New England Cuisine

[Chris Amirault]

In this post, WHS made the following statement:

New England "cuisine" tends to be plain[.]

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Now, I've had my (un)fair share of overcooked meat and two veg from my New England forebears, but I got a bit miffed at that statement (and to the word "cuisine" being in quotation marks). After all, while "New England cuisine" could be defined by the traditions established by the Yankee settlers, it could also be defined by the Italians in the North End of Boston, or the Portuguese or Quebecoise along the coast, or the Vietnamese, Cambodian, and Thai folks here in Providence -- or by Jasper White, Lydia Shire, Gordon Hammersley, Neath Pal, George Germon and Johanne Killeen....

Harumph.

Having said that, I don't think that I really have a clear sense of what New England cuisine was or is. Seemed like an interesting question to toss your way. Thoughts?

[docsconz]

Interesting question, Chris. I'll throw in my $0.02.

Just about every cuisine is the product of an on-going evolution. New England cuisine is no different as it begins to incorporate all the disparate elements you mentioned into a more cohesive whole. To be a local cuisine, I think, is to incorporate cultural influences of the people who live there and make the food along with the products of the region. A restaurant making ethnic food using imported ingredients certainly does not qualify even though it is made by residents of the area even if the food is common within the area. However, once that food starts using exclusively local ingredients or at least ingredients that are common locally even if sourced from outside, then the food starts becoming part of the local cuisine. So while the first element of New England cuisine is the population, the second equally important element is the produce. To me dishes that can satisfy both elements qualify as constituents of New England cuisine. Historically there are a number of dishes and products that have become associated with New England. Obvious ones include boiled lobster with drawn butter, creamy clam chowder and beans baked with molasses. A traditional American Thanksgiving dinner certainly has New England roots and I believe qualifies. The Portuguese and Italians have been large contributors to the evolution of this cuisine as well over the last century, although it is more difficult for me to define contributions as being particularly of "New England". Nevertheless, clearly they are there even if I cannot identify them in my ignorance. That other ethnic contributions may be more recent just means that they have not yet been as well incorporated into the fabric of the cuisines as the earlier influences. Indeed the locality of ingredients element may not yet be fully met to justify inclusion as part of "New England" cuisine at this time although their influences are certainly being felt.

One difficulty facing any evolving cuisine nowadays is the ability to distinguish cuisines from one another as increasing globalization is leading a tendency towards homogenization that is as applicable to food aas it is to language and accents.

[jcho]

Well I'm a transplanted Californian, have been here for 12 years, and while I would also have a hard time defining 'New England cuisine,' I would think it would have to include seafood as a hefty component. Stuffies are a Rhode Island trademark, made with or without quahogs, and can anyone say "Maine" without thinking of lobster?

[goldie]

When I think of any regional cuisine the first thing I am interested is what foods are grown or produced in that area. In my garden I have good success growing the trinity of squash, beans and corn (I know there is a Native American term for that but I can't think of it). Also, greens do beautifully and tomatoes. Also, the apple orchards are a staple. I think pork products play a big role in New England cuisine. And don't forget the beautiful dairy products out of Vermont (and of course other states in New England). The ocean is right here as well as fish yielding lakes and rivers. Maple syrup, blueberries, and those terrific potatoes from Maine all are influencial. In many ways I think New England cuisine is what many people consider (in a good way) American cuisine. Clean, clear flavors. Not over sauced and best when not too complicated. Fresh, seasonal ingredients. How could anyone say that a perfect steamed lobster with fresh drawn dairy butter, corn on the cob, tomato slices, and homemade ice cream is boring? Baked beans and brown bread? New England has had so many ethnic groups settle here over the centuries that sticking to any one style is unfair. Rather, I think it is the combination of the different styles and techniques that makes our food sing.

[WHS]

In this post, WHS made the following statement:

New England "cuisine" tends to be plain[.]

←

Now, I've had my (un)fair share of overcooked meat and two veg from my New England forebears, but I got a bit miffed at that statement (and to the word "cuisine" being in quotation marks). After all, while "New England cuisine" could be defined by the traditions established by the Yankee settlers, it could also be defined by the Italians in the North End of Boston, or the Portuguese or Quebecoise along the coast, or the Vietnamese, Cambodian, and Thai folks here in Providence -- or by Jasper White, Lydia Shire, Gordon Hammersley, Neath Pal, George Germon and Johanne Killeen....

Harumph.

Having said that, I don't think that I really have a clear sense of what New England cuisine was or is. Seemed like an interesting question to toss your way. Thoughts?

←

A well-prepared New England boiled dinner is a beautiful thing, and minimalism in cooking can be sublime. Perhaps my use of the word "cuisine" was inappropriate. It might be more accurate to say that the majority of "non-foodie" people I encounter in New England prefer their cooking to be pretty straight-forward. I'm not talking about Laotians living in Lawrence; I'm talking about your basic Anglo who grew up here. I work with people who like their "Ragu" sauce strained as it comes out of the bottle so there are no chunks, or who hate mushrooms. The thought of garlic makes them gag. They like their meat "well-done". Do these people define New England cuisine?

That said, there are enough of "us" to support a vibrant restaurant scene, from little towns like Rockland ME (Primo) to Boston (Clio, No 9 Park, etc, etc), farmer's markets that encourage the use of local ingredients (I can even buy NH wine at mine--not bad), and the proliferation of ethnic markets, so that I can incorporate kaffir lime leaves and nam pla into my cooking.

I think the effects of globalization are so profound that it's almost impossible to call something New England "cuisine" unless you describe in almost cartoon-like terms: steamed lobster, fried clams and tuna wiggle.

[Elizabeth Clauser]

As a born and bred New Englander, I have to argue for cranberry anything, but sauce especially (homemade, although I know some like their can-molded, either way, it is delicious).

Other items I consider typical of New England cuisine? Many of those already indicated: apple pies, crumbles, betties, grunts, etc; clam chowder; corn bread; succotash; lobster; brown bread; baked beans. Fried clams are reputed to have started on Cape Ann. You may not count it as cuisine, but the dark and stormy (a mixture of rum and ginger beer) is the official drink of Newport left over from their days as the largest rum port in the country.

I come from an area with a long, long history of Portuguese immigrants and couldn't begin to think of a cuisine that didn't include linguica (especially on pizza, yum), or jag (a delicious rice dish), or potato kale soup.

There are a lot of purveyors of bad New England cuisine, trapping tourists and the unsuspecting with promises of traditional this or that. But that is true of every cuisine. We may not have always had the most interesting products to base our cuisine around, but I think New Englanders have done very well with what they had. It's honest, and when made with care, very good food.

[esme]

I grew up along the coast of Maine and I have to add one tradition to this discussion of New England cuisine. On the Fourth of July, my family always celebrated by having poached salmon with egg gravy and peas. Now the peas I get, it was always a race in this short growing season to get fresh peas by the Fourth. I even understand the salmon, nice fresh fish on a hot summer night, although "poached" did tend to mean "boiled until dry" (no, I'm not sure how this is scientifically possible either). But I have never understood the origins of the egg gravy which seems to be a bechamel sauce with sliced hard-boiled eggs in it.

I do however have great memories of sardines and saltines, Crown Pilots and milk, and properly made baked stuffed lobster (Ritz crackers, worcestershire sauce, butter and tomalley only)

[OwnReward]

I grew up along the coast of Maine and I have to add one tradition to this discussion of New England cuisine. On the Fourth of July, my family always celebrated by having poached salmon with egg gravy and peas. Now the peas I get, it was always a race in this short growing season to get fresh peas by the Fourth.  I even understand the salmon, nice fresh fish on a hot summer night, although "poached" did tend to mean "boiled until dry" (no, I'm not sure how this is scientifically possible either). But I have never understood the origins of the egg gravy which seems to be a bechamel sauce with sliced hard-boiled eggs in it.

I do however have great memories of sardines and saltines, Crown Pilots and milk, and properly made baked stuffed lobster (Ritz crackers, worcestershire sauce, butter and tomalley only)

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Yup-- all those are Maine dishes I remember from growing up...of course not forgetting maple anything, red flannel hash (made from left over boiled dinner)fiddleheads, blueberries, and the occasional 'sea moss pudding' --a bizzare dessert my biology teacher mother used to make from a specific type of seaweed! Corned Hake is in there too, but I never experienced that until my 20's and working on Chebeague Island

Cheers

KV

[Megan Blocker]

Berries, berries, berries!

Fruit tarts and pies.

Seafood.

Simple, but not boring. I come from a long line of New Englanders (mostly Massachusetts and Connecticut with a little New Hampshire thrown in for good measure), and the food I ate growing up was never dull.

[ken T]

Born and raised in metropolitan Boston allows me to point out one staple of New England "Cuisine" ... Dunkin Donuts!!!

[scordelia]

People, mistakenly, lump New England into a single culinary region. While there are dishes that common to all of New England (like chowder), there are distinct differences. In northern Maine, one sees a French influence on the local cuisine as the area has a sizeable (and very old) French population. That wonderful kale soup with sausage and clams is very much a Portuguese influenced dish and it comes from Massachusetts.

New England like England is much maligned. New England has a real and wonderful cuisine. Its heart is Anglo, but the various groups who also settled New England, mainly the French, Portuguese and Italians, also put their mark on the food to create a uniquely American regional cuisine.

You can't presuade me that life gets any better than a perfectly fried clam.

[JohnL]

In this post, WHS made the following statement:

New England "cuisine" tends to be plain[.]

←

Now, I've had my (un)fair share of overcooked meat and two veg from my New England forebears, but I got a bit miffed at that statement (and to the word "cuisine" being in quotation marks). After all, while "New England cuisine" could be defined by the traditions established by the Yankee settlers, it could also be defined by the Italians in the North End of Boston, or the Portuguese or Quebecoise along the coast, or the Vietnamese, Cambodian, and Thai folks here in Providence -- or by Jasper White, Lydia Shire, Gordon Hammersley, Neath Pal, George Germon and Johanne Killeen....

Harumph.

Having said that, I don't think that I really have a clear sense of what New England cuisine was or is. Seemed like an interesting question to toss your way. Thoughts?

←

What's wrong with "plain?"

I think Doc touched on some good points in this thread. "Cuisines are always evolving"--is one.

New England has a abundance of really fine resources--milk and dairy products--cheeses for example.

Blueberries and other fruits. Incredible seafood! (both freshwater and saltwater)

great small (and some not so small) farms.

Game.

My theory is that a lot of more complex "cuisines" are the result of poor quality or not so fresh products--spices and sauces were often developed to mask poor quality meats or fish etc.

I would say that New England cuisine is plain is a good way--simple, direct flavors that let the quality of the basic ingredients shine.

[HungryChris]

I have an older brother who left the area for big cities as soon as he could. This spelled out a fundimental difference between us. To my mind, cities are ment to be visited, not lived in. Anyway, every time he returns to this area there are three things he always seeks out and always in the same order: Grinders, Fried Clams and Steamers. I think that is very telling. I should also point out that I seek out the same items on a regulay basis and have never left.

Cheers,

HC

[elrap]

Reading the posts from people born in this region and still tied to it by invisible trails of Ritz cracker crumbs, clamshells and lobster picks makes me remember a phrase I swear I first heard of as an old Chinese saying, translated as "What is patriotism but the love of the good things you ate as a child."

I must hasten to add that I've tried this out on several native Chinese of various ages, and they've never heard it before. But, you know, China is a big country, so I'm still in search of the source.

I sympathize with how people immediately think of NE Cuisine as one or another dish that brings back fond memories, but I think I'll propose for the purposes of this thread that NE Cuisine is very much about process, as well as product - the preparation of local goodies in simple, prudent and economical ways.

To free associate, a lot of the classic NE dishes use foods that are plentiful and prepared either very simply (like lobster steamed in seawater or cooked over stones in rockweed; and we've all heard tales about how abundant these 'bugs' used to be in colonial times), or else cooked in a fashion that suited the workflow of the times - like baked beans, made with preserved goods (beans, salt pork, molasses) that were put up in a fireplace to cook throughout the long services of a Sabbath, to be ready when church was done.

The many stuffed dishes made with cracker crumbs pont to the need (this is my personal supposition, OK - I'm sure we have some real food historians out there waiting to correct me if I'm wrong) to use up the hardtack that was a common staple, of which the Nabisco Pilot biscuit is the closest living NE relative.

Even the fried clam, the ne plus ultra of NE Cuisine and the thing I dreamed most about during a 12-year exodus in California, is claimed to be the result of a serendipitous meeting between a man (Woodman, supposedly) shucking clams at breakfast (!) and some leftover or misplaced pancake batter.

True or not, it sounds like NE to me - the wife probably saying, you're surely not going to eat that, and the husband saying, can't let it go to waste. And the wife saying, you've ruined the pancake batter, now it will all taste like clams. And the husband saying, could be worse.

Hard tellin', not knowin'. Anyway, that's what I associate with NE - great local provender cooked very simply or in some dish created with ingenious frugality to use up what's around - where sensation meets sensibility.

Kind of like Italian . . .

--L. Rap

[pam claughton]

I think of fresh seafood, like scallops, sole, scrod, haddock, clams and lobster, either broiled, fried, or topped with cracker topping, butter and lemon.

New England Boiled dinner or BD as my friends call it. I hated it when I was little as my Grandmother's birthday was St. Patty's day so we always had it then, and I dreaded it. Now I love it, go figure.

Cranberry sauce, and bread. I remember making cranberry nut bread once Thanksgiving when I stayed in Florida and we had other friends over who weren't going home to their familes. They'd never had cranberry nut bread and were dubious about it...then asked for seconds.

Franks and beans on a Saturday night. Is that a New England thing?

Pam

[WHS]

We made a fish chowder last night from Jasper White's "Chowders" cookbook with fresh cod from our local farmer's market. I take back every nasty thing I've said about New England food.

[Chris Amirault]

Do tell, WHS. What made the recipe so great, do you think?

[WHS]

Do tell, WHS. What made the recipe so great, do you think?

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Our local farmer's market has opened for the summer, and we were able to get really FRESH cod from a lady who goes down to the fish market in Boston at the crack of dawn. The 2 cups of cream in the chowder came from a local dairy farm that sells its milk in glass bottles. Good fish stock, Maine potatoes, fresh thyme. Finished with Celtic sea salt and fresh ground pepper. Sublime.