Why do New Jerseyans love taylor ham/pork roll, tomato pie, & salt water taffy? Most of us eat without giving a thought to the history & culture that shapes our dining habits. The New Jersey Council for the Humanities (NJCH) is proud to present Key Ingredients: America by Food, a Smithsonian Institution traveling exhibition which explores the connections between Americans & the foods they produce, prepare, preserve, & present at table. The exhibition will tour New Jersey from May 2008 through March 2009 and will give New Jerseyans an opportunity to celebrate their state’s local food heritage.

A Key Ingredients kiosk on display at Historic Walnford.

…..New Jersey is where grape juice, the tomato pie and M&Ms were invented?

…..Food in New Jersey has been synonymous with ethnic, national, religious and racial diversity since it was a colony?

….That the Garden State still produces tens of thousands of pounds of blueberries, tomatoes and cranberries on its nearly 800,000 acres of farmland annually?

It’s true! You can learn more about New Jersey’s fascinating food history, culture and traditions at Key Ingredients: America by Food. Visiting 6 sites across New Jersey, this Smithsonian exhibit and its accompanying events and programs are sure to satisfy. From clambakes to cook-offs, there’s something for everyone.

It doesn’t stop there! To augment the Smithsonian Key Ingredients exhibit, New Jersey host sites will present local exhibitions and programs that explore the changing culinary traditions of our state’s population. As one of the most diverse and densely populated states in the country, New Jersey’s food history is really the history of America.

Key Ingredients is part of Museum on Main Street, a unique collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES), state humanities councils across the nation, and local host institutions. To learn more about Key Ingredients and other Museum on Main Street exhibitions, visit www.museumonmainstreet.org. Support for Key Ingredients in New Jersey has also been made possible by Campbell’s Soup, Ocean Spray Cranberries and Jerseyporkroll.com.

Key Ingredients will visit the
following New Jersey locations:

HISTORIC WALNFORD (Monmouth County)
May 31 - July 13

WOODBINE (Cape May County)
July 19 - August 27

TUCKERTON (Ocean County)
September 6 - October 19

WOODBURY (Gloucester County)
October 25 - December 6

MORRISTOWN (Morris County)
December 13 - January 25, 2009

TRENTON (Mercer County)
January 31 - March 15

Click on the links above to learn more about each Key Ingredients host venue and the events they are planning. Don’t miss your chance to tease your tastebuds and share your stories!

For further information:
call 1-888-FYI-NJCH (394-6524)
or e-mail Mary Grace Whealan, Program Officer at mwhealan@njch.org