The Talon Monthly
May 2008
Talon – Publisher
Importance of Food in American History
The Importance of Food
Food has always played an important part in society. Where people lived and the jobs that they performed were often directly related to food. In earliest civilization, and in some today, food is a form of money that is traded for other goods and services. Food is more than just the nutritional value contained in it, it is filled with cultural, emotional or even religious meaning.
Food has also played a key role in many parts of American history. Prior to the discovery of America, food like tomatoes, potatoes, corn, yams and some beans were unknown in Europe. Other foods like pigs, sheep and cattle were unknown in America. So America played an important part in the movement of these foods to different parts of the world.
We hope to demonstrate some key events and food facts related to America history.
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Thanksgiving
A Native American, that the Plymouth settlers called Squanto, arrived in Plymouth colony in the spring of 1621. He taught the colonists how to fish, hunt, and how to grow crops that would survive in the land where they settled.
In celebration of a successful harvest, and to ask the creator’s blessings for the following year, the settlers invited the Wampanoag tribe members to come to a feast. No one really knows what they ate, but they probably stewed and roasted turkey, duck, or pigeon. They also probably had antelope or deer. They may have also served squash, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, corn pudding and dried berries They also probably had lobster, sturgeon, and cod.
Following this “first” Thanksgiving, there was a celebration in New England every year. In 1863, President Lincoln declared the third Thursday of November to be a National Holiday, Thanksgiving.
While almost 4 hundred years have passed since the “first” Thanksgiving, we still eat a very similar menu.
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Pumpkin Pie Recipe
Ingredients
1 pie crust
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
With mixer, beat pumpkin, condensed milk, eggs, spices, and salt.
Pour into pie crust
Bake 15 minutes.
Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F; bake 35 to 40 minute or longer or until knife inserted 1 inch from crust comes out clean.
Cool.
Serve with whipped cream.
Yum!
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Boston Tea Party
Tea was a primary beverage for the colonists. In 1773, in reaction to the Tea Act, passed by the British Parliament that allowed the East India Company to sell tea in the colonies much cheaper than that of the price of tea in England. This undercut the price that the local merchants could sell it for. In December of 1773, the first of many ships arrived in Boston harbor filed with the tea. The Governor refused to allow the ships to be sent away without unloading. So the Sons of Liberty , dressed as Narragansett Indians boarded the ships and threw the tea into the harbor.
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Johnny Appleseed
Johnny Appleseed’s real name was John Chapman. Johnny Appleseed spent 49 years of his life in the American wilderness planting apple seeds. He was born September 26, 1774 in Massachusetts. He planted apple orchards in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Pennsylvania and Ohio. After 200 years, some of those trees still live and produce apples.
In an interview with the first publisher of the Fritter Times, Oscar Fritter, Mr. Chapman was asked, “Why he was planting all the trees. Mr. Chapman replied, “I dream of a country where no one is hungry”.
“Tell me, why apples, though”, asked Mr. Fritter. “They are a perfect food. They are good for you. I have never been sick a day in my life. They store well, and are tasty”
“Why do you wear a pan on your head?” asked Mr. Fritter. “Because, I need one when I travel, and this saves me from having to carry it.”
“What is your favorite book, Mr. Chapman?” “That is easy, it is the Bible. It teaches me to share with all and to treat all as my friend.”
John Chapman died in 1845. It was the only time he had ever been sick.
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Hardtack
Hardtack is a kind of biscuit that was used in the Civil War for food for the soldiers. It is made of flour, salt and water. Once it is made it can last for a long time. To eat it, the soldiers would dip in soup or coffee. Unless it was dipped in liquid it was too hard to eat.
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Hardtack
2 cups of flour
1 cup water
1 tbl spoon of vegetable fat (lard)
6 pinches of salt
Dissolve salt in water and work into flour with your hands. Dough should be firm and pliable, but not sticky or too dry. Flatten onto a cookie sheet to about 1/4 inch thick, and cut into squares 3 inches by 3 inches. Pierce each square with 16 holes about ½ inch apart. Bake in oven until edges are brown or dough is hard.
Bake for 30 minutes at 400 degrees.
Remove from oven, cut dough into 3-inch squares, and punch four rows of holes into the dough.
Turn dough over, return to the oven and bake another 30 minutes.
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World War II and Ration Books
During World War II, there were shortages of many kinds of food. These shortages were because so much food was being sent overseas to feed the soldiers. These soldiers were the work force that produced a lot of the food, so with them gone, there were shortages. Some of the food items that were rationed were meats, eggs, cheese and sugar.
As a result of rationing recipes were modified to fit the shortage of key ingredients.
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BOILED RAISIN OR WAR CAKE
Bake at 350 for 50 minutes
1 C. Raisins - 1 ½ C. cold water
Put raisins into a pot with water and bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes and cover. Cool and keep covered.
1 ½ C. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 ½ teasp. Soda
½ tsp. Allspice
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1 tsp. Nutmeg
While raisins are cooling, sift flour in small bowl. Add leavenings and spices. Leave aside in bowl.
1 egg
1 c. Brown sugar
1/2-cup margarine (melted hot)
1. In a large bowl beat 1 egg with Brown sugar, add raisin mixture, add flour mixture.
2. Stir hot melted margarine in cake batter. Pour into pan.
3. Bake in greased and floured 9"X9" pan. Let cool before removing from pan
Coca-Cola
The first Coca-Cola recipe was invented in Georgia, by John Pemberton in 1885. Originally it was a wine. In 1886 when prohibition was passed in Atlanta, Pemberton changed the recipe to take out the alcohol. The second recipe had coca leaves and Kola nuts in it. This produced a drink that contained cocaine. In 1903 the recipe was changed again to use “spent” coca leaves (the leftovers after the cocaine had been removed). This recipe stay in place until 1985 with the introduction of “New Coke”.
Few food products have survived from the 19th century, to today. Coca-Cola is the most popular soft drink in history. The Coca-Cola logo is the most recognizable logo in the world.
