A Sweet Taste of New England Foodways: Maple Syrup Production at the Ipswich River Nature Reserve
By Lauren Kouffman
Let’s be honest: there aren’t too many things that will get me out of bed before 9am on a Saturday morning. But a free, Sustainability @ BU-sponsored trip to see how maple syrup is produced (followed by an all-you-can-eat Flapjack Fling) made it hard for me to rationalize sleeping in.
Despite some trepidation about the day’s forecasted snowfall, we met at 9am at the George Sherman Student Union, to board our bus. Although I could easily see a gastronomy connection, I was surprised to see students from many other BU programs- a true interdisciplinary experience! Whether the draw was hands-on learning or the promise of unlimited Saturday morning pancakes, it was inspiring to see so many people learning about New England foodways.
We headed to the Mass Audubon Ipswich River Nature Reserve, in Topsfied, MA, where devoted volunteers spend the late winter season dutifully tapping maple trees on the Reserve’s 2,000+ acres of land. The sap they collect is refined on premises into maple syrup: “liquid gold”, they say. Since the process is so labor intensive, authentic and unadulterated maple syrup garners a much higher price at market than any generic brand. Maple syrup harvesters rely on the “rule of 86,” as it’s called: at a 1% sugar concentration, it takes approximately 86 gallons of unrefined maple sap to make just one gallon of A-grade syrup. Selling six and twelve-ounce bottles in the gift shop helps the Audubon Society reach its overarching goal of preserving the natural landscape for people and wildlife.
Our guide, Tony Salterno, lead us on a tour through the Reserve’s grounds, and taught us how to recognize a maple tree in the temperate forest: a maple’s gray, somewhat-smooth bark, and alternate-pattern branching are a dead giveaway. While many industrial-sized maple farms have nowadays instituted networks of rubber tubing to collect sap throughout the season, the Ipswich River Nature Reserve still relies on the traditional system of metal buckets, which need to be emptied every 6-8 hours, depending on temperature fluctuations.
Temperature, we learned, is the essential factor that can make or break a season for maple sugar harvesters. It’s the fluctuation between daily highs and nightly lows that causes the internal cells of the tree to expand and contract, pumping sap up and down through the xylem and phloem cells. The taps are driven into the tree trunk and just the right angle to intercept some of the sap during its twice-daily journey.
From the metal buckets, the unrefined maple sap is transferred to the “sugarhouse” where another volunteer carefully monitors the wood-fired boiling process, stirring constantly until the perfect consistency and color emerges. In the old days, syrup-makers would judge a batch’s doneness by its aroma and the amount of time it took for a dip of syrup to run off the back of a ladle; today, everything is controlled and measured by thermometers.
Wintery, early morning nature hikes are not my typical Saturday routine, but this was a truly interesting and engaging experience. Afterwards, our hosts graciously invited us in for a hearty and warming breakfast of fluffy flapjacks and sweet maple syrup. In the warmer months, they reminded us, we should return for a taste of hotdogs cooked in the maple sap, and maybe even spend a night camping on their amazing and peaceful grounds- just one of the perks of an Audubon Society membership. With the Ipswich Nature Reserve only an hour’s drive out of the city, I’ll definitely return for another unforgettable forest-to-table experience.
For visitor information on the Mass Audubon Ipswitch River Nature Reserve, call 978-887-9264, or email ipswichriver@massaudubon.org, or visit http://www.massaudubon.org/index.php
Lauren Kouffman is a first year MLA Gastronomy student, indiscriminate media enthusiast and snack fanatic. Follow her on Instagram for fancy food shots and silly Boston adventures @homeremedy.
Gastronomy lecture next week!
Please join us for the second installment of the Spring 2013 Gastronomy at BU Lecture Series. Lectures are free and open to the public.
Guy Crosby on Understanding and Enhancing the Flavor of Food
by Noel Bielaczyc
The term “molecular gastronomy” generally conjures images of chefs utilizing science-based techniques and high-tech lab gadgetry like immersion circulators, vacuum sealers, dehydrators, and rotovaps to create visually arresting, palate dazzling, and expensive cuisine. While edible gels, foams and powders have become a somewhat trite symbol of the movement, the central principals remain important to the way chefs (and increasingly home-cooks) understand and create flavor. The first installment of the Gastronomy at BU Spring 2013 Lecture Series tapped professor Guy Crosby to bring his perspective as a chemist in the kitchen (rather than a chef in the lab) to illuminate some of the food science driving current cooking methodology. His talk, aptly titled Understanding and Enhancing the Flavor of Food, addressed the senses and human physiology behind tasting, the neural processes involved in perception, the basic sources of flavor in foods, and how to improve them.
It may seem obvious that foods’ edibility is based mostly on flavor (followed by appearance, texture, and nutritional value) but many people never realize that flavor is actually the combination of taste and smell. In fact, Crosby reckoned that by some estimates, smell contributes nearly 80% of the experience! Using the case of “super tasters” to segue, Crosby addressed the various ways in which we are biologically equipped to sense flavor and why sensitivity varies from person to person and flavor to flavor. Perhaps most interesting was his analysis of food cravings and how eating stimulates the brain regions associated with emotion, memory and reward. Is it a surprise that the same regions respond to sex, drugs and music? Indeed there is good science behind the irresistibility kettle chips.
The meat of Crosby’s talk addressed the sources of flavor in food and how intervention through cooking can alter and improve various aspects of taste. Crosby’s background in organic chemistry became apparent as he described how flavor could be naturally formed or physically initiated. For example crushing garlic gloves to release taste and aroma compounds or salt foods to activate certain flavor molecules. Similarly, umami can be amplified by combining specific ingredients with interacting compounds, like anchovies and mushrooms. Other foods derive their flavor from reactions, such as caramelization and the related, but distinct Maillard- Hodge reaction (the delicious browning on roasted meats and crusty breads). Crosby concluded with a note on the controversial idea of flavor pairing based on shared compounds. Anyone for strawberry and coriander gelato? These few examples represent a fraction of the existing food research, but offered an approachable & applicable introduction to the field.
The ideas and techniques of molecular gastronomy have shaped the cuisine of high-end restaurants for years, driving innovation of concept and flavor. Now, the same science and technology are increasingly being found in the home: sous-vide machines are available from William Sonoma, and the science behind better burgers appears in an article in the latest Popular Mechanics. While the take away may remind us of the “better living through chemistry” jingle, there is certainly value to anyone who cooks in understanding the science behind flavor.
For more information on Guy Crosby and why butter-poached lobster melts in your mouth, visit www.cookingscienceguy.com
Noel Bielaczyc is a first year Gastronomy MLA student and the spring 2013 editor of the Gastronomy at BU blog. He is also a fishmonger and scientific illustrator.
WWOOFing in Italy
by Ashley Pardo
I would have never believed if someone had told me that the best food of my life was patiently waiting in 200-year-old stone farmhouses, or that my new best friends would be lawnmowers and weed whackers, or that I would soon be chasing goats and sheep in the mountain of Piedmont, Italy. In fact this became my reality, as I embarked on a life-changing experience; all thanks to an organization called WorldWide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF). WWOOF operates globally, allowing people to obtain a list of farms that need help in the country of their choice. It’s up to you at that point to contact and make an arrangement with the farm. Basically, you exchange your blood, sweat, and tears for food, housing, and an opportunity to living on a working organic farm.
My adventures commenced at a farm known as Petra, located in the village of Castino, under the care of a gracious couple named Maura and Maurizio. Before I could say buongiorno, my expectations of an eight-hour workday were hurled out the window. The morning was a series of interesting tasks: organizing, threading, and taming tumultuous Dolcetto and Moscato grape vines and applying organic treatments, packaging and labeling honeys for the farmers’ markets, planting, weeding, and harvesting (occasionally sampling) a variety of seasonal fruits and vegetables. Afterwards, tired and famished, we fortified ourselves with a two-hour pranzo, followed by a two-hour break spent devouring Italian cookbooks, obsessively scribbling recipe notes, or hiking. After another four-hours of work, we’d sit down to cena and relax as a family. It took approximately five hours to adjust to this rhythm and pace of life.
My next visit to a cheese farm called Amaltea in the mountains of Mombarcaro, run by a young, talented, and widely renowned cheesemaker and shepherd named Alessandro Boasso. Our main task was milking his forty sheep and goats twice a day, and moving them to graze on different pastures. During my stay we made and gorged on the best formaggio of my life in il caseificio, even rivaling the cheeses I sampled in Ihsan Gurdal’s acclaimed cheese certification course at BU.
The meals I enjoyed while WWOOFing changed my view of food and cooking forever. We ate whatever vegetables were available from the garden, and meat from animals that were known, loved, and cared for. The most shocking revelation was that most meals (besides homemade pastas, pizzas, and farinata) took no more than 15 minutes to prepare. Meals were incomplete without il pane, the literal plate cleaner between courses. A wooden cheese tray with no less than five raw milk cheeses was always the grand finale: robiola, gorgonzola, pecorino, raschera, fontina, cacao cavallo, mozzarella, and fontina were the usual suspects. I prayed for each meal to last forever, as I soaked up the company, language, atmosphere, and copious amounts of Barolo and Barbaresco, homemade liquors, and grappa.
As my farm stays came to a close, I reflected on the richness and depth of my voyage. Not only is WWOOFing economical (in ten weeks, I spent ~150 euros, mainly on foodstuffs and wines to bring back to the US), but it also allows you to immerse yourself in a culture and its people in a real and genuine way. Something tourist travel doesn’t always allow you to do. I still keep in touch with Maura, Maurizio, and Alessandro, and I feel that they became la mia famiglia. These human connections are perhaps the most rewarding part of WWOOFing.
(If you are interested in WWOOFing at Petra, Maura and Maurizio’s farm, or Amaltea, Alessandro’s cheese heaven, they are both listed under the Piedmont region of WWOOF Italia, www.wwoof.it)
Ashley Pardo graduated from the Gastronomy program in 2012, focusing on the culinary arts, nutrition, and food writing. She is currently based in Miami, FL where she works as a personal chef, food educator, along with being involved in other culinary related entrepreneurial projects. You can follow her adventures on her food blog, www.thegrizzlykitchen.com.
Gastronomy Lecture This Week!
Please join us for the first installment of the Spring 2013 Gastronomy at BU Lecture Series. Lectures are free and open to the public. For more background and a bio of Guy Crosby, visit http://www.cookingscienceguy.com
Gastronomy Student Association Gets Cracking with a New England Clambake
by Rob Haley
The message was clear when we sat down at the long table protected by sheets of brown paper tablecloth – this meal was going to get messy. On Thursday, January 31st, Boston University’s Gastronomy Student Association (GSA) marked the beginning of a new semester by visiting Jasper White’s Summer Shack in downtown Boston. Our mission was to take part in their version of the traditional New England clambake. For those born and raised in the region the menu seemed familiar, but for many this was a chance to experience for the first time one of the Commonwealth’s most revered gastronomic celebrations. While the restaurant interior could not entirely replicate the experience of an ocean beach bake during the dog days of summer, the food that was shared by the fifteen students in attendance did not disappoint.
The dinner began with a couple pitchers of PBR along with two bottles of white wine, followed quickly by a choice between Bermuda Fish and Crab Chowder or the Boston Clam Chowder. Lobster crackers and bibs were handed out to the party: a sure sign that we would have to earn this evening’s meal. As soon as the soup bowls were cleared, platters of steamed lobsters and snow crab legs drew the attention of our hungry crowd. This was accompanied by the obligatory corn on the cob, roasted potatoes, and cole slaw. Corn bread was delivered to take up the few empty spots on an already crowded table, and we were left to fill our own plates with the generous feast.
Seasoned veterans were quick to demonstrate to the rookies the process of cracking crustacean shells to ensure the maximum yield of sweet morsels locked inside. Technique is truly an art form when holstering the cracker, and the willingness to dive right in with both hands is also essential with a lobster bake. Arms, legs, tails, and torso were twisted and torn with large chunks of salt-steamed meat as the reward. Forks and picks were used like a mad surgeon’s tool to ensure no scrap was wasted. Empty shells piled up in the large community waste buckets, and everyone was satisfied with the work they had done to claim their undersea cuisine.
By the end of the meal, with serving plates empty and stomachs full, the GSA celebrated another successful group outing. The gathering also marked the passing of the torch, as recent MLA Gastronomy graduate Natalie Shmulik turned her GSA Presidency over to Elizabeth Bada, a current Gastronomy student. Appropriately initiated, Liz will no doubt lead the association towards more great events and nights such as this during the 2013 school year. With a bit of luck, this may just include a summer seaside clambake somewhere along the Massachusetts coastline.
Rob Haley is in his last semester (hopefully) pursuing his MLA in Gastronomy. He is also the Senior Media Producer at the Office of Distance Education at Boston University. He can be reached at rthaley@bu.edu, or you might find him at your favorite neighborhood watering hole.
For more information on the Gastronomy Student Association, visit http://gastronomyatbu.com or email gastrmla@bu.edu
Announcing the Spring 2013 Lecture Series
A Propitious Beginning at the Dinner Table
by Amanda Balagur
Do you remember the feeling when you first arrived at college for undergrad? You had probably just spent your high school career working towards the goal of attending that institution, and you were probably pretty excited – likely a bit nervous – when you walked into your first class and sat down with your new classmates.
Well, it’s one thing when you’re a teenager, but for a thirty-something (or even twenty-something) adult, the experience can be just as nerve-racking. Imagine you just picked up and left the life you had – a successful career, a city you knew well and loved, friends, community, your “deep bench” – to pursue a Masters degree in Gastronomy, your passion and something many people have never even heard of (“Did you say Astronomy?”, “Oh! You mean cooking school?”, “Don’t you have to go to medical school to do that?!?”). It’s daunting to walk into a room full of strangers for an orientation; you may as well have a sign on your back that says, “I’m a beginner! Please be gentle.” But you quickly realize everyone else is in the same boat, and you start to relax.
As we settled in and began chatting, I realized I wasn’t the only student who relocated a fair distance to attend the MLA in Gastronomy program; one student moved here from California, another from Dubai… Seventeen of us are embarking on this journey together (including one Food Studies Certificate student), each with a unique story about how we got here (check out our bios).
The formal orientation began with an introduction by Dr. Rachel Black, Assistant Professor and Academic Coordinator of the Gastronomy program. Recent graduate Natalie Shmulik spoke about the Gastronomy Student Association, a group of students who put together events and lectures each semester, and encouraged us to get involved. Dr. Black followed up with a brief overview of the Gastronomy program, and recommendations for achieving success and getting the most out of our time here in Boston.
Meanwhile, Blair Newhard was prepping in the kitchen with assistants Audrey Reid, Rob Haley, and Gab Korakot, all current students in the program and graduates of the culinary arts lab. The new students were divided into four teams, each tasked with a recipe selected by Blair. We set about chopping, stirring and cooking, our uneasiness replaced with an immediate sense of community and common interest.
When the meal was ready, we dined at one long table on Citrus, Fennel and Avocado Salad, Orecchiette with Sausage and Kale Pesto, and Sweet Potato Dirtbombs (likened by one diner to delectably rich donut holes). Toasts were made to celebrate the start of a new semester and a new class of Gastronomy students, and conversation flowed as freely as the wine. Up and down the table, students and professors chatted about classes, books, lectures, and what brought us to the program. It was inspiring to finally meet my fellow students, and talk about the opportunities that lay ahead of us. The phantom sign on my back had disappeared, and I was left anticipating an exciting semester and incredible academic experience.
Special thanks to those who made this wonderful orientation event possible: Dr. Rachel Black, Blaire Newhard and her kitchen assistants, and Program Coordinator Barbara Rotger.
Amanda Balagur is a first year Gastronomy MLA student and creator of the Twin Cities-based local food podcast, Localicious.
Introducing Spring 2013 Graduate Assistants:
Chris Maggiolo hails from Harrisonburg, Virginia, a small city nested in the beautiful, rural Shenandoah Valley. After receiving his BA in Anthropology and Environmental Policy from The College of William and Mary, he spent two years working for the Williamsburg Winery. He then moved to Boston to begin the MLA in Gastronomy program, where he currently serves as Graduate Research Assistant. Chris will be providing research support for various department endeavors, such as copy-editing works-in-progress and pouring through dusty tomes in search of long-forgotten or infrequently referenced food knowledge. In aiding the department in its research goals, Chris hopes to further his own knowledge of the anthropology of food.
Brad Jones is originally from the Midwest and graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Wabash College in 2010, with a liberal arts degree in History and English Literature. His interest in food was born in Italy; conceived during his study abroad semester in Perugia and developed in the course of extensive WWOOF activity on farms throughout the country. Brad has found special interest in the notion of culinary craftsmanship during his tenure at BU and will conduct focused research on the topic for his thesis beginning this semester and extending through the fall. As a Graduate Assistant to the Gastronomy program, Brad will spend the spring semester editing the first graduate level journal of interdisciplinary food studies research of its kind. Collaborating with graduate students across the country, Brad intends to get the food dialogue flowing across institutions as well provide a space for students to publish their excellent research. When not in the classroom, he can be found sharing his love for artisan cheese at Formaggio Kitchen in Cambridge.
Noel Bielaczyc grew up in Northern Michigan, where he cultivated a deep interest in food, natural sciences and art. He went on to receive a BFA in Scientific Illustration and a minor in Biology at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. During and after college, Noel supported his hearty appetite and curiosity as a professional fishmonger and seafood buyer, produce buyer, and baker as well as a freelance illustrator and drawing instructor at the Detroit Institute of Art. In his second semester at Boston University, Noel is tentatively pursuing a food policy track and is particularly interested in rural foodways and public health. As the Graduate Communications Assistant, Noel is excited to put his design background and creativity to use as editor of the Gastronomy @ BU blog. His goal is to incorporate more visual art and a sense of playfulness into the blog, while retaining it’s scholarly content. On the side, Noel cuts and sells some of the best seafood in Boston at the East Cambridge institution New Deal Fish Market.
The Feeling of Home in the North End
by Caitlin Vanderbilt
I moved to Boston’s North End two and a half years ago, having just returned from a year living with a host family in Florence. I immediately loved the neighborhood because it felt a little like being back in Italy. So when I was choosing a paper topic for Dr. Carole Counihan’s food ethnography class, I knew I wanted to research food in the North End. While doing my research, I conducted interviews with six North End residents, attended neighborhood meetings, and did participant observation in local cafes and stores with the goal of understanding how residents interact with food and food institutions (restaurants/cafés/stores) in their neighborhood.
The demographics of the North End have changed dramatically in the last 100 years. Once a 100% Italian neighborhood, it is now only about one third Italian. There are just over 10,000 residents in the 0.21 square miles of the North End, and in that same space there are 91 pouring liquor licenses, 10 retail liquor licenses, and roughly 120 restaurants (almost all are Italian).
The fact that there are 120 restaurants in the North End shows how much the Italian community and identity is tied to food. While these Italian restaurants are the public face of the North End, every resident I spoke with also talked about the Italian food they eat at home. These homemade meals are often connected to Sunday family dinners, or the Italian feasts, and seek to reclaim or maintain an Italian identity. In his interview, Vincent Ciampa*, a 20 year resident of the North End, said, “People come to the North End because it’s Italian. They want to experience Italianness.” Steven Russo*, a 17 year resident of the North End, explained that people come to the North End to, “celebrate Italian culture.” Those seem to be the reasons that people stay, too. Despite current trends, Italian and non-Italian residents alike are working to preserve the small urban community that the North End is known for.
Boston’s Italian community no only manifests itself in the religious festivals and the popular restaurants on Hanover Street, but also in its informal cafés. During our interview, Bobby Eustace at Polcari’s Coffee (est. 1932) called his shop one of the “hearts of the North End”. My interest is this idea of “hearts” led me to ask every participant where they went for pizza and coffee in the North End, and their answers were nearly unanimous. The choice for pizza was Galleria Umberto, a small shop that is open Monday-Saturday from 11am to whenever they run out of pizza... “When the last slice goes, the doors close.” And Caffe Paradiso was the choice for morning coffee. Most people sit or stand at the bar and chat with their neighbors, occasionally in Italian. While Caffe Paradiso hosts the morning crowd, Caffe dello Sport is the place to be at night.
There is some tension between longtime residents and newer neighbors as well as restaurants goers, but every person I spoke with believed the North End is still an Italian neighborhood. My research revealed that Italian identity and community are complex concepts, changing depending on the time, place and situation. It also explained why you’ll find locals having a slice of pizza at Galleria Umberto right at opening time.
*Pseudonyms used to protect participants’ privacy, except for Bobby Eustace at Polcari's Coffee.
Caitlin is a first-year MLA candidate interested in Italian food and culture. To read her full research paper, please email cvanderb@bu.edu.