I'm not sure how I missed the release of this book back in April 2011. In my defence I guess my food blog was still in its infancy and I wasn't quite as plugged into the stream of food news that I am these days. I have always been a local history nerd - I get sucked into books about Victoria more easily than any other kind of non-fiction. I am fascinated by how much has changed about our city in such a relatively short amount of time.
This book covers the very early history of the Victoria food scene, from the founding of Fort Victoria through the Gold Rush, the establishment of Victoria as the hub of BC and into the early part of the 20th century. The focus is on how early Victorians acquired the 'basics' — meat, bread, vegetables, coffee and spices and, of course, beer. I was surprised by the sheer number of goods that were produced in Victoria and then exported around the Province and the world. I was surprised to see how many of our current food trends are reflected strongly in the early history of Victoria!
Purchase "Feeding the Family" at a bookstores, the Museum gift shop, or online at Amazon.
