Clam Chowder from the Nova Scotia Beach – Peter MacPherson

Peter's chowder made with clams fresh from the Nova Scotia sand bars.
Peter’s chowder made with clams fresh from the Nova Scotia sand bars.

“Have you got any Anadama Bread?” the man beside me at the Pugwash, Nova Scotia, Saturday farmer’s market asked the woman selling baked goods.

“How do you know about Anadama Bread?” I asked the man in astonishment, since I was right in the middle of baking some at my cottage. It is a bread made from an old recipe that uses cornmeal and molasses.

We became fast friends and it turns out the Peter MacPherson, who now lives in the Carolinas, in the USA, and summers here, once lived here and was raised with all the traditions of good “down East food.”

When I told him of my Dining Out With History project, he said “You should have met my grandmother,” and he asked me if I wanted her recipe for Clam Chowder.

“Of course,” I said, “And I’ll make it next week.”

Here are the notes I made on an envelope at the market.

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THIS IS HOW FOOD HISTORY IS PASSED ON.

I tried the recipe and it was great, but I have to confess, I could only come up with big hefty bar clams that Peter recommended, and think it would taste better with the more delicate soft shelled clams.

 

Enjoy, and thanks Peter for sharing your Grandmother’s recipe.

 

Dining out on High Tea History At the Omni William Penn Hotel, Pittsburgh

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In this chapter will be added the places you can Dine Out with History on Afternoon or High Tea. I have collected several descriptions of the origins of Afternoon or High Tea from different sources. As far back as 1662, Portuguese Catherine of Braganza introduced tea taking in Britain. A special tea time is said to be mentioned in one of Jane Austen’s unpublished books in the early 1800’s.

In the 1860’s it was common for those in Britain to have two meals a day, breakfast and a dinner at 8 o’clock. Anna Maria Russell, the seventh Duchess of Bedford may have been a sensitive lady, but noticed that she was feeling a deep fatigue by four in the afternoon. She requested that a tray of tea, bread, butter and cakes be delivered to her room. Tea time grew to become a widespread tradition in its many forms.

As a social event, it is now generally thought of as a women’s celebration of tradition, but in the past, men loved the pomp of the High Tea as well.

High tea, according to Wikepedia, was also called Meat Tea and became a tradition with workers of middle to upper classes in the 1800’s. After work, between 4 and 6 pm, a hot dish would be served, with cakes and bread, butter and jam.

I have noticed that the terms High tea and Afternoon Tea are sometimes used interchangeably.

Afternoon or High Tea was, and continues to be served and enjoyed in many fine dining establishments. It is a versatile tradition that has changed forms and can even be taken in a picnic basket.Some fine dining establishments are now creating special Afternoon Teas for men and daughters or sons on Father’s Day.

The following website gives interesting facts about the history of tea taking and the etiquette to follow. http://www.afternoontoremember.com/learn/etiquette

High Tea at Pittsburgh’s Omni William Penn in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.

The High Tea Menu
The High Tea Menu
The Tea Box and a simple elegant tea service against a lobby dripping with history
The Tea Box and a simple elegant tea service against a lobby dripping with history

Continue reading “Dining out on High Tea History At the Omni William Penn Hotel, Pittsburgh”

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