The four hundred years since colonization have brought European, African and Asian techniques, ingredients and tastes to the Chesapeake Bay. European colonists and Africans both enslaved and free were influenced by indigenous ingredients and Native American cooking and created uniquely New World foods. The nineteenth century saw the development of industries based on the bounty of the Bay and the rising popularity of oysters, blue crab and turtle soup throughout the greater Mid-Atlantic. Waves of immigrants brought their own cuisines to the mix, and colcannon, brisket, sauerkraut and fish peppers are now found on Chesapeake tables. Local author, scientist and blogger Tangie Holifield weaves together the unique food traditions of the Bay, telling the stories of each culture that has contributed to its bounty.

The four hundred years since colonization have brought European, African and Asian techniques, ingredients and tastes to the Chesapeake Bay. European colonists and Africans both enslaved and free were influenced by indigenous ingredients and Native American cooking and created uniquely New World foods. The nineteenth century saw the development of industries based on the bounty of the Bay and the rising popularity of oysters, blue crab and turtle soup throughout the greater Mid-Atlantic. Waves of immigrants brought their own cuisines to the mix, and colcannon, brisket, sauerkraut and fish peppers are now found on Chesapeake tables. Local author, scientist and blogger Tangie Holifield weaves together the unique food traditions of the Bay, telling the stories of each culture that has contributed to its bounty.

This twenty-fifth anniversary edition of John Shields’s classic cookbook includes additional recipes and a new chapter on Chesapeake libations. Twenty-five years ago, Chesapeake Bay Cooking with John Shields introduced the world to the regional cuisine of the Mid-Atlantic. Nominated for a James Beard Award, the book was praised for its inspiring heritage recipes and its then-revolutionary emphasis on cooking with local and seasonal ingredients. Part history lesson, part travelogue, the book captured the unique character of the Chesapeake region and its people. In this anniversary edition, John Shields combines popular classic dishes with a host of unpublished recipes from his personal archives. Readers will learn how to prepare over 200 recipes from the Mid-Atlantic region, including panfried rockfish, roast mallard, beaten biscuits, oyster fritters, and Lady Baltimore cake. Best of all, they’ll learn everything they need to know about crabs—the undisputed star of Chesapeake cuisine—featured here in mouthwatering recipes for seven different kinds of crab cakes. Extensively updated, this edition includes a new chapter on Chesapeake libations, which features Shields’s closely held recipe for his notorious Dirty Gertie, an authentic Chesapeake-style Bloody Mary.

For centuries, dating back to the time of the Native Americans, the fertile soils and the bountiful bays and salt marshes of the Delmarva Peninsula have fed its people well. Over the generations, its food culture has become intertwined with the history of the people who call this land home. Food determined where people lived, how they traveled, how their economy functioned and how they celebrated and shared the products of soil and salt water. Local writer and photographer Curtis Badger narrates this history with recipes based on seasonal bounty.

The culinary heritage of most regions in the US is often determined by the ethnic cuisine of those who settled there, whether it be the Cajun/Creole food of Louisiana or the Italian-inspired fare of the Northeast. For Maryland, the food that defines the state is less about the ethnicity of the population than the bounty which springs forth from the Chesapeake Bay. The Native Americans, British, Germans, and Poles were all influenced by the variety of fish, oysters, clams, crabs, and terrapins that could be harvested from the largest estuary in North America. In addition to seafood, other dishes associated with the region were developed because of the unique lifestyle created by living along the water. The Smith Island cake, for example, was created as a sturdy dessert that fishermen could take aboard ship during their long days fishing the Chesapeake. Also, the wealthy landowners who first arrived in Maryland, seeking elegant dishes for their lavish dinner parties, concocted ingenious uses for the chickens, squirrels, muskrats, and produce available on the fertile lands along the Bay. The book is not just about the past, however. The recent trend of sustainability and eating local has brought about a grassroots effort to preserve the delicate nature of the Chesapeake Bay. Modern techniques such as oyster farming and fishing invasive species to protect the indigenous flora and fauna will be explored. Of course, recipes will be presented to not only illustrate classic dishes that developed over time, but also modern versions created by some of Maryland’s top chefs.

For consumers of all income levels, an extensive guide to participating in the local food movement in the Chesapeake region. There was a time when most food was local. Exotic foods like olives, spices, and chocolate shipped in from other parts of the world were considered luxuries. Now, most food that Americans eat is shipped from elsewhere, and many consider eating local to be a luxury. Renee Brooks Catacalos is here to remind us that eating local is easier?and more rewarding?than we may think. There is an abundance of food all around us, found all over the Chesapeake region. In The Chesapeake Table, Catacalos examines the powerful effect of eating local in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC. Hooked on the local food movement from its early days, Catacalos opens the book by revisiting a personal challenge to buy, prepare, and eat only food grown within a 150-mile radius of her home near Washington, DC. From her in-depth study of food systems in the region, Catacalos offers practical advice for adopting a locavore diet and getting involved in various entry points to food pathways, from your local farmers market to community-supported agriculture (CSA). She also includes recipes that show how to make more environmentally conscious food choices. Introducing readers to the vast edible resources of the Chesapeake region, Catacalos focuses on the challenges of environmental and economic sustainability, equity and diversity in the farming and food professions, and access and inclusion for local consumers of all income levels, ethnicities, and geographies. Touching on everything from farm-based breweries and distilleries to urban hoop house farms to grass-fed beef, The Chesapeake Table celebrates the people working hard to put great local food on our plates.

Entertaining stories about food and culture covering 400 years of history on the Tidewater Region of the Chesapeake Bay. The stories include Menhaden Burrito Bombs; Lost Boys Oyster Stew; Ye Corn Hole Cakes; Smith Island 21-Layer German Chocolate Cake; The Original Floater's Stew; Blackbeard's Burgoo; Surf 'N Sky Crab Cakes; Croaker on a Stick; Hog Island Pork Tenderloins with Fig and Rye Whiskey Sauce; and Bay Hundred Bootloaf. These stories were gathered by the ladies of the Watts Island Gourmands Society between the 1930s and 1950s. Includes illustrations.