The United States Cookbook
Fabulous Foods and Fascinating Facts From All 50 States
By Joan D'Amico Karen Eich Drummond
Jossey-Bass
Copyright © 2000
Joan D'Amico
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-471-35839-8
Chapter One
CONNECTICUT
The Constitution State
Capital: Hartford
Other Major Cities: New Haven,
Norwich
State Animal: Sperm Whale
State Bird: Robin
State Insect: Praying Mantis
State Tree: White Oak
State Flower: Mountain Laurel
Connecticut was one of the original thirteen colonies. The name
Connecticut comes from the Native American word quinnehtukqet,
which means "beside the long river." By the 1600s, when Dutch settlers
and English settlers unhappy with the nearby Massachusetts Bay Colony
first moved into Connecticut, there were over fifteen groups of Native
Americans living in the area. Their names, such as the Quinnipiac and
Pequot, are recalled in the names of towns and rivers around the state.
The third smallest state, Connecticut is nicknamed the Constitution State.
Its state constitution was regarded as the first written constitution, and it
also served as a model for the U.S. Constitution.
Connecticut Foods
Important farm products in Connecticut include milk, eggs, apples,
pears, mushrooms, and beef. Because it has an extensive coastline,
Connecticut has a booming fishing industry. Clams, oysters, scallops,
and flounder are big catches.
Election Day Cake
In colonial days, election days meant sermons, parades,
and feasting. One of the time-honored foods was a cake
full of raisins and citron, the candied rind from a citrus
fruit such as a lemon. In our updated version of this
recipe, we have substituted chocolate chips for the citron.
Time
70 minutes to prepare
plus
2 hours rising time
plus
50 to 55 minutes to bake
Tools
10-inch bundt pan
small saucepan
2 large bowls
measuring cup
wooden spoon
plastic wrap
medium bowl
oven mitts
Makes
12 servings
Ingredients
1 tablespoon vegetable
shortening
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup warm water
2 packages active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups sifted whole wheat flour
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon mace
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup margarine
3/4 cup sugar
3 large eggs, well beaten
1 cup chopped dried fruit pieces
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup slivered almonds
Steps
1. Grease the bundt pan with the vegetable shortening.
2. In the small saucepan, heat the milk until it almost reaches a
simmer. Stop when you see some steam coming from the
pan. Pour the milk into a large bowl.
3. Put the warm water into the measuring cup and sprinkle in
the yeast. Do not stir. Let the yeast stand for about 5 minutes or
until it gets foamy. Add the yeast mixture to the milk.
4. Add the whole wheat flour to the milk mixture and beat with
the wooden spoon until smooth. Cover the bowl with plastic
wrap and let the batter rise in a warm place for
1 hour until it is bubbly.
5. In the medium bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, salt,
cinnamon, mace, nutmeg, and cloves. Set aside.
6. In the other large bowl, beat the margarine and sugar
together until fluffy. Add the eggs and mix thoroughly.
7. Stir in the milk mixture.
8. Gradually add the dry ingredients, beating with the wooden spoon
until smooth and well blended. The batter will be thick.
9. Stir in the dried fruit pieces, raisins, chocolate chips, and almond
slivers and mix well.
10. Turn the mixture into the bundt pan. Cover loosely with plastic wrap
and let rise for about 2 hours in a warm place without any drafts.
(The inside of the microwave can be a good spot.) The cake is
ready to be baked when the dough almost reaches the top of the
bundt pan. When you think the dough is nearly ready,
preheat the oven to 350°F.
11. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes. Allow the cake to cool for 20 minutes
before taking it out of the pan. Cool the cake
completely before serving.
FUN FOOD FACTS
The French are credited with bringing to New England their
tradition of chowder, a type of thick soup made with fish,
seafood, and vegetables. The word chowder comes from the
French name for a big copper pot, chaudière, in which the soup was prepared.
The world's first lollipop was made in New Haven in 1908.
The hamburger was probably first made and sold in New Haven in 1900. The
owner of Louis' Lunch made hamburgers from the trimmings of steak used in steak
sandwiches. He served the hamburgers on a plate with onions and home fries.
When a customer was in a rush, he asked the owner to put the hamburger
between two pieces of bread so he could get going. Even in 1900 there was a
need for fast food!
Domestic ducks were first raised in Connecticut after a clipper ship brought some
from faraway Peking.
Chapter Two
MAINE
The Pine Tree State
Capital: Augusta
Other Major Cities: Bangor,
Portland
State Animals: Maine Coon Cat,
Moose
State Bird: Black-capped Chickadee
State Insect: Honeybee
State Tree: White Pine
State Flower: White Pinecone and
Tassel
If you want to be the
first person in the United
States to see the sun rise
in the morning, make sure
you're in Eastport, Maine, the easternmost town in the country. The origin
of Maine's name is not really certain. Some say English explorers called it
Maine as a shortened form for mainland. Others say it was named after
an area of France called Maine. Maine was part of the colony, and then
the state, of Massachusetts until 1820. At that time, Mainers voted to
separate from Massachusetts and Maine was accepted as the twenty-third
state. Because of its large evergreen forests, it is nicknamed the
Pine Tree State.
Maine Foods
Maine is the country's number one source of blueberries and lobster.
Over 90 percent of U.S. lobsters come from Maine. With its long, rocky
coastline, Maine is a top fishing state. In addition to lobster, Maine
provides lots of clams and other seafood. Mainers even make clamburgers
out of chopped clams.
Blueberry Cornbread
Mainers love to use blueberries in many different recipes,
such as muffins, pancakes, puddings, and pies. This
recipe uses blueberries to give cornbread a unique
sweetness.
Time
20 minutes to prepare
plus
20 to 25 minutes
to bake
Tools
paper towel
9-inch square baking pan
2 medium bowls
colander
small bowl
wooden spoon
wire whip
rubber spatula
oven mitts
Makes
6 to 8 servings
Ingredients
2 teaspoons vegetable
shortening
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup blueberries
1 cup milk
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup honey
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
Steps
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Use the paper towel to grease
the baking pan with the shortening.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour and cornmeal. Stir
well to combine. Add the sugar, baking powder, and salt
and stir again.
3. Wash the blueberries in the colander. Pat dry.
4. Place the blueberries in the small bowl. Add 2 tablespoons
of the flour mixture and gently toss the flour and the blueberries
with a wooden spoon. Set aside.
5. In the other medium bowl, whisk together the milk, oil,
honey, and eggs.
6. Add the milk mixture to the dry ingredients and stir together
just until the ingredients are well moistened.
7. With the rubber spatula, fold in the blueberries.
8. Pour the batter into the greased baking pan.
9. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the bread is a light
golden brown.
FUN FOOD FACTS
In northernmost Maine (brr!) is Aroostock County. No, it is not known for roosters,
but potatoes! More potatoes are grown in Aroostock County than in any other
county in the United States.
The first commercial chewing gum was invented in 1848 in Bangor, Maine. But
Native Americans were really the first to chew gum. Actually they chewed the
resin of the black spruce tree, supposedly as a way to fight off hunger.
Lobster wasn't always considered a delicacy. Residents of an
early Maine settlement protested vigorously against being
served lobster at every meal.
Chapter Three
MASSACHUSETTS
The Bay State
Capital: Boston
Other Major Cities: Springfield,
Worcester
State Animal: Boston Terrier
State Bird: Chickadee
State Insect: Ladybug
State Tree: American Elm
State Flower: Mayflower
The Pilgrims landed at Plymouth, in what is now Massachusetts, in
1620. Knowing very little about hunting or farming in this new land,
the Pilgrims might never have survived if it hadn't been for the helpful
Wampanoag Indians they met. The following year with their new friends
they celebrated America's first big food event: Thanksgiving. The menu
included wild turkeys, ducks, geese, deer, cod, squashes, corn, beans,
cranberry sauce sweetened with maple sugar, and bread.
Massachusetts was one of the original thirteen British colonies, and it
was the center of much activity during the Revolutionary War. The Boston
Tea Party, despite its name, wasn't actually a party. It was a protest
against British taxes (which were particularly heavy on tea) that helped
spark the Revolutionary War.
The state of Massachusetts was named for a Native American tribe
of the same name. The name is thought to mean "near the great hill."
Massachusetts is nicknamed the Bay State because of all its bays (an
area where a body of water forms an indentation of the shoreline).
Boston Baked Beans
Early colonists learned to make baked beans from their
Native American neighbors. Native Americans flavored the
beans with bear meat and maple syrup. The colonists
substituted salt pork for the bear meat and molasses for
the maple syrup. Baked beans on Saturday night became
a Massachusetts food tradition in colonial times. The tradition
started because the Puritans were not allowed to
work on Sunday, so beans were cooked on Saturday and
served for Sunday's dinner as well. Some women who
were not so crazy about beans served them only on
Sunday.
Time
20 minutes to prepare
plus
30 minutes to cook
Tools
cutting board
paring knife
large sauté pan
can opener
colander
2-quart casserole dish
with cover
oven mitts
Makes
6 servings
Ingredients
1 medium onion
vegetable oil cooking spray
2 16-ounce cans navy beans
1 15-ounce can pinto beans
1/3 cup ketchup
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons molasses
1 tablespoon spicy brown
mustard
Steps
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. Remove the skin from the onion. On the cutting board, use
the knife to cut the onion in half. Lay the onion halves cut-side
down on the cutting board and chop.
3. Spray the sauté pan with vegetable oil cooking spray. Heat
the sauté pan over medium heat.
4. Add the onions and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes.
5. Open the 3 cans of beans. Put the beans in the colander in
the sink and rinse them under cold, running water.
6. In the casserole, stir together the onions, beans, ketchup,
brown sugar, molasses, and mustard.
7. Cover and bake for 30 minutes until the mixture is bubbly.
Massachusetts Foods
Massachusetts grows more cranberries than any other state. Most cranberries
are grown on Cape Cod in wet areas called bogs. Cranberries
need a large supply of water nearby so growers can flood the bog to
protect the plants from insects, disease, and frost. During harvesting, the
bogs are also flooded. The cranberries, which have tiny air pockets
inside, float to the surface, and are gathered by harvesters who wade in
the water with big rakes to collect the crop. Other farm products include
milk and eggs. Massachusetts is also a leader in fishing, and fishing
boats bring in lots of scallops, cod, and haddock.
FUN FOOD FACTS
Sometime in the 1930s, the innkeeper's wife at the Toll House Inn near Whitman
added chocolate pieces to her drop cookie recipe. She called her cookies Toll
House Cookies. Chocolate chip cookies had been made before this time, but
now they became enormously popular. When the Nestlé Company found out
about the recipe, they got permission to use it on the wrapper of their chocolate bars.
The first commercial yogurt was made in 1931 in Andover. It was sold first as a
health food and only found a large market after a manufacturer had
the idea of adding strawberry preserves.
In 1939, Elsie the Cow traveled from her home in Brookfield
to the New York World's Fair and became famous as the
symbol of the Borden Company.
Chapter Four
NEW HAMPSHIRE
The Granite State
Capital: Concord
Other Major Cities: Manchester,
Rochester
State Animal: White-tailed Deer
State Bird: Purple Finch
State Insect: Ladybug
State Tree: White Birch
State Flower: Purple Lilac
New Hampshire was named by John
Mason for his home county of
Hampshire in England. The first inhabitants
were Native Americans who traded with the early settlers and helped
them farm the land. Besides farming, the settlers also fished, cut down
trees for their lumber, and hunted animals for their furs. The furs were then
sold or exchanged for needed goods to fur traders who sold them in
England. In 1776, before the Declaration of Independence was signed,
New Hampshire formed its own independent republic. Twelve years later,
in 1788, New Hampshire signed the Constitution of the United States.
New Hampshire is nicknamed the Granite State because granite,
a very hard type of rock, is found under most of it. Granite is used in
buildings and memorials. New Hampshire granite was used to build the
Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. The state motto is "Live Free
or Die." General John Stark, New Hampshire's greatest hero of the
Revolutionary War, said this during the colonies' fight against England.
New Hampshire Foods
You'll see plenty of cows dotting the New Hampshire landscape, and
milk is the state's most important farm product. New Hampshire is also a
leading producer of maple syrup (like its neighbor, Vermont). In addition,
New Hampshire produces potatoes and apples.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from The United States Cookbook
by Joan D'Amico Karen Eich Drummond
Copyright © 2000 by Joan D'Amico.
Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
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