The Great Molasses Flood of 1919

It doesn't make much sense to have a blog about New York and be talking about Boston - but I'm visiting my sister (Lindsay) here until tomorrow morning and I found myself pondering why they call this place "Beantown"...

Back in colonial days, a favorite Boston food was beans baked in molasses for several hours. Back then, Boston was sort of awash in molasses - it was part of the "triangular trade" in which slaves in the Caribbean grew sugar cane to be shipped to Boston to be made into rum to be sent to West Africa to buy more slaves to send to the West Indies. Even after the end of this practice, Boston continued as a big rum producing city - until the Great Molasses Flood of 1919 (which killed 21), occurred when a tank holding molasses for rum production exploded.

Today, Boston baked beans are something of a rarity - there are no companies in the city making it and only a few restaurants serve it.

Well, that settles it. I'm finding a restaurant that serves BBB by the end of the day. Any product that results in a Molasses flood has got to be worth hunting, finding, and trying.

Now we just have to get through the snow that started last night and hasn't stopped since...