Culinary Delights Of New England
August 18, 2009
•Le Cordon Bleu
•Boston
• 0 Comments
New England and its native sons and daughters have made many historic contributions to the United States of America. Along with other patriots from Pennsylvania and Virginia, New Englanders helped to found our nation. Harvard, the first American university, is located in Boston, MA. The American Industrial Revolution began in Pawtucket, RI. Many of the great minds of political and literary thought were New Englanders, including eight presidents and nine vice presidents.
One of the things most often over looked, however, when reviewing the historic contributions of New England, is its cuisine. Despite its small geographic area, New England has a rich and diverse cuisine that represents the culture and food traditions of the waves of immigrants who have settled there since Colonial times. New England cuisine also proudly incorporates the delicious regional ingredients that make it famous. Simplicity and the celebration of basic flavour define New England cuisine.
Here is a list of some our favorite New England culinary delights:
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Lobster Rolls
If you have a bucket list, you have to put eating a lobster roll on it. A full pound of lobster tail meat tossed with mayo on a grilled roll. That’s it! Another version includes drawn butter and diced scallions (our favorite). And when you’re looking for this foodie delight, nobody does it better than Red’s Eats in Wiscasset, ME.
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Chowder
Whether you prefer clam or fish, cream or clear, New England is the place to go for chowder. New York may make a claim with its famous red chowder, but you just can’t beat New England style chowder.
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New England Clam Bake
Held on festive occasions and best experienced on a beach in early autumn, the New England Clam Bake is the very definition of simplicity. Lobster, mussels, crabs, steamers, sausage, potatoes, corn on the cob and a generous amount of seaweed are layered in a bed of hot coals and steamed for hours. The clam bake is the hallmark of New England cuisine.
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Maple Syrup
Sure maple syrup is collected all over country, but nothing compares to the delicious flavour of New England maple syrup. The hills of New England are full of maple trees, and every spring the sugar houses boil the syrup from the sap collected in winter.
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Apples
When European immigrants settled in New England, they often carried apple seeds in their pockets. When they arrived they planted the seeds and tended to their trees. Today New England has an incredible variety of apples that make those two distinctive American delights, apple pie and apple cider.
This article is presented by Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts Boston. Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts Boston offers Le Cordon Bleu culinary education classes and culinary training programs in Boston, Massachusetts. To learn more about the class offerings, please visit Chefs.edu/Boston for more information.