Culinary Historians of Washington, D.C. Dec. 2013-January 2014 Volume XVIII, Number 4

Culinary Historians of Washington, D.C. (CHoW/DC)founded in 1996, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, educational organization dedicated to the study of the history of foodstuffs, cuisines, and culi-nary customs, both historical and contemporary, from all parts of the world. Donations are tax deductible to the full extent of the law.

www.chowdc.org

Addressing the Haggis: Culture and Contestation in the Making of Scotland’s National Dish

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For the uninitiated, the mere descrip-tion of haggis typically serves to confirm comedian Mike Myers' sug-gestion that "most Scottish cuisine

is based on a dare." Made from sheep's offal and oatmeal, traditionally boiled in the animal's stomach-bag, haggis is among the best-known symbols of Scotland in the world today. Precisely when, how and why it came to be regarded as dis-tinctively Scottish, however, is a matter of considerable speculation. By focusing on contrasting cultural portrayals of haggis in Scotland and England in the 1700s, this presentation explores how the dish became embroiled in an ongoing transnational de-bate about what it means to be Scottish. As

Joy Fraser, Ph. D. Sunday, December 8

2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Bethesda-Chevy Chase Services Center,

4805 Edgemoor Lane, Bethesda, MD 20814

Scotland heads towards a referendum on independence from the United Kingdom in 2014, this debate is once again at the forefront of political and cultural discourse in the UK and beyond. Dr. Joy Fraser is an Assistant Profes-sor in the Department of English at George Mason University, specializing in folk nar-rative, foodways, folk custom and drama, and the folk culture of tourism. She earned her Ph.D. in Folklore from Memorial Uni-versity of Newfoundland, Canada, in 2011. Fraser is working on her first book project, which traces the evolving status of haggis as a contested symbol of Scottish national-ity from the 18th to the 20th centuries. In 2012, the project was selected for the pres-tigious Folklore Studies in a Multicultural World multi-press book series workshop. The series publishes exceptional first books that exemplify the interdisciplinary and international nature of contemporary folklore scholarship. Fraser’s essays have appeared in several publications, including the journals Contemporary Legend, Scottish Studies, and Ethnologies.

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September 8, 2013. Gabriella Petrick, “Industrializing Taste: Food Processing and the Transformation of the American Diet, 1900-1965”

October 13, 2013. Rob Kasper, “Baltimore Beer: A Satisfying History of Charm City Brewing”

November 10, 2013. Monica Bhide, “Sacred Foods of India through Its Temples, Mosques, and Gurudwaras” December 8, 2013. Joy Fraser, “Addressing the Haggis: Culture and Contestation in the Making of Scotland’s National Dish”

January 12, 2014. John DeFerrari, “The History of Washington, D.C.’s Seafood Restaurants”

February 9, 2014. Luigi Diotaiuti and Amy Riolo, “Pasta and Cheese Making History in Southern Italy”

March 9, 2014. James D. Porterfield, “Dining Car Cuisine”

April 13, 2014. Cooperative Supper, Alexandria House

May 4, 2014. To be determined.

CHoW Programs 2013-2014

The History of Washington, D.C.’s Seafood Restaurants

John DeFerrari Sunday, January 12, 2014

2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Bethesda-Chevy Chase Services Center,

4805 Edgemoor Lane, Bethesda, MD 20814

With the proximity of Washington to the Chesa-peake Bay, seafood dishes have traditionally played an important part in the city’s restau-rant fare, from the early days when oysters

were ubiquitous to the era of massive seafood restaurants on the Southwest waterfront. DeFerrari’s talk will profile some of Washington’s most significant seafood restaurants and discuss how their status in Washington society has evolved over time. John DeFerrari was born and raised in Washington, D.C. and has a lifelong passion for local history. He is a graduate of the Catholic Univer-sity of America and also has a Master’s Degree in English Liter-ature from Harvard University. DeFerrari has worked for many

years as a federal government analyst and makes good use of his investigative skills in digging up little-known facts about the history of the nation’s capital. In addition to pen-ning the popular “Streets of Washington” blog, DeFerrari is also a trustee of the D.C. Preservation League, and in that role, actively works to preserve the historic-built environ-ment of the District of Columbia. He is the author of two books, Lost Washington, D.C. (2011) and Historic Restaurants of Washington, D.C.: Capital Eats (2013), both published by History Press.

November 10 Talk: Sacred Foods of IndiaBy Monica Bhide

At seventeen, when I was living in a semi-cloistered convent in south India, I got my first taste of Christmas. A Hindu by birth, I had spent my whole life until then in the Muslim Middle East and had yet to experience a true Christmas. As a boarder at the convent, I observed that year-round the nuns did not think twice about the food, perhaps looking to it just for essential nutrition. But the first Christmas I was there, I noticed them fussing and fawning over sweet coconut and savory rice, trying to feed us the perfect meal. At lunch we were served a rice dish laden with raisins and nuts. But my favorite was the kalkals: small, sweet balls of dough, fried in oil. They looked like little ribbed conch shells! The nuns at the convent came from all over India; this dish seems to have its roots in Goan cuisine, which is influenced by the Portuguese who ruled Goa for close to a century. This experience has stayed with me and I so I created a presentation that journeys through spiritual India via its foods. It is about food cultures that religions create. Sim-mered lentils, unleavened breads, and ghee-laden whole wheat halwa feeds hundreds each day at the Sikh’s Golden Temple while the malido, beaten rice with coconut and fruits, is a tradition practiced by the dying Jewish Indian commu-nity of India. The beautiful ceremony of preparing malido (a dish with cashews and wheat) is hidden in the depths of Parsee temples; the celebrations of kebabs for Eid line the streets of Mumbai. While the Hindus consider beef taboo, the Catholics in the southern part of India eat it all the time.

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The Election Day

What Happened at the Sunday, November 10 CHoW Meeting?President Katy Hayes called the meeting to order at 2:45 p.m., welcoming 52 attendees, including 9 guests.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

1. Katy Hayes reminded members about the CHoW field trip to Mockingbird Hill Restaurant on Sunday, November 17 at 5 p.m. Mockingbird Hill restaurant specializes in sherries. The restaurant is located at 1843 Seventh Street NW in Washington, D.C. The trip will include a historical discussion of sherry by the owners as well as a sherry and ham pairing and tasting. Cost is $26.00 per person, payable via a check written out to CHoW and sent to Katy Hayes. Due to the size constraints of Mockingbird Hill, this trip is limited to 20 individuals.

2. Shirley Cherkasky mentioned the Sons of Norway, Washington D.C. Lutefisk Dinner on Saturday, November 23 at the Christ Lutheran Church in Fairfax, Virginia. The dinner will feature lutefisk, meatballs, ham, potatoes, ruta-baga, cabbage, peas, rosettes, krumkake, and rice pudding. Tickets for adults are $25 per person starting with coffee at 3:45 p.m.and dinner from 4:15-6:00 p.m. Please go to www.norwaydc.org for complete details and reservations.

3. CiCi Williamson announced a Les Dames d’Escoffier “Sacred Foods of Italy” luncheon on Saturday, December 7, from noon-2:00 p.m. February CHoW speakers Amy Riolo (a CHoW member and Dame) and award-winning Chef Luigi Diotaiuti will speak at his Al Tiramisu Restaurant at 2014 P St., NW, Washington, D.C. The luncheon will include a lecture by Amy about the historical, cultural and religious significance behind Italian food traditions. The lecture will be followed by a buf-fet lunch of Italian holiday foods and a book signing by Chef Luigi Diotaiuti of his first cookbook, The Al Tiramisu Cookbook: An Elevated Approach to Authentic Italian Cuisine. Tickets for the luncheon are $49 for members of Les Dames D’Escoffier and $59 for non-members. Please go to www.lesdamesdc.org for complete details and reservations.

WHATZIT: Willis and Carter Van Devanter brought a‘Whatzit’ to the November meeting. The 10-inch tear-

shaped clear glass bottle with a funneled hole in the bottom and an opening plugged with a cork at the top is a fly catcher.

PROGRAM:CiCi Williamson, CHoW Past President, in-troduced the November speaker, Monica Bhide, food and travel writer and author of three cookbooks, including her most recent,Modern Spice: Inspired Indian Recipes for the Contemporary Kitchen (Simon and Schuster, 2009).(See talk summary on page 2).

DOOR PRIZES: Members attending the monthly meetings are eligible for door prizes. Thank you to Claudia Kou-soulas for donating the cookbooks that were this month’s prizes.

REFRESHMENTS: Thank you to Anne Whitaker for pro-viding beverages for the meeting, and to our members who brought the following refreshments, many reflecting the Indian theme of November’s topic:Monica Bhide (Speaker): A selection of Indian sweet and savory snacks: Namak Para, Mathi, Soan Papdi, Khatta Matha, Plantain Chips Francine Berkowitz: Coconut CashewsFelice Caspar: Chenna Ki Barfi (Coconut Cheese Cake) with Sas Zaffran (Saffron Sauce) – from Moghul Microwave by Julie SahniClaudia Kousoulas: Alice Medrich’s Crunchy Seed CookiesPhyllis Krochmal: Banana BreadJulia Marston: Spiced Roasted Chick PeasJane Olmsted: Parsi Deviled Egg SaladClara Raju: Spice, Crackle and Pop (from Modern Spice by Monica Bhide) and Dhokla with Green ChutneyAmy Snyder: Gummi Pumpkin Heads from the Laurel Dutch Country Farmers Market

The meeting adjourned at 4:10 p.m. Thank you to the members who volunteered to reset the meeting room.

Respectfully submitted,Beverly Firme, Recording Secretary

Member CorrespondenceOn Sunday, November 10, 2013 4:41 PM, chandonnetvale@wildblue.net> wrote:

I am a CHoW member. Enjoyed Beverly Firme’s article about Fannie Quigley and Blueberry Pie. I edited Jane Haigh's book about Soapy Smith and knew she was subsequently writing a book about Fannie. Nice to see her get some publicity in the newsletter. I am the author of Gold Rush Grub (University of Alaska Press), in which I wrote about Fannie--some years before Jane did. Fannie was quite a character! I lived in Alaska for 33 years; now retired to North Carolina. chandonnetvale@wildblue.net

Ann Chandonnet

RADIO, TELEVISION, WEB SITES & BLOGS http://www.monticello.org/site/blog-and-community/posts/category/food-and-drink Forty one (at last count) Blog posts from Monticello with commentaries by guest writers. For example, The 2011 December blog post on Mary Randolph’s Fried Potatoes included commentary by former CHoW speaker Leni Sorensen. http://www.monticello.org/site/blog-and-community/posts/jefferson-era-recipe-fried-potatoes

http://aroundthefarmtable.com/Around the Farm Table is a new television program that began November 7, 2013 on Wisconsin public television. The series is“dedicated to connecting consumers to small, thoughtful producers through storytelling, forgotten recipes and entertainment.”

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Culinary HumorBy Tom Weiland

News from Other Culinary Organizations

The Election Day

Pie law is talked about in the Sioux Falls, SD Argus Leader newspaper and in a 2002

Wassail! Wassail! All over the town; Our toast, it is white and our ale, it is brown….

Over an enormous time span (centuries to millennia, depending on whom you read) with committed partiers chronicling its history, was-sail has a past that is both mirthful and murky.

While attempting to assemble several semi-trustworthy sources, I could only find a few consistent threads, that wassail is: 1) A hot, mulled drink with toasted bread; 2) Associated with Yuletide; and 3) Consumed to produce good luck for some one or some thing.

Beyond that, it’s about as rational as the benders it supported. The base could be cider, ale, mead, wine, or juice, and it could be fortified with stronger spirits. To sustain its bingeing enthusiasts, different versions contain apples, nuts, raisins, cooked egg foam, roasted crabs, or other caloric solids. While decidedly a Medieval British Christmas (or Twelfth Night) tradi-tion, its roots likely go back to pre-Christian and old Norse solstice festivities. And you can drink to the health of your king, your master, your neighbors, your apple trees, or even your barley plants (presumably in anticipation of fermenta-tion). A long time ago, so much toasting and wassail-ing took place, in fact, that it helped lead to the Puritan outlawing of Christmas itself. A lot of wassail’s humor comes from its traditional carols, many of which ap-pear to have been written while well under its influ-ence.

Take a look at a few:

http://www.hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com/Hymns_and_Carols/awas-sail_awassail.htm

http://www.hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com/Hymns_and_Carols/a_jolly_wassel_bowl.htm

http://www.hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com/Hymns_and_Carols/Notes_On_Carols/wassailing.hhtm

Or you might like to try a Wassail Joke, like this one:James and Nancy decide to recreate a Christmas past, so invite their friends for Wassail and Caroling. The Wassail recipe turns out to be a bit strong, though, and they end up pretty “happy” as they head out with their Christmas hymnals. As they break into the first song for the neighbors, James is singing at the top of his lungs, “Leon, Leon!” Nancy looks at him strangely, then at his hymnal. She scowls, turns his hymnal upside-down, and snips, “That says ‘Noel, Noel’!”

Holiday Cheers to CHoW!TW

Culinary Historians of Chicago presents

“The Power of Food and

Prisoners of War”

Presented by Documentarian Jan Thompson Saturday, November 16, 2013Kendall College School of Culinary Arts Emmy-award-winning documentar-ian Jan Thompson talks about her recently released film, "NEVER THE SAME: The Prisoner of War Experi-ence." Learn how American prisoners of Imperial Japan during World War II created and collected recipes as one diversion during their brutal captivity.

Ms. Thompson will show excerpts from the film, which was narrated by actress Loretta Switt and features voices of several well-known actors including Ed Asner, Alec Baldwin, Robert Wagner, and Kathleen Turner. Ms. Thompson devoted over 20 years to make the documentary; her own fa-ther had been a prisoner of war. "This film has been built frame by frame with my hands and my heart," she says. Jan Thompson is Director of the Documentary Unit and Professor in the Radio-TV Department at Southern Illinois University. She has created several documentaries for PBS, and has won national and international awards including three Emmys. She is the President of American Defend-ers of Bataan & Corregidor Memo-rial Society, a non-profit educational

chow-dc@googlegroupsIf you hear of events you think will be of interest to CHoW’s membership, send them to chow-dc@googlegroups.com, or to any Board member. Board members’ email addresses are listed on page 7.

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BOOK REVIEWSoul Food: The Surprising Story of an American Cuisine

One Plate at a Timeby Adrian Miller, UNC Press 2013, $30.00 cloth, 352 pages

Review by Claudia Kousoulas

The words “soul food” raise opin-ions—it’s the food that’s killing the African American commu-

nity, it’s the result of slavery’s priva-tions, it’s a class and cultural marker, it’s an American treasure. As Miller shows, in his survey of greens, macaroni and cheese, catfish, chitlins, cornbread and more, soul food is all those things. He decon-structs a traditional soul food menu one dish at a time, finding the stories behind each dish. He explores Creole, Low Country, and Chesapeake sub-traditions and laments that these tradi-tions may be fading as tastes change and fast food takes over. In fact, as Miller tells the whole story of soul food from its beginnings to current day and throughout, he is so skillful at finding cultural and historical context, you may find yourself learning about your own food culture. He had the pleasure of pursuing these dishes through field research—a year-long restaurant tour that covered 150 restaurants in 35 cities—tasting, talk-ing, and learning. He also consulted historical sources, using information gathered from the Federal Writers Project and historical cookbooks from Hannah Glasse and Mary Randolph to the works of African American cooks including Mrs. Abby Fisher and Edna Lewis. He also credits Jessica Harris for her “bountiful foods” and careful cultural distinctions.

As well as looking at each dish, Miller traces soul food through time, begin-ning in 1619 when the first document-ed cohort of slaves was brought to Jamestown. As the peculiar institution expanded, each slaving system, from Southern New England to the Gulf South, developed a culinary identity that merged West African foodways with local foods. In the Chesapeake, it

was corn and seafood; Low Country meals were rice-based. Traditions and adaptations continued with the Great Migration, with soul food’s political role during the Civil Rights era, and with current changes to make the dishes healthy and easy to cook.

Miller starts the meal with the gospel bird, so named for its appearance at Sunday dinner, especially if the preacher is invited. Miller notes that black preach-ers will use chicken to remind parish-ioners of their roots, but that chicken also has a place in other cultural metaphors, from Henri IV’s chicken in every pot to Jewish Sabbath tables.

In ancient cultures, chickens were used for divination as well as dinner, and the Ashanti people made a golden hen an avatar for their god. So gospel bird hardly seems like hyperbole. He con-tinues with chicken’s place in plantation life and economy, and in the traditions that continued and changed after the Civil War—of Sunday dinners after church and African American street vendors who

seemed “to have a monopoly on the trade.” He unearths juicy tidbits of history and to satisfy a yen, offers a recipe for Corn Flake Chicken and Cheddar Waffles adapted from private chef, Hannah Sweets.

Miller continues his examination with catfish—a low caste food caught by slaves and sold by planters. Also on the table are controversial chitlins—pig intestines—a clear class marker, disdained by some as smelly leftovers, but as Miller finds, a rural dish shared by black and white.

Black-eyed peas are native to Af-rica and served with rice in the Low Country, cousin to New Orleans’ red beans and rice or Cuban Moors and Christians with black beans. He asks and answers “How Did Macaroni and Cheese Get So Black?” noting that it has no African tradition but that Thomas Jefferson (and his enslaved cook, James Hemmings) started to make this Italian dish into an Ameri-can classic.

After a review of the full menu, from greens and cornbread to hot sauce and red drink, not forgetting tooth-aching-ly sweet desserts, Miller ponders the future of soul food. Many black chefs are unwilling to be stereotyped as soul food cooks, but he wonders why there isn’t a chain of soul food restaurants. Miller notes that conflicting goals of assimilation and community definition have kept soul food politically charged and somewhat out of the mainstream. Whether it’s a “race-based rallying cry” or a memory of home, Miller traces its flavor and history.

Claudia Kousoulasis an urban plannerwho also writes cookbook reviews. Her blog is appetiteforbooks.wordpress.com

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Among the wineries and farms dotting the hills of Middletown, Maryland, is a place that’s truly special and unique – Orchid Cellar Winery, a meadery that’s been creating Polish

meads since 2006. The brainchild of owners Andrzej and Marzanna Wilk who missed the complex meads of their native Poland after moving to the United States, Orchid Cellars produces award-winning meads with both tradi-tional and modern flavors. If you are near Middletown during the weekend make time to visit Orchid Cellar Winery’s tasting room where the Wilk family will serve you half a dozen or more meads while telling you about the history of this beverage and the production of their meads. You’ll learn a lot about mead’s history, taste some excellent meads and become fast friends with the Wilk family.

Mead is an alcoholic beverage made from honey and water using yeast for fermentation. There are many varieties of mead but most meads use spices, fruits or grains in addition to honey and water. Mead made with spices is called metheglin and mead made with fruit is called melomel, to name a few of the terms reflecting the variety of this tradition. The production of mead is docu-mented as far back as 2000 BC. Mead has independent roots in Asia, Africa and Europe. In Europe meads were frequently produced in monasteries during the Middle Ages, particularly by the Bernadine and Capuchin orders, and mead recipes were included in early food writing such as The Closet of Sir Kenelm Digby Knight Opened, published in 1669. In Poland mead making is documented as far back as the 10th century. It is these meads that inspired the Wilks to establish Orchid Cellar Winery.

With a desire to produce quality Polish meads and a background in biochemistry Andrzej Wilk began de-veloping meads in 2006 and by 2008 Orchid Cellars was ready to participate in the Maryland Wine Festival. Orchid Cellars has grown every year and the Wilks’ son, Andrzej Junior, is now assistant winemaker and business manager for Orchid Cellars. Polish meads take about two years before they are ready to serve – longer than most other meads – and it is time well spent because the re-sults are noticeable and Orchid Cellars’ meads are gain-ing attention. This year Orchid Cellar Winery received silver medals for their Archer and Hunter meads at the Mazer Cup International Commercial Mead Competition.

Orchid Cellar Winery currently offers nearly a dozen differ-ent meads and the winery also produces a merlot. In addition to Archer, which is made with spices, and Hunter, avail-able in several levels of ‘heat’ from hot peppers, there is also Monk, made with red rose petals and Ambrosia which is made with chardonnay. For fruit lovers Orchid Cellar Winery offers Blacksmith, made with a blackberry, raspberry and blueberry blend, Beekeeper made with kiwi, and Lumberjack made with apples. The Wilks’ suggest serving mead with dessert and chocolates or with cheese, fruit, nuts and honey to bring out the flavor and complexity of mead. Meads fla-vored with spices are especially popular during the holiday season and may be served hot or cold.

Orchid Cellar Winery is at 8546 Pete Wiles Road, Middle-town, Md. (301-473-3568 or info@orchidcellar.com). Fall hours are Friday by appointment and noon-5:00 p.m. on Sat-urdays and Sundays. Distillery Lane Ciderworks, visited by CHoW members in 2012, is nearby. Middletown has several spots for breakfast, lunch or coffee. Dempsey’s Grille and the Main Cup are both on Main Street. Dempsey’s is a family café open Tuesday through Friday 6:30a.m. – 8:00 p.m. and Sat-urday 6:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. The Main Cup is a bar and grille open Monday-Thursday 8a.m.-10 p.m., Friday-Saturday 8:00 a.m.-1:00 a.m. and Sunday 9:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m.

Culinary Byways

Trip to Orchid Cellar Winery

By Beverly Firme

CHoW Line’s Culinary BywaysDo you have an interesting place you’ve visited in the Mid-Atlantic region that you would like share with other people who might enjoy discovering a destination related to culi-nary history?

Send CHoW Line a paragraph or two or three describing the spot. It could be a farm, a sugar mill, a food manufactur-ing plant, a farmers’ market, a fishing village, a duck decoy carving shop, an annual raspberry fair or...? Please email to Dianne Hennessy King at tuckking@aol.comBeverly Firme is CHoW’s recording secretary.

DIRECTIONS TO THE MEETINGCHoW/DC usually meets on the second Sunday of each month, September through May, from 2:30-4:30 p.m. at the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Services Center, 4805 Edgemoor Lane, Bethesda, Maryland.

DIRECTIONS: Bethesda-Chevy Chase Services Center is located at 4805 Edgemoor Lane in downtown Bethesda, Maryland, in the two-story County office building on the plaza level of the Metropolitan complex, above a County parking garage. The building is across the street from the Bethesda Metro station.

From the Metro Station, take the escalator from the bus bay to the plaza level, turn left, walk past the clock tower and across to the Metropolitan plaza using the pedestrian bridge. The Center’s street entrance at 4805 Edgemoor Lane (corner of Old Georgetown and Edgemoor) is marked with American and Montgomery County flags. Take the elevator to Level Two for meeting rooms.

If you are coming south on Old Georgetown Road (from the Beltway use exit 36) turn right on Woodmont Avenue - the entrance is the second driveway on the left.

If you are coming south on Wisconsin Avenue/Rockville Pike, turn right onto Woodmont Avenue, go south for approximately one mile, cross over Old Georgetown Road, and the parking garage entrance is the second driveway on your left.

Coming north on Wisconsin or west on Rt. 410, take Old Georgetown Road north, turn left at the second traffic light (Woodmont Ave.) and the garage entrance will be on your left. Take the elevators from the parking garage to the plaza level (P). The building is located at the center of the plaza. The American flag, Montgomery County flag, and the County seal mark the entrance to the building.

PARKING: Parking is free on weekends in the county parking garage. The entrance to the parking garage is marked with a large blue Bethesda Center parking sign.

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