Mrs. Vanderbilt's Puffert

Abstract

From 1624 until 1674, New Netherland was a colony of the Dutch Republic (1581–1795). The territory on the east coast of North America attracted a stream of immigrants that brought with them foodways and cooking skills from the Dutch provinces. For generations, the settlers engaged in the preparation and consumption of home-country foods, such as hoofdkaas (headcheese, brawn or souse), puffert (a boiled or steamed pudding), New Year's cake, wafels (waffles and wafers) and oliebol (Dutch doughnut). After the Dutch introduction of tea in America, in the 1650s, a “genuine” Dutch tea table developed. This article explores recipes that reflect the migration of humble Dutch fare to America, and discusses the Dutch tea table as a typical Dutch American food custom, and an example of social distinction and upwards mobility.

Keywords:

• puffert
• New Netherland
• headcheese
• rolliches
• doughnuts
• tea table
• Lefferts
• Vanderbilt

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Karin Vaneker

Karin Vaneker graduated from the AKI Academy of Visual Arts in Enschede and later attended Sint-Lukas, Higher Institute for the Arts in Brussels. Specializing in trends and the cultural and other histories of ingredients and cuisines, she has written numerous articles for Dutch newspapers and magazines as well as for reference works such as the Encyclopedia of Food Cultures of the World (ABC-Clio); They Eat That? (ABC-Clio); Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America; Encyclopedia of Food and Agricultural Ethics (Springer); Ethnic American Food Today Encyclopedia (Altamira Press); The Encyclopedia of World Street Food (ABC-Clio) and Food: an Atlas (UC Berkeley). Zuideinde 71, 1511 GB Oostzaan, The Netherlands ([email protected]).