What better to remind us of our culture and background that our folkloric cuisine? What better to bring you closer to an ethic group than food? When we think of Mexican culture the first thing that comes to our mind is perhaps “tacos”, and what about when we think about Italian culture? I bet you were thinking about their delicious pasta and wine. Food is an important element that shapes our culture and our customs. As an outsider you always crave your own food and the ways your people used to make it and always try to adapt it to the conditions of the place and time. Well for the Dutch was no different if something is true is that they brought their liberal and progressive mind to the new world. And something that they packed as well was their recipes’ book.
Since the beginning of colonial Dutch New York the colony was based on tolerance, profit and liberties. The town of what is today Manhattan was controversial since is early stage. Despite the fact that New Netherland was multicultural, the colony was predominantly a Dutch society. This could explain why the colony remained with a strong Dutch cultural influence after the English annexation.[1] This blog is going to focus on the demand for Dutch food after the Dutch came to what is now New York.
In the 1600s the Republic of the Netherlands, as an independent nation from the Spanish Kingdom, became a world power. Their economic success in the World economic allowed Dutch merchants to sent European products such as wine, brandy, oil and salt to what is now the Baltic Countries in exchange for wood, timber and iron. They also imported wheat from Poland and Russia for their own personal consumption and also to export it to southern Europe. This was what the Dutch diet consisted of: alcohol, such as wine, beer and milk and fish, meat and most importantly bread and all of this products required a long a complicated way of preparation.[2]Some of these delicious products can be seen in Dutch art which shows the presence of wine and different fruits.
But what was the Dutch- American food? Did it consisted of the same products and cooking methods that those of the Netherlands? Well in my opinion nevertheless it had to be accustomed to the new necessities that existed in the colony, it remain the same. Chicken, rabbits, turkeys, geese, and ducks were some of the animals that were brought from Europe to the colonies. The Dutch also found plenty of fish and shellfish along the east coast of North America. In the kitchen garden some Indian products as well as Dutch products were found. European grain such as wheat and rye were commonly planted in the colonies’ soil and sometimes provided plenty of harvest. One grain that the Europeans took from the Indians was maize. Maize had the advantage that could be planted on all kinds of soil and it had higher yield than any other grain. They also used their good trading skill to trade with other colonies like Virginia for different product like beef, wheat, pork and butter.[3]The law also had some influence on preventing other from taking advantages of people’s desires for their home food. For example one law prohibited the sale of fancy products in a bakery unless the baker also was able to provide plain bread. Bread was one of the items that experience the greatest amount of law; this was perhaps because like in the Netherlands, bread was the single most important product of the colony.[4] I personally as a food lover, and specially bread, find this extremely well thought and democratic. Like in everything in life we should own the privilege to make our own choices and decision. Well I hope that you enjoyed this blog and hopefully it will make you wanting to taste how great the Dutch cuisine is. Bon appetit!
[1] Meta F. Janowitz, “Indian Corn and Dutch Pots: Seventeenth-Century Foodways in New Amsterdam/New York,” Historical Archeology 27, no. 2 (1993):6
[2] Ibid., 7-8.
[3] Ibid., 12-13.
[4] Ibid., 13.
Now if you are more interested in New Netherlands history perhaps this video could help you to answer some of the questions that you may have.
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