In 1609, Henry Hudson, under contract with the Dutch East India Company, set out to discover the lucrative Northwest Passage. The Hudson River Valley is what he discovered instead, and along its banks Dutch culture took hold. While the Dutch influence can still be seen in local architecture and customs, it is food and drink that Peter Rose has made her life's work. From beer to bread and cookies to coleslaw, Food, Drink and Celebrations of the Hudson Valley Dutch is a comprehensive look at this important early American influence, complete with recipes to try.
Food historian Peter G. Rose is the author of several books on the subject of the Dutch influence on the American kitchen. She is the winner of the 2002 Alice P. Kenney Award for her research and writing on the food customs and diet of the Dutch settlers in New Netherland. She is a popular lecturer on the subject and has given talks all across America, including at the Smithsonian Institute, the National Gallery, the New York Historical Society, and at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY.