Detail from a broadside circa 1899

Detail from a broadside circa 1899 the “Universal food chopper, and a few of the things it chops,” Landers, Frary & Clark – Connecticut Historical Society

The story of food and drink in Connecticut is one of evolution from small agricultural producers to large, multi-national corporations. Early colonists relied on homegrown crops and livestock for their sustenance, along with the bounty provided by Long Island Sound. Their beverage of choices included locally made wine or distilled spirits, or those imported from England and the West Indies. By the mid-19th century, Connecticut hosted a thriving dairy industry and was a vital producer of milk and eggs during the Civil War. The 20th century witnessed the birth of numerous corporations, including the Peter Paul Candy Manufacturing company in New Haven in 1919, the founding of Pepperidge Farm in Fairfield in the 1930s, and the opening of the first Subway sandwich shop in Bridgeport in 1965.

More on Food and Drink from the CT Digital Archive

Browse more interactive content on the CT Digital Archive website.

Read More

Featured

A Candy Bar Empire in Naugatuck

Almond Joy and Mounds were two of the most popular candy bars sold by Naugatuck's Peter Paul Manufacturing Company, an enterprise begun by Armenian immigrant Peter Halajian. …[more]

Learn More

Websites

“Connecticut Wine Trail,” 2009. Link.

Documents

Florence Griswold Museum and Lyme Historical Society Archives. “Photographs: Shad Nets,” 2013. Link.
Getchis, T., L. Williams, and A. May. “Seed Oystering.” Connecticut Sea Grant, University of Connecticut, 2007. Link.

Books

Lehman, Eric D., and Amy Nawrocki. A History of Connecticut Food: A Proud Tradition of Puddings, Clambakes and Steamed Cheeseburgers. Charleston, SC: History Press, 2012.
Lehman, Eric D., and Amy Nawrocki. A History of Connecticut Wine: Vineyard in Your Backyard. Charleston, SC: History Press, 2011.
McFarland, Raymond. A History of the New England Fisheries: With Maps. Philadelphia; New York: University of Pennsylvania; D. Appleton and Company, 1911. Link.
Simmons, Amelia. American Cookery, or, the Art of Dressing Viands, Fish, Poultry, and Vegetables: And the Best Modes of Making Pastes, Puffs, Pies, Tarts, Puddings, Custards, and Preserves: And All Kinds of Cakes, from the Imperial Plumb to Plain Cake, Adapted to This Country, and All Grades of Life. Hartford, CT: Hudson & Goodwin, 1796. Link.
Johnson, Ellen Wadsworth. Hartford Election Cake and Other Receipts: Chiefly from Manuscript Sources. Hartford, CT: Fowler & Miller, 1889. Link.

Articles

LaRue, Jennifer. “America’s First Cookbook.” CT Explored, 2006. Link
Wilson, Jenny. “Battling Bootleggers, Rum Runners and Secret Supplies of Hooch: Prohibition Era’s Dry Squads and Patrol Boats Struggled to Stop the Illegal Flow of Liquor.” Hartford Courant, April 25, 2014, sec. Moments In History | Courant 250. Link.