“Espeneme will show you whether it is too slack or too stiff”: Foodways and the Communication of Cultural Identity in 18th- and 19th-Century New York


Sara Evenson (State University of New York, Albany)

In my paper, I explore how Catherine Beck Van Cortlandt negotiated and communicated her family identity via food and cooking in early 19th-century New York. Through the sharing of family recipes and the subsequent preparation and consumption of those foods, the Beck and Van Cortlandt families communicated their position as old Dutch elites in a shifting state and national society.

Part of 05-13 Food and Identity, Friday, October 14, 10:30 am–12:30 pm