Elections and Cakes: Connecticut Revolutions at the New Haven Museum

Getting the right to vote in 18th century Connecticut was a revolution. So was the election cake that celebrated it in the 19th century. Through the fiction of Harriet Beecher Stowe, journals of Thoreau, sermons, petitions by Black citizens, period cookbooks, and more, food historian Linda Civitello will present, “Elections and Cakes: Connecticut Revolutions,” at the New Haven Museum (NHM) on Saturday, October 5, 2024, at 2 p.m. Register for this free event here.

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Election cake was a descendant of festive British great cakes, more like a fancy bread. The Constitution State made the cake its own. Civitello will highlight what elections and Connecticut’s famous cake meant to early voters, and how it is more relevant than ever during this election year. She hopes to impart an understanding of how difficult baking was in the past, the importance of Connecticut in food history, and the role of cake in American history. There will be samples available of authentic election cake made from a historic recipe using heirloom flour. 

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Civitello has lectured and written on a wide range of food-related topics, from the history of chocolate to racism in food. She is fascinated by everything cake and is writing a book on the history of food in Connecticut.

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