Ashtabula weekly telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1880-1886, 1880-07-23
Boston Beans - The New England
City's FaYOrite Dish.

THOUGH Boston has acquired some
fame as a consumer of this esculent,
baked beans have been from time inn
memorial favorite dish throughout
New England. The sturdy men and
women Of generations ago, who braved
dangers and hardships in planting an
independent colony, added strength to
their sinews and muscles by eating SIM
pie food, of which baked beans were
much cherished ingredient, and of all
ancient dishes none have stood better
the test of time and the caprices of the
appetites of the people. But tits little
singular that, while New England is so
large a consumer of baked beans, and
New Englanders, more especially the
residents of Boston, have acquired the
mystery of cooking them perfectly, the
dish is not in much favor elsewhere, and
that the knowledge of baking them prop
erly is exceedingly limited. 1t may be
said that one circumstance is due to
anOther-that is, that where it is not
known how to bake beans properly, they
are naturally not popular article of
diet. If the method and process of bak-
ing were patented, it could hardly be
more exclusively held by New England
ers. In New York and other munich
paNties, contempt is often expressed
for the Athenian love for baked beans,
and yet not long ago fashionable club
house, on the occasion of special gath
ering, sent by express to this city for
twenty two-quart pots of Boston baked
beans. This manner of obtaining dish
they affect to despise is frequently re-
sorted to, with profit alike to the buyer
and seller. An experienced baker of
this city, being asked why baked beans
were not as popular in New York as in
Boston, said: "Because they don't
know how to cook them. They don't
soak them enough, boil them too much,
and then take them out of the oven be-
fore they are half baked" "But it
would be easy enough for them to learn
how TO cook themp" "Well, if it is,
they don't learn. That much know" ."
There is lunch counter in one Of the
busiest sections of New York where
genuine Boston baked beans are served,
which is reported TO be doing a thriving
business. Travellers in the West and
South have noticed in the windows OF
restaurants in cities and towns placards
announcing Bostsn baked beans, but, on
entering and eating dish, find but lit
tie resemblance between it and the
''home article" Custom has prescribed
either Saturday night or Sunday morn
ing as the "correct time" for eating
baked beans, and the scene at the
bakers then is the busiest of the week
Among the hundreds of bakers In thu
!, city there are but few who do not "pu
to soak" on Friday night from one K
five barrels of beans, which added Il
the number cooked in private dwellings
viii give one conception of how wei
deserving is Boston Of her fame as
beau-eonsuming city. A well infOrme'
gentleman estimates that the consump
ton of beans in Boston is about 2O
| barrels per week, or about 10000 bar
, rels per year. one reason why Bostol
, baked beans are considered better thal
, any others is that almost invariably the
I are baked in brick ovens over night
J Besides baking quantity to sell, tn
' bakers, for the nominal sum OF nv
4 cents per pot, receive and bake tn
\ beans that are prepared by their Gus
' toners, thus adding materially to the
4 own profit and the convenience of tn
J. public. 1t is a fact, certainly nc
universally known, that there is
. Boston an establishment devoted excl
Z sively to the baking of beans, entirel
separate from canning institution.
Is the only establishment Of the kind
y the world, probably, and It Is excee
\ lngly doubtful whether it could live an
= where else. At all events, attemp
i have been made TO establish similar
4 sdtutions elsewhere, and nothing b
failure hAs been the result, and it Is nc