Skip to Content

“Traditional Newfoundland Food: An Entirely 19th Century Invention”

Dr. Roger Pickavance

Newfoundland Kitchen

When Roger Pickavance arrived in Newfoundland from Wales in the 1960s, he was fascinated by foods he had never heard of before. Traditional Newfoundland dishes sparked Roger’s life-long habit of poking his nose into kitchens across the island, asking questions and taking notes.

Dr. Pickavance will argue that, far from being a centuries-old tradition, what we think of as “traditional” Newfoundland food is very much a product of the second half of the 19th century.

Roger Pickavance is a retired professor at Memorial University who has devoted his life to the study of Newfoundland cuisine.