Foodway is the term used to describe the ideas and customs surrounding food. It refers to the way a culture thinks about and prepares their food in an informal manner.
Are you interested in the history of food, it's preparation and the general culture of cooking? Check out the links below and explore traditional Maine foodways.
Basic Foodway Links
Feeding America: The Historic American Cookbook Project
http://digital.lib.msu.edu/projects/cookbooks/index.html
Sandra Oliver's Saltwater Foodways is not an internet site, but it is one of the best, most definitive books in print about how New Englanders eat and have eaten since the first settlers. You can get a copy at your local book store or order from Amazon
Food Timeline - Lynne Oliver's clickable general food history timeline. http://www.foodtimeline.org/
Maine Folklife Center: Foodways Research
http://www.umaine.edu/folklife/research/foodways-research-a-taste-of-maine/
Acadian Culture in Maine: Foods
http://acim.umfk.maine.edu/foods.html
What's Cooking, America? - Linda Stradley's food history and recipe site http://whatscookingamerica.net/ Just look up your favorite food.
Some pages like "Chowder" are pretty good-
http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/ChowderHistory.htm
Maine Specialties
Baked Beans- B&M Baked Beans - https://www.bmbeans.com/
MOFGA / Common Ground - Bean Hole Beans - http://www.mofga.org/Default.aspx?tabid=659
Lumberman’s Legacy- Beanhole Beans from the Fisherman’s Voice
http://www.fishermensvoice.com/0811LumbermansLegacyBeanHoleBeans.html
Classic New England Recipes - Yankee Magazine
http://www.yankeemagazine.com/food/recipe/classicrecipes or search their recipes and get 79 bean recipes - some decidedly not regional like Mississippi Chile
Take a look at the variety of chowder recipes-
https://newengland.com/. and search chowder recipes
If you can find it, a few years ago Yankee had a great comparative article on chowder styles from around New England. Apparently it is not available on the internet so look for an old print copy
Donuts may not have actually been invented in Maine - but maybe the hole was. Check this story out!
The Maine Sea Captain Who Invented the Do-nut http://www.newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/maine-ship-captain-invented-modern-donut/
Maine Lobster Now: : The Proper Way to De-shell and Eat a whole Lobsteerr - there are a billion of these sites out there but this one has pretty good graphics
https://www.mainelobsternow.com/blog/de-shell-and-eat-a-whole-lobster/
Hot Dogs - yep, but only the nuclear red kind!
http://bangordailynews.com/2012/08/17/business/bangor-companys-red-snapper-hot-dogs-are-a-beloved-taste-of-maine/
Italian Sandwiches:
http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/HoagieSubmarinePoBoy.htm (But don't believe that picture!!!)
Maine Voices- Portland Press Herald
https://www.pressherald.com/2016/01/25/maine-voices-that-was-amore-when-portland-was-known-for-italian-sandwiches/
or the Amato's Sandwich Shops site
https://www.amatos.com/our-food/
Pilot Crackers- Read how Nabisco keeps trying to deep 6 a necessary Maine food staple and the efforts to set them right by a Maine island!
http://www.chebeague.org/crownpilot.html
Whoopie Pies
Labadie's Bakery -the (reported) home of the original whoopie pie - http://www.labadiesbakery.com/.
Linda Stradley's take on whoopie pies - http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/WhoopiePieHistory.htm
Government & Other Official Sites
Maine Dept. of Agriculture marketing page
http://www.getrealmaine.com
Maine Lobster Promo Council
http://www.mainelobsterpromo.com
Maine Pomological Society
http://www.maineapples.org/
Maine Potato Board
http://www.mainepotatoes.com
MOFGA -http://www.mofga.org/
