The Multiple Heritages of Irish Soda Bread

Presented by Lucy Long, PhD

Podcast

Links to Recipes:
Ballymaloe Traditional Brown Soda Bread
Ballymaloe White Soda Bread

Soda bread, a quick bread using baking soda as the primary rising agent, is closely associated in the U.S. with Ireland. Its history and meanings, however, are much more complicated—and tasty—than the sweet loaf with raisins that is usually found around St Patrick’s Day in March. Continue reading

History of American Pies … and Illinois is well represented!

Presented by Catherine Lambrecht (Image by Catherine Lambrecht, too!)

Podcast

Pies are as American as pizza is American: we took a great idea, adapted it to our needs and ran with it. Our ancestors used what they had available locally and made the most from it. You might be thinking that pies are just for dessert, but for our American ancestors, they were often considered survival food. Sometimes, they ate pie for breakfast, lunch and dinner for months at a time. Continue reading

Bitter Sweet: A Wartime Journal and Heirloom Recipes from Occupied France

 

Presented by Kitty Morse

Podcast

Links to recipes
Civet de Lapin au Riesling – Rabbit Stew with Riesling Wine
Cruchades de Maïs – Fried Cornmeal ‘Coins’
Chocolate Almond Salami

In our speaker’s own words: “I’d never come across another suitcase quite like it. But what was the tattered black leather valise doing there, hidden behind a crocheted comforter on the top shelf of my late mother’s closet? The tarnished brass locking mechanism had already been sprung.” Continue reading

Mooooving Day – Transhumance and the Impact on Dairy Cultures

 
 
Scroll down for additional notes from this talk
 
Every spring, Swiss dairy farmer Béat Piller escorts his 56 cows up the slope of the 6,000-foot Alp Vounetz to a grazing pasture and hand-built stable. They will stay there for the next six months, making milk and cheese every single day. In late autumn, they will descend back down to the valley where his family lives year-round. It’s a routine that has existed for millenia.

Continue reading

Eat, Drink and Be Merry: The History of Food and Hospitality in Lake County, Illinois

YouTube, part one from January 5, 2023
YouTube, part two from January 19, 2023
Podcast playlist of complete and individual sessions

The Lake County History Symposium is an annual gathering of people interested in the history of Lake County, Illinois. Professional, amateur, and student historians offering presentations based on their original historical research using primary and secondary sources. Continue reading