The history of food in BC gives a new meaning to “food on the go”. Ship passenger lists published in the British Daily Colonist from 1858 into the 1860s frequently list miners and sappers as occupations. Sappers were “ready to do anything or go anywhere” according to Beth Hill (1987, p. ix) who described sappers as, “ […]
Archive | Heritage foods and recipes
Food in BC Forts
Lately I’ve been reading a lot of 19th century history of British Columbia, trying to understand the traders, sea captains, drovers, packers, sappers and others who ventured here in the early contact years of British Columbian history. References to food appear occasionally among these readings. In the 11th Report of Okanagan History, Frank Haskins included […]
Technology in the Kitchen
Most museums have kitchen displays, and this week’s topic is kitchen technology. In the traditionally-set up kitchen display, visitors usually comment on the quaintness of the old-time kitchen utensils but the implications of kitchen technology are seldom explored. In actuality, kitchens hold history hostage; they represent human advances (for the most part) in time saving, […]
Spring Foraging – Stinging Nettles
For many people in BC, when the winter snow and rains give way to spring, and new life begins to green the landscape, it is time to “eat your greens.” For First Nations and early settlers, the early growth of plants such as the stinging nettle, chickweed, miners lettuce, dandelion or fireweed was a source […]
Iconic BC foods
Once in while we at the BC Food History Network get asked what is an iconic BC Food or what to serve if you were having a BC meal or celebrating BC day, like this one we received from people in Ontario: “We are doing a BC day at work. We would like to do […]
Mock Duck
This week I look at recipes for mock foods that work with readily available ingredients and attempt to make them more exotic, glamorous or special. Sometime in my past, I have made mock duck and this was an opportunity to try it again. Back in the 1970s and 80s, we were encouraged to use less […]
Mock Cherry Pie
I’ve always been intrigued by “mock” recipes that show up in cookbooks, so this month, I’m going to look at several kinds of mock food I have found in searching though my old cookbook collection. Mock recipes are a tribute to the imagination, creativity and ingenuity of cooks and bakers who often have to work […]
Mock Whipped Cream
I will continue to look at mock recipes that come to the rescue when we want to make something but don’t have the key ingredients. This was a real issue 50 or more years ago when the nearest store was ten to twenty kilometers away and roads may have been impassable and available transportation may […]
Pancake Tuesday
By Mary Leah de Zwart on February 23, 2017 in Cookbooks, Food in History, Heritage foods and recipes
February 28, 2017 marks Shrove Tuesday, also known as Pancake Tuesday. In New Orleans or Rio, this is Mardi Gras, a massive occasion for partying, although the intent is the same, to celebrate before the start of Lent. Trust my British ancestors to make it into a day for cooking, flipping, and racing with pancakes. […]
The Lunar New Year
The Lunar New Year started January 28 this year and extends for a couple of weeks. In British Columbia it is an opportunity to discuss several topics that are critically important to BC food history. (How) can non-Asian people celebrate the Lunar New Year (often called Chinese New Year)? Can it only be properly celebrated […]