Watch episodes where Fraunces Tavern Museum and Keeler Tavern Museum & History Center explore the history of food and drinks throughout the North American colonies and beyond.
Whiskey
March 8, 2022
Presented by Mary Tsaltas-Ottomanelli* and Catherine Prescott*
This installment of Tavern Tastings explores the history of whiskey: its creation, rise in popularity during the 18th century in North America, and how its role in the economy of the burgeoning United States incited a rebellion.
Medicinal Foods
February 8, 2022
Presented by Mary Tsaltas-Ottomanelli,* Catherine Prescott,* and Jeanne Abrams*
In this installment of Tavern Tastings, Jeanne E. Abrams, author of Revolutionary Medicine: The Founding Fathers and Mothers in Sickness and in Health, will join Keeler Tavern Museum & History Center’s Catherine Prescott and Fraunces Tavern Museum’s Mary Tsaltas-Ottomanelli in exploring the history of public health in colonial North America and the role a handful of Founding Fathers and Mothers played in its evolution.
Dessert
January 11, 2022
Presented by Mary Tsaltas-Ottomanelli* and Catherine Prescott*
Pick out your favorite dessert and join Fraunces Tavern Museum and Keeler Tavern Museum & History Center in exploring different varieties of desserts from colonial North America, including those created by Samuel Fraunces himself.
Tea
December 14, 2021
Presented by Mary Tsaltas-Ottomanelli* and Catherine Prescott*
Brew up a pot of your favorite tea and explore the history of the beverage: its journey from Asia to Europe and the Americas, as well as its unique role in the American Revolution and the founding of the United States. Learn about the types of tea available to colonial Americans and the how tea would have been served and consumed in homes and taverns.
Indigenous Foodways
November 9, 2021
Presented by Mary Tsaltas-Ottomanelli*, Catherine Prescott*, Shane M. Chartrand*, and Jennifer Cockrall-King*
Tavern Tastings continues with a discussion of Indigenous foodways: the study of how recipes, cooking and eating methods, and traditions develop over time and provide ways for Indigenous people to creatively preserve their culture within the context of the colonization of North America.
Acclaimed chef Shane M. Chartrand’s and food writer Jennifer Cockrall-King’s award-winning cookbook tawâw: Progressive Indigenous Cuisine can be purchased here.
Ice Cream
October 12, 2021
Presented by Mary Tsaltas-Ottomanelli* and Catherine Prescott*
This installment of Tavern Tastings explores the history of ice cream throughout the colonies and delve into Thomas Jefferson’s very own ice cream recipe.
Beer
April 6, 2021
Presented by Mary Tsaltas-Ottomanelli*, Catherine Prescott*, and Barry Smyth*
In honor of National Beer Day, this installment of Tavern Tastings explores the role of beer throughout 18th century taverns and highlights Fraunces Tavern’s signature Samuel Fraunces Ale.
African American Foodways
March 9, 2021
Presented by Catherine Prescott*, Mary Tsaltas-Ottomanelli*, and Scott Alves Barton*
This installment of Tavern Tastings covers the history of African American Foodways: the study of how recipes, cooking and eating methods, and traditions develop overtime and provide another instance in which African Americans creatively preserve African culture within the context of the slavery.
Carrots
February 2, 2021
Presented by Catherine Prescott* and Theresa DeCicco*
Catherine Prescott and Theresa DeCicco discuss the history of carrots throughout North America.
The Pilgrims first brought carrots to North America, intending to harvest them in the colonies. Carrots were an easy vegetable to grow and were an integral part of nourishing humans and animals alike. In 1787, George Washington wrote in a letter to Benjamin Fitzhugh Grymes, “I am convinced that in proper soil the culture of carrots will be found very advantageous for feeding farm horses and every piece of stock. I am inclined to think that rows of carrots will yield 5 to 8 bushels of carrots to one corn.”
Apples
January 12, 2021
Mary Tsaltas-Ottomanelli and Catherine Prescott detail the role apples played in 18th century North America.
Apples were an essential food and drink in the North American colonies during the 18th century. Though not native to North America, early settlers up and down the Atlantic coast soon learned that seeds (or better yet, seedlings) brought with them across the ocean would flourish.
Chocolate
December 8, 2020
Presented by Mary Tsaltas-Ottomanelli* and Catherine Prescott*
Mary Tsaltas-Ottomanelli and Catherine Prescott discuss the history of chocolate in the colonies and beyond.
Chocolate has been a favorite since the Mayans and Aztecs drank it as a bitter, spicy concoction. Before this rich treat inspired the dreams of contemporary chocoholics, though, colonial Americans enjoyed it -- but not as a component of the cakes and cookies we all love today.
