Murphy Martha W. - A taste of history cookbook: the flavors, places, and people that shaped American cuisine

Copyright 2019 by Walter Staib and Martha W. Murphy

Cover design by Jason Snyder

Cover copyright 2019 by Hachette Book Group, Inc.

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First edition: May 2019

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Photography by Todd Trice

Food styled by Chef Walter Staib

Print book interior design by Jason Snyder

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Staib, Walter, author. | Murphy, Martha W., 1951 author.

Title: A taste of history cookbook : the flavors, places, and people that shaped American cuisine / Chef Walter Staib with Martha W. Murphy.

Description: New York : Grand Central Publishing, 2019. | Includes index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2018051065| ISBN 9781538746684 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781538746677 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: Cooking, American. | LCGFT: Cookbooks.

Classification: LCC TX715 .S775345 2019 | DDC 641.5973dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018051065

ISBNs: 978-1-5387-4668-4 (hardcover), 978-1-5387-4667-7 (ebook)

E3-20190426-JV-NF-ORI

To my dearest Gloria

I n this cookbook, you will find recipes for the dishes that you have seen on my television program, A Taste of History , complete with detailed step-by-step instructions, ingredients, and measurements that will allow you to successfully re-create delicious, historic fare in your own kitchen. And you wont need a hearth with burning hardwood logsthe recipes have all been tested with modern equipment and then retested to ensure that you will get eighteenth-century results in the comfort of your own home. Each recipe also indicates the show that featured it so that you can revisit (or watch for the first time) how each dish was made 250-plus years ago.

Avid fans of A Taste of History will notice that I couldnt tackle every recipe theyve seen on the show. If wed included the hundreds of dishes that have been prepared over the years, youd be holding several encyclopedia-size volumes. Plus, I took into account the availability of ingredients: while I may have the luxury of traveling to Malaysia or Guyana to prepare historic fare, I understand that very few people travel across oceans to complete their shopping trips. I want home cooks to see that these amazing dishes, while rooted in the past, can find a place on todays table.

That said, you may find dishes here that call for ingredients you have never used, such as tongue, or calves feet, or tripe. I encourage you to try them! Our forebears were frugal and inventive cooks, as you know from watching A Taste of History and will learn in the pages that follow. The colonists used every part of the animal and every bit of the plant that they could. This is not to say eighteenth-century dining was a slog; to the contrary, it was a delight, a highlight of the day, as the beautiful and delicious dishes these recipes yield will show you and your guests again and again.

You will also learn a bit about the immigrants who came here and the culinary traditions they brought with them. Our nation has been shaped by them, both our democracy and our cuisine. The United States has often been referred to as a melting pot because of the diverse countries of origin of its people. E Pluribus Unum, first used on the Great Seal of the United States in 1782 and which means From Many, We Are One, reflects that truth. It is one that is deeply meaningful to me, and that I believe we should all be proud of.

This book is a project I have long envisionedthe culmination of many years operating City Tavern in Old City Philadelphia and my knowledge of authentic historic cuisine. City Tavern is a landmark building that originally opened its doors to the public in 1773. When I took over operation of this grand building in 1994, my goal was to create a truly authentic eighteenth-century dining experience. The restaurant has become both my test kitchen and office; its here that I spend hours perfecting recipes or diving into research. Fortunately, the building is part of the National Park Service, and through this relationship I have been granted access to records and historical documents that would otherwise be unreachable. Through their files and the assistance of the PhDs and other geniuses that are a part of this wonderful organization, I was able to build City Tavern into the destination for colonial farethe restaurant Id always dreamed of.

City Tavern had been a local hotspot long before I stepped into its kitchens. The National Park Services records included Benjamin Franklins newspaper the Pennsylvania Gazette , which featured a fascinating social column. It detailed the events in high-society Philadelphia, and City Tavern was often mentioned as the venue in the colonies. It was not just the site where Franklin would drink ale; it was where Washington and Lafayette started their lifelong friendship, and it was the setting for the treasonous meetings of the Continental Congress!