Newfoundland households love a cozy kitchen filled with family and friends and the typical Newfoundland party atmosphere. To the surprise of many, Newfoundland has its own signature style cuisine. Its long winters and brilliant, sun-filled shorter summers makes for the ideal environment to catch up on family recipes passed down from one generation to the next and the innovation of today’s modern Newfoundland cooks who give these recipes a new appeal.
Welcome to Newfoundland’s Kitchen Parties
The first thing the new brides in Newfoundland learn is how to utilize all of the freshness of each season’s bounty. Creating a kitchen that is like a dinner invitation is important in summer or winter. There are plenty of opportunities to create barbecues that take cooks from their kitchens to the outdoors where the fresh salt air of the great expanse of Atlantic breezes add to the flavors of Newfoundland dishes.
Traditional Newfoundland Cuisine
There are many traditional Newfoundland dishes like Fish N’Brewis, a mélange of salt cod, an important ingredient in many Newfoundland kitchens local, salty Purity bread. This is served with pork scrunchions, tasty salty bacon and may be offered with vegetables on the side. This is a wonderful dish for young cooks to try because it is simple, quick and easy to prepare. Fish is served smoked outdoors in summer with little work or time involved. In a Newfoundland kitchen, no party is complete without a “duff” which, in summer might be made with local partridge berries or in winter “figgy” duff made without figs. (Ref. http://encounternewfoundland.com/traditional-newfoundland-food-unique-island-dishes-and-where-to-find-them/)
Another tradition among Newfoundlanders is seal flipper pie. As its name implies, this is the meaty cartridge of the knuckle of the seal flipper. Many kitchen parties in Newfoundlanders’ home also include toutons, a kind of fried dough. These are ideal for kitchen parties planned for brunch.
Don’t forget to provide something to drink. For adults, this might be one of the family’s home brews or for the kids, fruit flavored soft drinks.
Kitchen Party Extras
Newfoundland is the most distinctive of all Canadian provinces. The climate can be like spinning a roulette wheel. This doesn’t stop Newfoundlanders from enjoying family and friends gathered in the warmth of a kitchen, eating delicious meals and then gathering for a music and song fest. Newfoundlanders are quite proud of their inherent love of music and often invite guests from outside of the province to enjoy the signature Newfoundland music style.
The Newfoundland Kitchen
Today’s Newfoundland kitchens may be outfitted with the most modern appliances. Yet, there is something remarkably rustic about the curtains, accessories and the all important dining table and comfortable chairs. Be sure to provide sufficient seating for family and guests that is comfortable enough to go from dinner to after dinner entertainment. (Ref. http://www.foodnetwork.ca/shows/great-canadian-cookbook/photos/a-true-newfoundland-kitchen-party/#!1-newfoundland-kitchen-party-lynn-walking)
No Newfoundland kitchen party is complete without a few musicians who play basic instruments like concertinas, accordions, fiddles, a tambour drums or two and a harmonica. A kitchen party song fest is sure to evoke memories of traditional folk tunes and the most interesting lyrics.