A Taste of History

Boston is the site of so many important events that led up to the American Revolution, including the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party, and the oldest existing American war ship, the USS Constitution. Visitors today can follow the Freedom Trail in downtown Boston on a walking tour through American history.

Everyone knows of Henry Longfellow's poem, "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere." The poem made an obscure silversmith into an enduring Revolutionary legend, but how much do we actually know of the events that took place at Old North Church and at the Battle of Lexington. In this episode, historian Dr. William Fowler brings the famous poem to life, and we also visit Paul Revere's house.

John Adams, 2nd President, is arguably one of our most important founding fathers, but he feared history would not remember him. In this episode, we visit Adams' birthplace home in Quincy, MA, and we bring Adams back to life in Independence Hall, to experience why he was so important to America's birth.

In the second half of the 18th Century, the island of Antigua in the West Indies played a critical role in British Naval supremacy. It was the second largest British port, after London, and was run by none other than Lord Admiral Nelson. We visit Antigua to see what life was like for British sailors, and we cook at the oldest Sugar Plantation in Antigua, Betty's Hope.

St. Lucia played a critical role in winning the American Revolution, when the British stationed in St. Lucia missed seeing French ships leave Martinique, headed for Yorktown, VA. We visit St. Lucia, and discover an island with a magical mixture of Indian, African, French and British cultures, and explore the rainforests where cacao, bananas and other tropical delights grow.

Rum was so valuable in the 18th Century, that it was often preferred over money as currency. Rum was the key ingredient in the Triangle Trade that exchanged guns, gold and slaves for this precious liquid. We travel to Guyana to see how Rum is made, and to explore the legend of El Dorado, the city of gold. Chef Staib cooks traditional Guyanan dishes using local ingredients.

Ketchup originated as a fish sauce in Asia. From there British sailors incorporated it into their cooking because it could stand 20 years on the shelf without spoiling. It eventually made its way to America, turning into the tomato-based condiment we use today. Chef Staib travels to Malaysia to trace the origins of ketchup, visits an organic farm, and prepares local Malaysian specialties.

William Penn's family was granted an enormous swath of land in British North America, and Penn decided to try his "Grand Experiment" of allowing religious freedom and self-governance in his new colony of Pennsylvania. These freedoms are reflected in the Declaration of Independence. In this episode, we visit Penn's home, Pennsbury Manor, and learn how he planned a city called Philadelphia.

Chef Staib constantly makes mention of three seminal cookbooks for his 18th Century American dishes: Hannah Glasse's "Art of Cookery," Mary Randolph's "A Virginia Housewife" and Martha Washington's "Booke of Cookery", which Chef Staib gets to see and actually hold. In this episode, we meet these three giants of 18th Century American cuisine, as Chef Staib prepares dishes.

The 5th President, James Monroe, was taught law by his close friend and neighbor Thomas Jefferson, and would spend evenings with his other close friend and neighbor, James Madison. How is it that three of the first five Presidents all came from the tiny town of Charlottesville, Virginia? In this episode learn more about James Monroe and his relationship to Jefferson.

At the end of the 17th Century, Port Royal in Jamaica was awash in pirates, including famous Captain Morgan. Their endless partying suddenly came to a stop when an earthquake gobbled up the tawdry town. Chef Walter visits Port Royal to see the amazing intact underwater city, then cooks on the Rio Grande river, as the Arawaks have done for centuries.

Coffee came to Jamaica in 1740. We climb Jamaica's famous Blue Mountains to visit a modern-day coffee plantation, and Chef Walter prepares an elaborate Jamaican Plantation brunch.

In this very special season finale, we look back at our profiles of the first five presidents, the foods they loved, and the memorable dinners they hosted. We do this from the White House, site of those memorable feasts, and look at the rich history of White House cuisine. A very fitting way to end the Fourth Season of "A Taste of History."