh apple, which appeared as a chance sport on a farm near Dundela, Ontario, and has become one of the world’s most cultivated fruits.
- Saturday, October 21: Annual General Meeting.
- November (Date TBA): Remembrance Day at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, Enercare Centre, Exhibition Place, Toronto—Presentations on the theme of 1867: Confederation. Also, the CHC will sponsor two Heritage categories in the fair’s Jams, Jellies and Pickling Competition.
- Autumn (Date TBA): Taste Canada Awards Gala, Arcadian Court, Toronto—CHC will sponsor the Taste Canada Hall of Fame Awards.
- November/December (Date TBA): Victorian Cooking Class, Montgomery’s Inn, Etobicoke, Ontario—A hands-on cooking class in the historic kitchen.
- December (Date TBA): Frost Fair at Fort York, Toronto.
- Saturday, February 24, 2018: Hungry for Comfort: Surviving a Canadian Winter
- Saturday, October 13, 2018: Canada’s Table: Our Celebration of Cookbooks
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Join the Culinary Historians of Canada!
The membership year runs from one annual general meeting (usually in October) to the next. Download a membership form here and join us today!
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News and Opportunities
We Are the Best
Ricardo Media has embarked on a signature project supported by the Government of Canada to mark the 150th anniversary of Confederation and inspire pride across the country in 2017. The We Are the Best video series is part of a cross-country tour, during which Ricardo will discover Canada’s very best food products.
The series pays tribute to the creators and entrepreneurs—including producers, farmers, winemakers, fishermen and artisans—who are influencing the country’s culinary heritage and shaping its future. It will also explore Canada’s varied landscapes and celebrate the important contributions of its cultural communities.
One new bilingual three‑minute video is being released each week (the start date was January 7) until the end of the year. The content will be accessible to all Canadians free of charge, and distributed on all platforms of Ricardo Media, Radio‑Canada and CBC. Among the food items already featured: Saskatchewan wild rice, Quebec strawberries, P.E.I. French fries, Ontario ginseng and the Digby Giant Scallop.
Great Canadian Baking Show
Ready, set ... bake! The CBC is seeking non-professional baking aficionados who know their way around classic and Canadian bakes (Nanaimo bars? Butter tarts? Tourtière?) as participants in the first-ever "Great Canadian Baking Show." Modelled on "The Great British Bake-Off," it promises potential baking glory for the right candidate, along with nail-biting tension and (one hopes) no soggy bottoms. The entry form is contained in the link above.
Made in Canada Photo Contest
To coincide with Canada’s 150th birthday, Kostuch Media (publishers of Foodservice and Hospitality and Hotelier magazines) are holding a Made in Canada photo contest. Throughout 2017, they encourage Canadian readers (outside Quebec) to snap pictures of iconic products, ingredients and dishes, as well as hotels and resorts, that reflect a Canadian sensibility.
Each month, a judging panel will select 10 photos. The year's top 10 Grand Winners, chosen from among the 12 month's selections, will be featured in the December issues of both magazines, and the winning photographers will each receive one of 10 trips to iconic Canadian hotel destinations like the Fairmont Banff Springs or the Fairmont Château Laurier.
Pictures can be submitted via Instagram (@foodservicemag & @hoteliermagazine) and Twitter (@foodservicemag & @hoteliermag) with the hashtag #KMLMadeinCanada.
They should fit into at least one of the following categories:
- Food
- Drinks
- Ingredients
- Iconic restaurants, hotels, resorts or attractions
- Hotel rooms
- Personalities
Jane Austen Weekend
From April 7 to 9, JaneAustenDance presents A Weekend with Jane Austen, an immersive experience at Montgomery’s Inn and other sites. With 2017 marking the bicentennial of Jane Austen’s death, the weekend will focus on Austen herself: her life, family, world and pleasures.
This event includes historical meals by firelight, music, dancing, hands-on workshops, lectures, demonstrations and displays, open-hearth cooking workshops, a concert of pieces from Austen’s personal music collection, and historical fashion. Featured speakers include:
- Dr Elaine Bander (President of the Jane Austen Society Canada).
- Commodore Thomas Hurlbut, Naval Establishment, Crown Forces North America, who will speak on Austen’s naval brothers, Charles and Francis.
- Kat Akerfeldt of Toronto’s First Post Office, who will give an illustrated lecture on postal arrangements and letter writing in Austen’s time and teach a workshop on how to write, fold and seal a letter using quill pens and sealing wax.
- Historical seamstress Elizabeth Webb, who will give an illustrated talk on Regency-era underwear.
- Lacemaker Linda Lorraine, who will offer a display and demonstration of bobbin-lace making.
- Toronto Museums staff, who will teach a cooking workshop on foods known to Austen and her family.
The event will begin on Friday evening at Mackenzie House Museum with a visit to the print shop, harp music and singing by Alanna Ellison, historical refreshments and games. Saturday opens with breakfast by the fire at Montgomery’s Inn, followed by an afternoon of lectures, displays and workshops, including a Regency dance class to prepare for the evening's ball, which is open to beginners.
Four historical meals will be offered to round out the experience of life in Austen’s time: two breakfasts and two dinners. More elements will be added to this event; updates, full schedule and admission prices will be posted at JaneAustenDance. For more information, call 416-578-1031 or follow @JaneAustenDance on Twitter.
Jam for Justin?
Springridge Farm of Milton, Ontario, wants your help in getting their commemorative Canada 150 Jam onto Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's breakfast table. Follow their progress on social media with the hashtag #canada150jampaign.
Their Canada 150 Jam, made to celebrate Canada’s 150 years, contains strawberries from their own farm, raspberries from British Columbia, wild blueberries from Nova Scotia and a splash of Canadian sparkling wine. Unless you're the PM, it will be available only at Springridge Farm when they open for the season on April 7, for $6.99 per jar.
What's Cooking? (CHC Member Activities)
At noon on Friday, April 7, Dr. Ryan Whibbs presents a lecture titled The Noble Art: Kitchen Management in Europe, 1300-1700, part of the George Brown College Chef School's Food for Thought series in Toronto. See Events of Interest (below) for further details.
Susan Peters of Morrisburg has been teaching the Tea Sommelier course at Algonquin College, Ottawa. She also opened and spent a year running Adelaine's Tea Room at Luxe Boutiques in Prescott, Ontario, which she plans to re-open in the future.
Karen Millyard is busy this season. Besides planning for the Jane Austen Weekend (see the news item, above), on February 28 she presented (clad in full historical dress) Oh, Those Dance-Crazy Canadians!, an illustrated talk on the nature and extent of social dancing in early dance-mad Canada, to members of Toronto's Riverdale Historical Society and their guests. On March 4, she'll lead the dancing at the sold-out Ball in the Regency Style at Fort George in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario.
On February 4, Sherry Murphy, Sharon Majik, Carolyn Crawford and Sarah Hood animated the historic kitchen at Montgomery's Inn in Etobicoke, Ontario. Watch a short video that shows Carolyn making an Isabella Beeton recipe for puff pastry, or a second one in which Sherry demonstrates how to use a bake kettle on an open hearth.
Digestible Bits & Bites welcomes news from CHC members. To be included, please feel free to submit updates to cadmus@interlog.com by the 25th of the preceding month.
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Events of Interest
Compiled by Sarah Hood and Sher Hackwell
THIS MONTH (March 2017)
- Friday, March 3: Cooking for Reconciliation Pop-up Restaurant, 5 to 7 p.m. (Vancouver). Skwachays Lodge Hotel and Gallery presents a journey toward Truth and Reconciliation using Indigenous foods, with Top Chef Canada finalist Rich Francis, to create a better understanding of pre-colonial Indigenous culture and the impact of colonization. Admission: $79.
- Saturday, March 4: Si Mangia! Memories, Lessons and Recipes from Italian Immigrant Life, 2 to 3:30 p.m. (Toronto). Toronto Public Library–Richview Library presents an afternoon with Luciana Longo, author of Si Mangia! Memories, Lessons and Recipes from Italian Immigrant Life, who will read from her memoir and offer a cooking demonstration.
- Saturday, March 4: Urban Foraging Plant Walk, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (Vancouver). Homestead Junction presents Métis herbalist and storyteller Lori Snyder, who will lead a wild-plant walk around the neighbourhood to discover new perspectives on how we see and interact with plants in the city. As participants encounter different plants along the way, she will share her knowledge and experience in foraging for food and wildcrafting. Admission: $25.
- Thursday, March 9: Savour Our Neighbourhood 2017, 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. (Vancouver). Savour Our Neighbourhood features a sampling of bites from a variety of Mount Pleasant eateries, paired with beverages from local microbreweries and premier winemaker BC Wine Studio. The event, held at Mount Pleasant's Heritage Hall, also features musical entertainment and a silent auction. Savour Our Neighbourhood is a joyful celebration of local food, wine and community in support of the Mount Pleasant Family Centre Society. Admission: $40 to 50.
- Thursday, March 9: Learn to Make Probiotic Soda AKA Ginger Beer, 7 to 9 p.m. (Vancouver). UBC Farm presents a beginner-level workshop that will cover basics of traditional fermentation methods, theories on microbes and how they can affect your digestion, immunity and mood. Participants are asked to bring a one-litre glass jar with a lid to carry home "ginger bug" (a ginger beer starter). Admission: $39 + GST (general). $32 + GST (students).
- Thursday, March 9: An Evening with Lynn Crawford, 7 to 9 p.m. (Ottawa). The Canada Agriculture and Food Museum presents an evening of maple delicacies presented by Chef Lynn Crawford, which includes a lively demonstration, sampling workshop and glass of wine as Chef Lynn prepares three signature dishes featuring maple as the key ingredient. Reservation required: Ticket information TBA. Ages 19 and up.
- Saturday, March 11: Algonquin Cuisine Workshop, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. (Ottawa). The Canada Agriculture and Food Museum presents a workshop about Algonquin cuisine by Chef Cezin Nottaway of Wawatay Catering, featuring maple toffee using Awazibi maple syrup. Admission: Free with museum admission.
- Saturday, March 11: “Can She Bake a Cherry Pie?” Harvest Meals and Foodscapes of Plenty in Rural Ontario, 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. (Guelph, Ontario). See CHC news, above.
- Saturday & Sunday, March 11 & 12: Kings Landing’s 34th Annual Sugar Bush, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Prince William, New Brunswick). Activities include encampments in the village, snowshoeing, traditional fare, children’s activities at the King’s Head Inn, sleigh rides (weather permitting) and 19th-century sugaring demonstrations. Admission: $12 (family), $7 (adult), $3.50 (child). Maple candy on the snow: $2 per stick. In additon, a pancake breakfast will be served each day from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. as a fundraising event to support the York Sunbury Search & Rescue ($11 per adult and $8 per child). For more information, call 506-363-4999.
- Sunday, March 12: Phyllo Workshop, 6:30 to 10 p.m. (Toronto). Peter Minakis of Kalofagas Greek Supper Club unlocks the secrets to making phyllo pastry from scratch at Lodge on Queen. The class will make Spanakopita (spinach pie), Tyropita (cheese pie) and custard-filled Bougatsa. A light dinner and refreshments will also be served. Admission: $75.
- Wednesday, March 16: A Family That Eats Together: Food in Italian American History and Culture, 5 to 7 p.m. (Scarborough, Ontario). University of Toronto Scarborough presents a talk by Professor Simone Cinotto of the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo, Italy, as part of the 2016 Connaught Cross-Divisional/Cross-Cultural Seminar “City Food: Lessons from People on the Move." It takes place in IC (Instructional Centre) Room 220.
- Saturday, March 18: St. Patrick’s Cèilidh, 7 to 11 p.m. (Etobicoke, Ontario). Montgomery’s Inn presents Irish stew, fresh-baked bread and live traditional music by Gin Lane in the restored 1847 barroom. Admission: $5+HST. Cash bar, $5+HST for a bowl of stew, while supplies last.
- Saturday & Sunday, March 18 & 19: Kings Landing’s 34th Annual Sugar Bush, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Prince William, New Brunswick). See Saturday & Sunday, March 11 & 12.
- Thursday, March 30: 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+HST for a bowl of stew, while supplies last. 416-394-8113.
- Monday, March 20: Greek Meze Night, 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. (Toronto). Peter Minaki of the Kalofagas food blog presents a marathon of meze (Greek small plates) at Toronto's St. Lawrence Market Kitchen, including (among other things) Wheat Berry Salad; Poached & Shaved Asparagus Salad with Oranges; Cheeses; Artichoke with Poached Shrimp; Octopus; Clams Spring Salad and a dessert selection, all with Greek wine pairings. Admission: $85.
- Tuesday, March 21: Workshop: Doughgirls Divine Pies, 6:30 to 9 p.m. (Vancouver). UBC Farm presents an introduction to pie-making basics. Participants will learn how to make the most tender and flaky pastry to complement the season’s many pie varieties.They will mix, roll, assemble and bake a pie to take home as well as enough pastry for the next creation. Admission: $57 + GST (general); $49 + GST (students).
- Friday, March 31: Phyllo Workshop, 6:30 to 10 p.m. (Montreal). Peter Minakis of Kalofagas Greek Supper Club unlocks the secrets to making phyllo pastry from scratch in the Parc La Fontaine area at 2203 rue de Champlain. The class will make Spanakopita (spinach pie), Tyropita (cheese pie) and custard-filled Bougatsa. A light dinner and refreshments will also be served. Admission: $75.
- Friday, March 31: Are Chefs, Bakers and Culinary Experts Ready for the Protein Revolution?, noon to 1:30 p.m. (Toronto). A lecture by Dr. Linda Gillis, part of the George Brown College Chef School's Food for Thought series, which examines wine, nutrition and culinary history. It takes place on the George Brown campus at 200 King Street East, Room 315. Admission: Free.
LOOKING AHEAD (April 2017)
- Monday, April 3: Museum Morsels, 7 to 9 p.m. (Oshawa, Ontario). Parkwood National Historic Site's Museum Morsels Culinary Heritage explores the history and traditions of the hot cross bun. info@parkwoodestate.com.
- Friday, April 7: The Noble Art: Kitchen Management in Europe, 1300-1700 CE, noon to 1:30 p.m. (Toronto). A lecture by CHC member Dr. Ryan Whibbs, part of the George Brown College Chef School's Food for Thought series, which examines wine, nutrition and culinary history. It takes place on the George Brown campus at 200 King Street East, Room 315. Admission: Free.
- Friday to Sunday, April 7 to 9: Jane Austen Weekend (Toronto). See news item, above.
- Saturday & Sunday, April 8 & 9: Vimy 100 Toronto, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Toronto). Fort York National Historic Site pays tribute to the men and women who fought for Vimy Ridge on April 9, 1917. Admission: Free.
- Thursday, April 13: Myths and Food Fantasies, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Burlington, Ontario). The Farm & Food Care Ontario 2017 Annual Conference includes a keynote address by Professor Timothy Caulfield of the University of Alberta's Faculty of Law and the School of Public Health, titled "Is Gwyneth Paltrow Wrong about Everything?" Besides other talks and panels, highlights of Farm & Food Care's 2016 activities will be presented, with the Farm & Food Care Champion Award and a "Taste of Ontario" lunch, all at the Ballroom of the Royal Botanical Gardens. Admission: $100 to $150.
- Thursday, April 27: 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+HST for a bowl of stew, while supplies last. 416-394-8113.
- Sunday April 30: To a Tea!, 10 a.m. to noon (Hamilton, Ontario). Dundurn National Historic Site presents a Victorian-era cooking workshop. Participants will prepare a 19th-century recipe with Dundurn’s cook demonstrator in Sir Allan MacNab’s kitchen and take a guided tour of Dundurn Castle. The tour will highlight Victorian tea traditions and the role of the servants in preparing and serving tea. Later, participants will enjoy their baking and tea by gaslight in the historic kitchen. 12 years and older. Admission: $45 per person. Pre-registration is required.
CONTINUING
- Daily: Historic Afternoon Tea & Tour at Fort Langley National Historic Site, tea 1 to 2:45 p.m., tour 3 to 4:30 p.m. (Fort Langley, British Columbia). An elegant afternoon tea at the Little White House (LWH) Salon Café in the coach house of the historic Marr House. Fort Langley, a Hudson’s Bay Company trading post, was first built in 1827. On the tour, visitors will hear stories of local historical characters and explore the homes and workshops of the people of the trade. Admission: $15.68 per person (plus admission fee for groups of 15–30), including tea, tour and HST. 604-513-4799 or fort.langley@pc.gc.ca.
- Daily: Fishing the West Coast and the Canning Line, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Steveston, British Columbia). The Gulf of Georgia Cannery National Historic Site offers exhibits on the development of fishing on Canada’s West Coast and modern fishing practices, too. Admission: Free in 2017 for Canada 150.
- Sundays: Gibson House Tea & Tour, 1 to 4:30 p.m. (Toronto). Every Sunday there’s tea, cookies and a seat for you at the harvest table in the 1850s historic kitchen. Free with regular admission.
- Indefinite run: Food Will Win the War (Ottawa). The Canada Agriculture and Food Museum presents an exhibition on the story of food on the Canadian home front during the Second World War. Focusing on shopping, eating, conserving and volunteering, it shows how Canadians fought a “war for food” to support Canada’s overseas war efforts. Admission: Free with entrance to the museum. 613-991-3044 or 1-866-442-4416.
- To March 18: Unearthing Toronto's Oldest Marketplace: The Archaeology of the North St. Lawrence Market (Toronto). The North St. Lawrence Market is being prepared for a major rebuild. As part of that process, the citizens of Toronto will have a rare opportunity to look into the city’s past as the building site undergoes a major archaeological dig. Concurrently, the Market Gallery will exhibit archaeological finds from the site, along with historical maps, artworks, photographs and artifacts to tell the story of North America’s longest-running continually operating food market, established in 1803. As the dig continues, new information will be added to the exhibit, showing how historical understanding can change as new research is conducted. 416-392-7604.
- To Spring 2017: Women on the Homefront: Women’s Contributions During World War II, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Steveston, British Columbia). Gulf of Georgia Cannery presents an exhibit that shows how the women of Canada harvested the crops, kept factories running, looked after the children and raised money for the war effort while thousands of Canadian men were overseas. Admission: $7.80 (adults), $6.55 (seniors), $3.90 (youth); $19.60 (family).
- March 13 to September 24: Prohibition in Huron County (Goderich, Ontario). Huron County Museum explores the story of prohibition and temperance in Huron County. Before prohibition, there were many taverns up and down the roads of the county, and the Gaol housed prisoners not only for public drunkenness but also for violations of the Scott Act. Temperance calls brought about years of prohibition, but in recent times new businesses and agricultural endeavours are bringing new life to an old topic.
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Upcoming Conferences
Compiled by Julia Armstrong
April 22, 2017 (York, U.K.)
LEEDS SYMPOSIUM ON FOOD HISTORY AND TRADITIONS.
This year's theme is Birds for the Table!
April 26 to 28, 2017 (Napa Valley, California)
WORLD FLAVORS: CASUAL BY DESIGN
From food trucks to quality home-delivery services, casual food and casual dining are igniting the passions of consumers and professionals. For its 19th Worlds of Flavor International Conference and Festival, the Culinary Institute of America has invited food-service experts from around the world to look at the factors driving this rapidly changing landscape.
May 27 to 30, 2017 (Toronto, Ontario)
12th ANNUAL ASSEMBLY OF THE CANADIAN ASSOCIATION FOR FOOD STUDIES (CAFS)
CAFS presents “Food in Canada and Beyond: Communities, Collaboration, Complexity” as part of the Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences, to be held at Ryerson University.
June 1 to 2, 2017 (Tours, France)
3rd INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON FOOD HISTORY AND CULTURES
The European Institute for Food History and Cultures/Institut Européen d’Histoire et des Cultures de l’Alimentation partners with the Food Studies team (L’Equipe Alimentation – LEA) at François-Rabelais University in Tours to present its third multi- and cross-disciplinary conference, which will cover all historical periods.
June 8 to 9, 2017 (Antwerp, Belgium)
ESNA CONFERENCE: FOOD, GLORIOUS FOOD
Organized by ESNA (European Society for Nineteenth-Century Art) and MAS (Museum Aan de Stroom) Antwerp, in conjunction with the exhibition Antwerp à la carte, this symposium intends to study the various and complex relationships between food, the experience of eating and 19th-century art.
June 9 to 13, 2017 (Mumford, NY)
ALHFAM ANNUAL MEETING AND CONFERENCE
The theme for this year's conference of the Association for Living History, Farm and Agricultural Museums at the Genesee Country Village and Museum is Breaking Through Barriers: Living History in Modern Times.
June 14 to 17, 2017 (Los Angeles, California)
JOINT CONFERENCE OF THE AGRICULTURE, FOOD, AND HUMAN VALUES SOCIETY (AFHVS) AND THE ASSOCIATION FOR THE STUDY OF FOOD AND SOCIETY (ASFS)
This year’s theme is Migrating Food Cultures: Engaging Pacific Perspectives on Food and Agriculture. Presenters will explore links between the food production and consumption of the Pacific region and its environmental, social and cultural resources.
July 7 to 9, 2017 (Oxford, England)
OXFORD SYMPOSIUM ON FOOD & COOKERY
The Oxford Symposium was founded and co-chaired by Alan Davidson, a renowned food historian and author of The Oxford Companion to Food, and Dr. Theodore Zeldin, the pre-eminent social historian of France. This year’s theme: Food and Landscape. NOTE: Anyone can download proceedings from years past (for free!).
September 15 to 16, 2017 (New Bedford, Massachusetts)
FOOD CULTURES, MOBILITY AND MIGRATION
Deadline for proposals: April 15, 2017
In our global society, people connect with different cultures regularly. The organizers encourage an examination of how this affects food practices. Can food provide a lens through which to view the histories of daily life within a specific community? How can we record and archive food experiences? In what ways does food represent culture? See the suggested topics for 15-minute papers.
October 18 to 20, 2017 (Krems, Austria)
3rd CULINARY AND WINE TOURISM CONFERENCE
Deadline for proposals: March 31, 2017
Tourism researchers, practitioners and academics gather to examine topics ranging from tourists’ preferences to marketing strategies. The call for abstracts includes matters of interest to historic cooks and museum staff: experiential consumption, innovative cultural experiences, storytelling, and the history and tradition of culinary and/or wine tourism. (Conference language is English.)
October 26 to 27, 2017 (Rome, Italy)
7th INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON FOOD STUDIES
Participants will consider food production and sustainability, the interrelationships of food and health, and food politics and cultures; see the descriptions of this year’s three themes and special focus. Hosted by Gustolab International Institute for Food Studies and Roma Tre University.
October 27 to 28, 2017 (Krakow, Poland)
FOOD AND DRINK AS SYMBOLS: HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES
Deadline for proposals: May 15, 2017
The Department of History and Material Culture of English Speaking Countries at the Pedagogical University of Krakow hosts an exploration of the meaning of food and drink as symbols (during any historical period), in life and sensuality, in relation to political consciousness, and with regard to status, ethnicity, lifestyle, religion or art. Conference language is English. For more details, see the call for papers.
November 17 to 18, 2017 (Amsterdam, The Netherlands)
AMSTERDAM SYMPOSIUM ON THE HISTORY OF FOOD: MAKING SENSE OF TASTE
Deadline for proposals: March 5, 2017
Taste isn’t limited to a physical experience. It has a psychological component too, such as when food triggers a memory. The organizers invite proposals on the notion of taste: its characteristics, its cultural evaluation, and its history. See possible topics in the call for papers.
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Food for Thought
 
Chillies: A Global History by Anne Arndt Anderson
(Edible—Reaktion Books 2016). Reviewed by Elka Weinstein, pictured above
As with the other volumes in this series (Edible), this mini-book covers a lot of ground. It is better written than many of the other volumes, and the illustrations are well chosen. The author has also written two other books: Portland, a Food Biography (2014) and Breakfast: A History (2013).
Chillies (or chilies) are pervasive and, surprisingly, not as deeply rooted as one would expect in the many world food traditions in which they appear. Cuisines that we would normally think of as having always been spicy, such as northern Chinese dishes or south Indian curries, originally used pepper (black pepper, or Piper nigrum) as their main spice. With the introduction of chillies to Europe and Asia through trade and conquest, the spiciness of capsaicin—the active chemical component of chili peppers—has become an integral part of these food traditions.
All of this hot food begins with the capsicum peppers grown in the Americas. Capsicum belongs to the nightshade, or Solanaceae, family and, like tomatoes (a nightshade plant that has also become an ubiquitous item in many world cuisines), probably originated somewhere in Mexico, Central America or northern South America. Chilli peppers have probably been domesticated several times, but they made their way into food history after the Spanish and Portuguese came to the Americas.
This book traces the taxonomy and ecology of chillies, their introduction into world cuisine, their possible healing properties and their association with North American machismo and sexuality. Chili con carne, "devilled" foods and hot sauces are all part of this theme. One of the most interesting sections of the book mentions the "Chili Queens"—the Latina women who served their homemade food from wooden stands to Texas ranch hands in the plazas of San Antonio during the late 19th century.
It concludes with an appendix (the lyrics to a song about Tabasco) and a selection of historical and modern recipes from around the world. References, websites and associations for chilli aficionados will encourage more research into the myriad uses for this special plant.
Review Contributors
- Julia Armstrong (Toronto)
- Sher Hackwell (Vancouver)
- Shirley Lum (Toronto)
- Dana Moran (Ottawa)
- Susan Peters (Morrisburg, Ontario)
- Elka Weinstein (Toronto)
If you are a CHC member who would also like to contribute, please contact Publications Chair Sarah Hood at cadmus@interlog.com.
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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 ask 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.
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Administrivia
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- 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 on the Culinary Historians of Canada website.
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