Abstract
Regional foodways in urban and rural settings in Massachusetts Bay and the Chesapeake during the 17th and 18th century are discussed to evaluate their existence and origin. The nature of the differences suggests that their origin had a strong cultural component and came from the initial dominance of “charter” cultures derived from specific regions of England. The cause of these regional cultures was closely tied to the class-based nature of these regions. These differences are expressed in both the exploitation of wild food and in preferences for baking as early as the end of the 17th century, suggesting that regional foodways existed and developed from different foodways baselines in the two regions studied.
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Cheek, C.D. Massachusetts bay foodways: Regional and class influences. Hist Arch 32, 153–172 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03374267
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03374267