1749 – Kitchen Gardens in French Canada

Linked by Michael Levenston

A history about the culinary history of New France, in French. Link to this book here.

Peter Kalm’s Travels into North America

From the earliest days of settlement in North America, town and country Kitchen Gardens were essential to the survival of the new inhabitants. One traveller, the Swedish naturalist Peter Kalm, has written extensively about what he saw during his travels in French Canada in 1749 (Volume 3) and he spends considerable time writing about the plants that were grown and used in people’s gardens.

His three volume Travels into North America : containing its natural history, and a circumstantial account of its plantations and agriculture in general, with the civil, ecclesiastical and commercial state of the country, the manners of the inhabitants, and several curious and important remarks on various subjects is a treasure trove of fascinating history of life in North America 250 years ago.

From Peter Kalm’s Travels, Page 119, Volume 3, in Quebec City (population 8,000 in 1750)

“The Kitchen herbs, succeed very well here. The white cabbage is very fine, but sometimes suffers greatly from worms. Onions (Allium cep) are very much in use here, together with other species of leeks. They likewise plant several species of gourds, melons, salads, wild succory or wild endives (Cichorium Intybus), several kinds of peas, beans, French beans, carrots and cucumbers. They have plenty of red beets, horseradishes and common radishes, thyme and marjoram.

“Turnips are found in abundance, and used chiefly in winter. Parsnips are sometimes eaten, though not very common. Few people took notice of potatoes; and neither the common (Solanum tuberous) nor the Bermuda ones (Convolvulus Batatas) were planted in Canada. When the French were asked why they do not plant potatoes, they answer that they cannot find any relish in them, and they laugh at the English who are so fond of them.

“Throughout all North America, the root cabbage (Brassica gongylodes. Linn.) * is unknown to the Swedes, English, Dutch, Irish, Germans and French. [*This is the kind of cabbage, with large round edible roots, which grow out above the ground wherein it differs from the turnip-cabbage (Brassica Nuprasicca) whose root grows in the ground. Both are common in Germany, and the former likewise in Italy.]

“Those who have been employed in sowing and planting kitchen herbs in Canada, and have had some experience in gardening, told me that they were obliged to send for fresh seeds from France very year, because they commonly lose their strength here in the third generation, and do not produce such plants as would equal the original ones in taste and goodness.”

The Meals in Quebec 1749 – Peter Kalm

(While reading this old book, you will notice the “s” is typeset as “f” which will get some getting used to when reading the text. Also, some spelling of words is different from our current standard. Mike)