Celebrating Baltimore

 Baltimore has always been a city full of food and recipes.It's one of our oldest cties and one that comes with a tradition of seafood and ale.It's also known for other amazing foods and chefs.

Seafood , especially crabs have long been a staple .It became part of the diet of the Susquanhannock tribes that first inhabited the area. Blue crab became popular from its' earliest days,Tourists flock to the city today have them fried and served with apple cider vinegar. Crab cakes are another Baltimore classic.Most restaurants and seafood shacks serve them. They're easy to make at home. You'll need good quality lump crab meat mixed with mayo and chopped celery.It's  then combined with eggs , Old Bay seasoning Worcester sauce and parsley.,Patties areformed and then fried in vegetable oil until golden. Old Bay itself is a Baltimore tradition. Yes, you can use it in crab cakes but it';s also goodf sprinkled on lobster or shrimp. You can even  use it as a dry rub for chicken.Sauerkraut is another strangely Maryland must try.Thanks to the German immigrants coming to the city, this German must have is popular with several dishes. have it with the city's  favorite beer, National Bohmian or  Natty Boh as it's locally called available exclusively in Maryland.

Thrasher's fries are another treat Baltimoreans love. These originally came from Georgia and became a staple of first Ocean Cty , the seaside town and then Baltimore. Pit beef is another must eat when visiting this historic city. (it's where Francis Scott Key wrote our national anthem during the British attack of 1814). This is a kaiser roll loaded with thinly sliced char broiled roast beef.Most eat it with a slice of raw onion or tiger sauce - a mix of mayonnaise and horseradish. Oysters are another fun snack food or main course too.Many a restaurant will serve either pit beef or oysters to satisfy all tastes. What about signature desserts? Snowballs are consumed on a hot day. This is not like Hawaiian shaved ice but finely packed shaved ice packed into a cup and then doused with syrups. There is the sky blue made with eggs, vanilla and sugar along with a Tiger's blood , a combo of watermelon, coconut and strawberry. A marshmallow creme is poured over the ice for a creamy sweet flavor. The ice comes in a wide variety of flavors such a smint or grape.

Baltimore is a food lover's dream. It has classic crab cakes to Snowballs.It's worth a trip to see this famous port. It's historic , but also delicious.

Thoughts go out to the families affected by the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse. Stay strong.

Maryland Cuisine ,From Surf To Turf

Maryland is a state that offers all sorts of vatieties.There is the sleek cosmopolitan feel of Baltimore, the romantic, historic feel of the Chesapeake Bay area, the laid back, summer fun of Ocean City.The cuisine of the Old Line State is just as diverse.There are so many dishes from the land and sea,making for a rich ,exciting buffet of tasty dishes. It's no great wonder that Chesapeake mean bay of shellfish in Algonquin. The Chesapeake has always been known for it's delectable crab dishes.Blue crab abound in the many inlets.Of course the most famous dish involving the shredded crab along with the famed Old Bay seasoning, a mix of celery salt ,black and red peppers,cardamon, mustard and clove.It's actually an easy recipe ,with the addition of eggs and breadcrumbs..Blue crabs can be also served breaded and fried while still in their shells. The state is also known for soup and salad featuring the marine animal..However crabs aren't the only stars of Maryland cuisine.Oysters figure prominently as well.Many seafood restaurants pride themselves on their deep fried oyster fritters along with a savory oyster pie made with them as well as a variety of vegetables..Meats play an important part of the state culinary history.There is Maryland style pit beef which is a brisket cooked in a below ground pit or hole.Vinegar is added as the only flavoring .It's sliced thin and served on a roll with horseradish ,sliced raw onion and mayo.Since Maryland is really a Southern state there are also ham and biscuits.The ham is corned and stuffed with kale,cabbage and onions while the biscuits are made with a dough that's been mallet beaten for twenty to thirty minutes. The state is also known for some famous desserts.Many think of Lord and Lady Baltimore cakes,because of their names. Lady Baltimore actually originated in turn of the Twentieth, Century Baltimore and evolved from the lady cakes of the day.What is more reflective is the Smith Island Cake.This was brought from England when the state was a colony.It is a ten layer vanilla cake with chocolate icing.The size and richness suited the hearty appetites of the fishermen from the area.Peaches are in another popular state recipe,a peach pot pie,full of the ripe fruit,brown sugar and Madeira wine.A less decadent is the Dover cake a simple pound cake,flavored with nutmeg and rose brandy.Huckleberry pudding is also a nice end, which is a flour based pudding loaded with the sweet berries.Most of the desserts represent Maryland's rich English and Colonial heritage and many of the desserts could be straight out of a Jane Austen novel. Maryland is a state full of diversity.There's the sophisticated city of Baltimore for elegant dining and desserts and the bay and ocean front towns, with tasty seafood and hearty cakes.Each dish shows the many facets of this state ,ripe with history and nature.