A Culinary History of Downeast Maine by Sharon L. Joyce

Author:Sharon L. Joyce [Joyce, Sharon L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: History, United States, State & Local, General
ISBN: 9781467138024
Google: U22dDwAAQBAJ
Publisher: American Palate
Published: 2019-01-15T02:51:48+00:00

5

THE ABUNDANCE OF LOCAL FOODS AND THE LURE OF A BEAUTIFUL PLACE LIKE ACADIA NATIONAL PARK CREATES A DIVERSE MENU FOR TOURISTS AND LOCALS

In the early 1900s, steamship passengers were declining. In 1925, cars were on Mount Desert Island, making it more accessible for more tourists. Also, passengers could disembark a train in Ellsworth and be transported by buses to Bar Harbor. The seclusion of this wealthy resort area was opening up to a wider audience. Roads, trains and travel put food in a new light. Acadia was now a national park. The Rockefellers had bridges designed to have carriage roads built so people didn’t have to be around those new-fangled automobiles, but they were becoming the new way of life. The famous and wealthy built homes here. Presidents and well-known visitors came. It was the place to be. Cars made it affordable for the average American to come to Downeast Maine. Catering to the wealthy brought jobs to the area. The rusticators came to the area to experience living a simple life but then wanted the luxuries they were used to and that they could afford.

As large estates were built, the owners needed caretakers and staff to manage the homes. The Pulitzers were early rusticators in Downeast Maine. They hired Katherine Richards and her husband. Kay was born in Machiasport in 1914 and had four sisters. Kay was the head housekeeper for the Pulitzer family for thirty-two years. Her husband was caretaker. She gave me the recipe that she used to make chowder for the Pulitzer family when they arrived in Bar Harbor. She would tell me stories of Joseph Pulitzer calling to tell Kay that the family was coming up to Maine and asking if she could have chowder ready. Her recipe shows a small change from the usual old Downeast traditional recipe, which would have called for salt pork instead of the butter used in Kay’s version. It is a great recipe that is simple, easy to have the ingredients on hand and freezes well. It is at the end of this chapter.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.