Chief Senachwine DAR holds ‘Cooking Up a New Nation’ program

Chief Senachwine Chapter NSDAR’s Constitution Week Chair Elise Bittner presented her program, “Cooking Up a New Nation; Colonial Foods and Ratification of the U.S. Constitution,” on Oct 7.

Covering in order of the colonies ratifying of the Constitution, Bittner related information on foods associated with each colony. Members learned about foods brought from the “Old World” (turnips, cabbage, carrots, apples) and foods native to the colonies (blueberries, pecans, corn, pumpkins, squash) that figured largely in the diets of the colonists.

Overall, colonial cooking was said to have “too much grease, too much meat, too much seasoning, and too much sweetener.” However, colonists ate well during the seasons, raised large families and usually prospered.

Bittner prepared hardtack, a staple for Revolutionary War soldiers, that had to be soaked to be eaten. They also served Lapland rolls, mulled apple cider, blueberry jam, raisin-almond pound cake, original and maple pound cakes, cheese wafers, coleslaw, jumbles (a cookie), pumpkin bread, country-style ham, pecan pralines, applesauce and succotash.

The 13 colonies, represented by the foods prepared by Bittner, began the ratification process on Sept. 17, 1787, when members of the Continental Congress signed the final draft of the Constitution.

Delaware was the first state to ratify on Dec. 7, 1787, with North Carolina (1789) and Rhode Island (1790) lagging behind early signers.