Including most of the Atlantic seaboard and adjacent islands north of Chesapeake Bay, Clambake Nation retains a curious mix of maritime and farming traditions of the “Swamp Yankees.” Yet while outsiders may assume that Clambake Nation’s culinary traditions are exclusively Yankee, there are in fact many native and immigrant traditions hidden within that regional umbrella. The region is rich in shellfish, fish, fruits, berries, and root vegetables.
Unfortunately, contamination from its many riverside factories and mills tragically brought to an end the widespread use of many of its fish and aquatic plants. Well over one hundred of its traditional foods are now threatened or endangered. The quahog may be its signature shellfish, but other clams, oysters, scallops, and lobsters round out the regional bouillabaisse. Fortunately, the citizens of Clambake Nation have pioneered large-scale ecological restoration of rivers, bays, beaches, and coastal waters, so that many historically important food species are now being recovered.
– excerpted from Renewing America’s Food Traditions, edited by Gary Nabhan, with the permission of Chelsea Green Publishing (www.chelseagreen.com)
Disappearing Foods | Recipes | Tips | Related Links | Full List of Disappearing Foods | Back to Map
Disappearing Foods
- Atlantic Haddock
- Atlantic Halibut
- Berry Berry Cranberry
- Boston Market Lettuce
- Brunswick Lowbush Blueberry
- Delaware Bay Oyster
- Dominique/Dominicker Chickens
- Clearwater Jerusalem Artichoke
- Marblehead Mammoth Cabbage
- Narragansett Turkeys
- See Full List
Back to Top
Find EatingWell recipes for:
Back to Top
Tips to preserve heritage and heirloom foods:
- Become a seed saver through the Seed Saver Exchange (seedsavers.org).
- Purchase heirloom produce and heritage livestock breeds (American Livestock Breeds Conservancy, albc.usa.org).
- If you think a food is endangered, nominate it to the Slow Ark of Taste, slowfoodusa.org.
- Support community agriculture, farmers' markets and local food groups.
- Attend events that celebrate local foods.
Read more about Renewing America’s Food Traditions (RAFT).
Back to Top
Related Links
America’s Best Farmers’ Markets
Native Nutrition: A movement to preserve heritage foods
Back to Top
Disappearing Foods (Full List)
|
Abenaki Potato
|
|
Algonquian Red Speckled Bean
|
|
American Beauty Apples
|
|
Atlantic Haddock
|
|
Atlantic Halibut
|
|
Atlantic Monkfish
|
|
Atlantic Yellowtail Flounder
|
|
Barry Grape
|
|
Beach Plum
|
|
Berry Berry Cranberry
|
|
Bloodgood Pear
|
|
Boston Market Lettuce
|
|
Boston Marrow Squash
|
|
Brunswick Lowbush Blueberry
|
|
Buffum Pear
|
|
Cape Cod Blackberry
|
|
Chester Bean
|
|
Clapp's Favorite Red Pear
|
|
Clearwater Jerusalem Artichoke
|
|
Columbia Pear
|
|
Connecticut Sweet Pie Squash
|
|
Crawford, Early Peach
|
|
Crawford, Late Peach
|
|
Cusk Cod
|
|
Dana Hovey Pear
|
|
Danvers Carrot
|
|
Dave's Shrine (Wolcottian Red) Jerusalem Artichoke
|
|
Dearborn Pear
|
|
Delaware Bay Oyster
|
|
Delaware Blue Flint Corn
|
|
Delaware Grape
|
|
Delaware Lenni Lenape Corn
|
|
Delaware White Flour Corn
|
|
Dominique/Dominicker Chickens
|
|
Dorset Pear
|
|
Early Chantenay Carrot
|
|
Early Christiana Melon
|
|
Early Scarlet Horn Carrot
|
|
Fall Harvey Apples
|
|
Frederick Clapp Pear
|
|
Garden Royal Apples
|
|
George IV Peach
|
|
Gilfeather Rutabaga/Turnip
|
|
Graniwinkle Apples
|
|
Grave's Beach Plum
|
|
Gulf of Maine Atlantic Salmon
|
|
Hickory Shad
|
|
Holland Chickens
|
|
Hunt Russett Apples
|
|
Irish Cobbler Potato
|
|
Jersey Wakefield Pewt Cabbage
|
|
Kearnerly Yellow Eye Bean
|
|
Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle
|
|
Killen Persimmon
|
|
King Philip Improved Flint Corn
|
|
Landreth Cheese Squash
|
|
Lawrence Pear
|
|
Lenape Cutshort/Indian Hannah Bean
|
|
Long Island Fig
|
|
Long Island Milk Cheese Pumpkin Squash/Pumpkin
|
|
Maine Yellow Eye Bean
|
|
Mankin Plum Tomato
|
|
Marafax Bean
|
|
Marblehead Mammoth Cabbage
|
|
Marblehead Mammoth Squash
|
|
Marshland Blackberry
|
|
Mayflower Bean
|
|
McLellan Apples
|
|
Meech's Prolific Quince
|
|
Milking Devon Cattle
|
|
Mountain Sweet Yellow Watermelon
|
|
Nanticoke Indian Turban Squash
|
|
Nantucket Serviceberry
|
|
Narragansett Turkeys
|
|
Narragansett White Cap Flint Corn
|
|
New Hampshire Chickens
|
|
New York City Fig
|
|
Newfoundland Blue Potato
|
|
Newfoundland Jumbo Potato
|
|
Newfoundland Sheep
|
|
Northeaster Pole Bean
|
|
Novascotia Gravenstein Apples
|
|
Old Jake's Rutabaga/Turnip
|
|
Old White Egg Eggplant
|
|
Peach Blow Potato
|
|
Peck's Pleasant Apples
|
|
Peconic Bay Scallops
|
|
Penobscot Bay Scallops
|
|
Penobscott Squash
|
|
Persimmon Tomato
|
|
Porter/Yellow Summer Pearmain Apples
|
|
Purple Cow Horn Potato
|
|
Quahog Clam
|
|
Rainbow Smelt
|
|
Randall Lineback Cattle
|
|
Red Dutch Cabbage
|
|
Red Warren Turban Squash
|
|
Rhode Island Dewberry
|
|
Rhode Island Red Chickens
|
|
Rhode Island White Chickens
|
|
Rubel Highbush Blueberry
|
|
Saco Bay Scallops
|
|
Shortnose Sturgeon
|
|
Somerset of Maine Apples
|
|
Spotted Aleppo Lettuce
|
|
Steuben Yellow Eye Bean
|
|
Striped Croaker
|
|
Stump-the-world Peach
|
|
Summer (Fluke) Flounder
|
|
Tall Arrow Pea
|
|
Toland County Blackberry
|
|
Winningstadt Cabbage
|
|
Winter Flounder
|
|
Yellow Spanish Sweet Cherry
|
|
Zimmerman Pawpaw
|
Back to Top
