Boston Flora

Tag: Jacques Pepin

  • Wednesday, November 29, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm – Remembering German-Jewish Culture Through Its Culinary Traditions

    What happens to a food tradition when its culture starts to vanish? The advent of the Nazi era brought about the demise of 1000 years of Jewish life in Germany, along with the loss of a cuisine that differed greatly from the Eastern European one that is now generally accepted as the definition of Jewish food. This pre-Nazi food tradition lives on in the kitchens of some German Jews and in the memories of many others around the world. This Boston University talk, by Gabrielle Rossmer and Sonya Gropman, a mother-daughter author team with a German-Jewish background, will address issues of food and memory, food as cultural identity, and preserving and documenting traditional recipes. The free event on Wednesday, November 29 at 6 pm is part of the Pepin Lecture Series. Reservations are required; RSVP by calling 617-353-9852. Meets at Boston University: 725 Commonwealth Ave College of Arts and Sciences Room 224.

  • Tuesday, February 21, 6:00 pm – The New World of Coffee and Cacao

    The Pepin Lecture Series in Food Studies and Gastronomy, cosponsored by Jacques Pepin and Boston University’s Master of Liberal Arts program in gastronomy, will present The New World of Coffee and Cacao, with Matthew Block, on Tuesday, February 21 at 6 pm at 808 Commonwealth Avenue, Room 117, Boston.  Ever wonder about the mysterious journey that coffee and cacao beans take from their origins to their transformation into delicious specialty products?  Join importer Matthew Block, founder of Campesino Mateo, for a free talk that will cover the histories of coffee and cacao, their roles in Western culture, and the beans’ step-by-step journey from cultivation to finished product.  Block partners with traditional family  farmers from the most remote regions of Peru’s “eyebrow of the jungle” to help improve growing, harvesting, and processing practices.  Attendees will learn about – an  taste – the dramatic impact on aroma and flavor that different farming, processing, and production techniques impart.  Additionally, they will virtually meet some farmers on their lands, see how the plants and fruits grow in their raw form, and experience the various terroir factors that play so large a role in the finished products.  Register online at http://bu.edu/foodandwine.  Image from marinersmuseum.org.

  • Thursday, February 5, 6:00 pm – Virgin Territory: Exploring the World of Olive Oil

    Discover everything you wanted to know about extra-virgin olive oils.  Nancy Harmon Jenkins, author of the just published Virgin Territory, will show you the ins and outs of one of the most important ingredients in the modern kitchen: what extra-virgin olive oil really is, how to choose it and use it, and why it’s critically important for good health and good food.  Together we’ll taste good and bad oils, try some tasty samples of fearless cooking with olive oil, and learn what to look for in the market.  $30, includes copy of book.  Sponsored by Boston University as part of the Pepin Lecture Series in Food Studies and Gastronomy.  Class will take place Thursday, February 5 beginning at 6 pm in 808 Commonwealth Avenue, Room 117, Boston. Register online at http://www.bu.edu/foodandwine.

  • Thursday, October 23, 6:00 pm – Sitting Down to Table: Visualizing the Daily Meal in a Pennsylvania Coal Town

    Karen Metheny, scholar in food studies, anthropology, and archaeology, will explore ways that material culture can be combined with oral and historical sources to interpret the content, context, and significance of the daily meal. Using archaeological evidence of food consumption from her nineteenth-century coal town study, Dr. Metheny will discuss the significance of food sharing and commensality in the context of household stability and community formation. This free lecture, part of the Jacques Pepin Lecture Series at Boston University, will take place on Thursday, October 23 beginning at 6 pm in Room 117 at 808 Commonwealth Avenue.  For more information visit http://www.bu.edu/foodandwine/registration-manager/catalog.php?action=section&course_section_id=895.

  • Thursday, March 7, 6:00 pm – Cooking in Captivity: How American Civilians Survived World War II in Japanese Prison Camps

    While this free lecture at Boston University on Thursday, March 7, part of the Pepin Lecture Series in Gastronomy, is not strictly speaking a horticultural event, we thought our readers would find the topic interesting. Barbara Haber, author and food historian, has had a growing interest on the effects of war on the availability of food. Immediately after attacking Pearl Harbor, the Japanese invaded the Philippines and imprisoned thousands of American civilians who spent the war years deprived of food. Among them was Natalie Crouter, a remarkable Boston-bred woman who kept a diary that describes how food preoccupied every internee: They talked about it, dreamed about it, and used any available resource to cook ersatz dishes that would get them through WWII. Haber will share her research and insights about Crouter and other internees who spent the war years in prison camps. The lecture will take place in the Demonstration Room at 808 Commonwealth Avenue, and you may sign up on line at www.bu.edu/foodandwine.

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  • Thursday, February 28, 6:00 pm – Feeding the Flocks

    Ruth Ann Murray, an assistant dean at Boston University’s Metropolitan College, examines the primacy of food in the establishment and growth of American Shakerism, in a Pepin Lecture Series event at 808 Commonwealth Avenue on Thursday, February 28 at 6 pm. She will highlight some of her findings, specifically the critical role that Shaker food and hospitality played in endearing this once-vilified sect to their fellow Americans. Free, but registration required at www.bu.edu/foodandwine.

    http://shakerworkshops.com/resources/images/shaker-dining-room.jpg