"Anadama" bread (from Rockport, MA?)

Wed Nov 16 00:11:29 UTC 2005

The Boston Globe should have provided us with the etymological answer for
"anadama" bread, but I can't seem to find a good citation. It's bread made from
corn meal and molasses. "Anna, damn her" is one of the food etymology
classics  that I wanted to solve. The story doesn't seem to show up before 1949!
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(PROQUEST HISTORICAL NEWSPAPERS)
_Gloucester  Gourmets Justly Proud of Fish Dishes_
(http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=0&did=216097002&SrchMode=1&sid=2&Fmt=10&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=30
9&VName=HNP&TS=1132096971&clientId=65882)
By Harriet Jean  Anderson. The Washington Post (1877-1954).  Washington,
D.C.: Aug 24, 1949. p. B7 (1 page)
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_A  Bread Born by Accident_
(http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=1&did=660936082&SrchMode=1&sid=7&Fmt=10&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=HNP&TS=11320994
16&clientId=65882)
ANADAMA. Los Angeles Times (1886-Current File). Los Angeles, Calif.:  Dec 28,
1972. p. G16 (1 page)
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(NEWSPAPERARCHIVE)
     _The Salisbury Times_
(http://www.newspaperarchive.com/Viewer.aspx?img=n9tPhCVbEnaKID/6NLMW2gMWk38I3OxSGexbYCEeg92d5XSGz6G6XQ==)  _Thursday,  July 22,
1954_
(http://www.newspaperarchive.com/Search.aspx?Search=rockport+and+bread+and+molasses+AND+date:1954-07-22)  _Salisbury,_
(http://www.newspaperarchive.com/Search.aspx?Search=rockport+and+bread+and+molasses+AND+cityid:25627+AND+stat
eid:49)   _Maryland_
(http://www.newspaperarchive.com/Search.aspx?Search=rockport+and+bread+and+molasses+AND+stateid:49)
...for shortening, Anadama BREAD from ROCKPORT on Cape  Ann. Mass. Tasting
of.....thoroughly mixed add shor- tening,  MOLASSES AND salt. Pour! mixture into
 a..

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_Waukesha Daily Freeman_
(http://www.newspaperarchive.com/Viewer.aspx?img=P9SpTvomPU+KID/6NLMW2qXuS0U8UWJ40Cn3N6dh06sjbtL4V7NJxQ==)  _Thursday,  June 24,
1954_
(http://www.newspaperarchive.com/Search.aspx?Search=rockport+and+bread+and+molasses+AND+date:1954-06-24)  _Waukesha,_
(http://www.newspaperarchive.com/Search.aspx?Search=rockport+and+bread+and+molasses+AND+cityid:32060+AND+stateid
:103)   _Wisconsin_
(http://www.newspaperarchive.com/Search.aspx?Search=rockport+and+bread+and+molasses+AND+stateid:103)
...this recipe for Anad- ama BREAD from ROCKPORT on  Cape Meal Plan Approach
In.....of such good old-fashioned foods as  MOLASSES AND cornmcal, this
yeast-raised..

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_Reno Evening Gazette_
(http://www.newspaperarchive.com/Viewer.aspx?img=olJOpJH/3rKKID/6NLMW2mA7Fu8lVr6r09D1Nf1QbOyUNB3I6gXroA==)  _Thursday,  July 01,
1954_
(http://www.newspaperarchive.com/Search.aspx?Search=rockport+and+bread+and+molasses+AND+date:1954-07-01)  _Reno,_
(http://www.newspaperarchive.com/Search.aspx?Search=rockport+and+bread+and+molasses+AND+cityid:24394+AND+stateid:63)
 _Nevada_
(http://www.newspaperarchive.com/Search.aspx?Search=rockport+and+bread+and+molasses+AND+stateid:63)   ...this recipe  for Ana- dama BREAD from
ROCKPORT on Cap? Ann, Mass. Tasting  of.....thoroughly mixed add shor- tening,
MOLASSES  AND salt. Pour mixture into a..
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(ADS-L POSTING)
>From MORE RECIPES FOR FIFTY (Boston, 1918) by Frances Lowe Smith, pg.  17:

_Yami-Dami Bread_
1 quart boiling water
1  cup rye meal
2 cups corn meal
1/4 cup shortening
1 cup molasses
2  tablespoons salt
1 yeast cake in 1/2 cup cold water
1 1/2 quarts bread  flour
1 quart rye or barley flour
Mix corn and  rye meal, add boiling water, stir until smooth.  Add salt,
fat, and  molasses; cool.  Add dissolved yeast and bread flour.  Beat  well,
and add rye or barley flour to knead as soft as can be handled.   Let rise
over night; shape, let rise until double in bulk, and bake an hour  or more in
moderate oven.  Makes three large loaves.

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(GOOGLE)
_http://www.anadamabread.com/_ (http://www.anadamabread.com/)
        This is truly a "bit" of  Rockport, MA, for Anadama Bread originated
in this town many years ago.  This is the true story of a local fisherman
whose lazy wife always gave  him steamed corn meal mush and molasses for dinner.
One day when he came  in from fishing, he found the same corn meal mush and
molasses for dinner  and being very tired of it, he decided to mix it with bread
flour and  yeast and baked it saying, "Anna Damn Her." The bread was so
delicious  that his neighbors baked it calling it Anadama Bread. Anadama was first
baked by the Smith family at 5 Main Street in Rockport during the 1940's  and
then later at a modern bakery built by the railroad station in  Rockport, MA.
The company went out of business in 1972 dues to the death  of William P.C.
Smith, Melissa C. Smith's husband who ran the operation.  The Smith Family owned
several Rockport, MA and Gloucester, MA businesses  from 1929 - 1998
including The Blacksmith Shop Restaurant, The Easterly  Inn, The Faraday Inn, The
Anadama Bread Bakery, and The Cable House Guest  House. Many people still bake
this bread but don't know the real secret to  making it extra chewy and deeply
molasses sweet that only the original old  fashioned recipe can bring to the
bread. This website is dedicated to all  the people who remember this bread and
want to bake it in the authentic  style.
With Deep Respect,
Melissa Ann  Smith
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(OED, March 2004 revision)

anadama bread, n.

U.S. regional (New England).
Forms: 19- amadama bread, Ammy Dammy bread, anadama bread. [< anadama, of
unknown origin + _BREAD_
(http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/crossref?query_type=misspelling&queryword=anadama&first=1&max_to_show=10&sort_type=alpha&search_id=CVhw-
65gmR7-9423&control_no=null&result_place=1&xrefword=bread&ps=n.&homonym_no=1)
 n.1]
A traditional yeast bread made with  corn meal and molasses.
1915  Dial. Notes  4 239 Ammy Dammy bread, a kind of loaf bread.  Recipe from
Old Salem Tavern. 1939  I. WOLCOTT  Yankee Cook Bk. 145 Anadama  bread. 1979
M. CUNNINGHAM & J. LABER Fannie  Farmer Cookbk. 471 Anadama Bread...
This..batter  bread..is an American classic. 1991  Martha Stewart Living Sept.-Oct.
103 Travelers tell of the quintessentially American Anadama bread,  textured
with cornmeal, that turned up at a bake sale.  2000  C. THAYER  Certain Slant of
Light xv. 141  Made some anadama bread yesterday. It's over on the  corner.