Speaker provides pioneer sweets
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Posted 2 months ago
"Canadians at the Table: Food, Fellowship and Folklore" was the topic at the Orillia Museum of Art and History's speaker's evening. Dorothy Duncan, former executive director of the Ontario Historical Society and the author of a number of books on Canadian heritage cuisine, literally provided a treat with her home made pioneer baking to accompany a very informative talk.
Duncan's expertise in this subject began as a "voyage of discovery" when her position at the Toronto Historical Board required her to make the various fully equipped pioneer kitchens completely operational. She began a quest for pioneer recipes to bring life to the kitchens. Her quest culminated in a specialized knowledge of pioneer cuisine which she parlayed into several books on the subject, includingCanadians at the Table,which outlines the diverse culinary history of Canada beginning with first nations people. With the scarcity of European ingredients, citizens of the colonies learned to find substitute ingredients from their environment.
Members of the audience participated in the presentation by sampling three different types of desserts, based on recipes used by the pioneers. The audience truly received food for thought.
Ken Hedges, who will speak on North Pole exploration, will be the next speaker on Jan. 20.
The Christmas reception will be held at OMAH on Dec. 6 from 3 p. m. to 5 p. m.
Between these two events will be the always popular Sir John A. Macdonald dinner on Saturday, Jan. 9, 2010. Tickets are now on sale at OMAH. Last year all tickets were sold by the end of November. Submitted by Jim Watt
