Nie tylko czerstwy chleb i fasola. Religijność purytańska a kuchnia Nowej Anglii

• Authors: Maciej Kapek

Title variants

EN

Not Only Stale Bread and Beans. Impact of Puritan Religiosity on New England's Cuisine

Abstracts

EN

Some scholars believe that the cuisine of New England was bland and austere because of the religion. Although ascetism was crucial for the Puritan communities which settled the region, more important was diligent righteous life, thus fasting was never as important for the Puritans as it was for the Catholics. In fact only gluttony was considered to be sinful. This text will confront the thesis assuming that the New England’s cuisine was bland and will examine religion’s impact on New England’s foodways. The text will describe not only the most typical products and dishes, but also customs connected with cuisine. The Puritans did not have to fast all the time (as some would say). The most obvious evidence of that is consent to revelries and customs connected with Thanksgiving Day. The holiday itself was promoted by the local ministers as an alternative to Christmas which was rather not celebrated and in New England. Preachers would encourage people to feast provided they do not feel too much connection to the worldliness. The text will also focus on products strongly connected to the region. Coastal New England is a region rich in fish and various types of seafood. However despite fishing’s role in the history of the region, occupations such as fishermen were usually held in low regard among the first settlers. The holy day of Sabbath was also important for development of local culinary customs. All the characteristic features of the early cuisine of this region were connected to the religious practices and world views of the settlers. They had also their influence on characteristics of contemporary New England’s cuisine. Thus we can say that New England’s example shows how vast the impact of religion can be and that it can affect every field of life.

Keywords

EN

Puritanism; Christianity; New England; cuisine; fish; lobsters

• Publisher: Ośrodek Badawczy Facta Ficta
• Journal: Facta Ficta. Journal of Theory, Narrative & Media
• Year: 2021
• Volume: 7
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 281-293

Dates

published

2021

Contributors

author

Maciej Kapek

• Uniwersytet Jagielloński

• https://orcid.org/0000000270587076

Identifiers

Biblioteka Nauki

2011083