Syracuse Salt Potatoes
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- Опубликовано: 30 авг 2022
- Food is an integral part of history, defining culture and affecting the prosperity of a region. Many dishes illuminate the past and connect us to the people that came before us. Join The History Guy for the forgotten history of the salt potatoes of Syracuse, New York.
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Script by JCG
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Greetings from Ireland , Potatoes boiled in Salt water and in there jackets are still a good staple food in my household :) lots of good dairy butter its the best!
and the best spud for this i use is Kerrs Pink.
@@chanc8r38 now I need to try pink potatoes!
Tons of Irish heritage in Syracuse, especially west side and Tipperary Hill ☘️
From what I understand, Ireland has the worlds best butter as well! (Kerry Gold?)
@@ohredbrd it is a big brand and yes it is quality :) but also lot of Co-Op regions in Ireland have great butter and dairy
I'm from Endicott, NY. Lamb speidies, salt potatoes, and corn on the cob makes for a perfect cookout.
Grew up eating salt potatos in Rochester NY and my dad grew up in Greene, NY. None of us knew it was a local thing, we just figured everyone knew about it. This is great.
Do they taste different from other potatoes cooked in salt and served in butter or is this just an interesting factoid alone?
@@b_uppy not really, but you use a LOT of salt for good salt potatoes
@@b_uppy basically different texture because cooked faster with the VERY Large amount of salt used in the water.
@@b_uppy Yeah say if you were to boil potatoes with the water you would use for pasta, you might as well just use water. Usually we only make salt potatoes for a special occassion like thanksgiving or something like a wedding party/ 4th of july party. And typically you make a whole lot at the same time with an unholy amount of salted butter to throw on top. I just figured the whole thing was as common as baking a potato or boiling a potato, I didn't know it had a local origin, at, all.
I am 61 and from the Midwest. I had never heard of them before.
Now that’s a story worth its salt.
“Worth his salt” came from, I was told, sailors who by law must be given a portion of salt with their food every day. A capable sailor was considered “worth his salt.”
Wife is from Watertown, NY, and introduced me to these.
What a beautiful well researched piece. I was born in Syracuse, yet never realized that salt potatoes were literally born here.Thank you for such a lovely presentation of this fascinating piece of history!
Born & raised here. Syracuse has so much history. It might be considered part of the Rust Belt now, but it used to be a hub for great industry & the Underground Railroad.
Thanks! I live in the Philippines where new crops of (small white) potatoes are a year round thing. I have always loved boiled potatoes. The 5 lb of spuds with 12 oz of salt you mentioned is all I need. Before the weekend is over, this will be on my plate. 🙂
Why?
Moved to Syracuse from California in 1986 and salt potatoes were one of the first foods I had there at a Syracuse Chiefs baseball game. Moved from Syracuse years ago but love salt potatoes to this day!
No summer picnic in Central New York was complete without salt potatoes, Grandma Brown's Beans or coneys on the grille! Thank you for this most interesting back story.
Being born and raised near Syracuse, we never knew that salt potatoes were reginal food. I mail my 3 daughters who live out west potatoes for Memorial Day the 4th of July and Labour Day. Thier friends and family who have never had them are amazed.
Grew up south of Utica and ate these every chance I got as a kid.
What about riggies?
@@waynemontpetit8181 I have made them for friends down here and I never have left overs.
Would be interesting if you covered Spiedies.
Southern tier!
I had a pair of those super tight Spiderman underwear. I could do flips jumping on the bed and everything.
My dad drove a truck for about 50 years. He ran to New York State a lot. He hated going in the city but upstate New York he loved. Thanks to him I knew exactly what we were talking about here. They're really good.
took my holiday in Upstate NY and was introduced to these. You can buy sacks of spuds with the appropriate amount of salt included in the bag.
Too much salt, really. Usually we use about half what's in there.
@@rhoetusochten4211 Ah, but by watching The History Guy we learn that proper salt potatoes cooked in salt brine create a different potato texture that is very tasty and excellent. When boiled in just salted water, you just get boiled potatoes.
@@zz449944 it doesn't take that much salt to get the result.
You definitely want the creamy/mealy center, and it takes quite a bit of salt... but the amount they out in the bag is more for visual effect than for the cooking process.
4# small potatoes, 1# salt in 6 quarts of water.
I was born in Syracuse in 1950 and left a few months later after my dad was called to active service (USMC). The only thing I knew my grandfather, immigrated from Wales circa 1900, worked at Syracuse China after migrating from Scranton, PA in early 1930's. My dad was born in Scranton in 1928. Learned more about my birth city from this then I ever knew.
I live about an hour away from Syracuse now, but lived there for quite a few years. I would always hear people talking about their Syracuse China. They are very proud it. I'm not familiar with it myself, but it seem to be something very important to their history.
I live "down the road" from Syracuse. The New York State Fair, hosted just outside Syracuse every August, has salt potatoes in abundance.
Grew up in Syracuse and still eat those lovely salt potatoes today!
If anyone is curious about "the terrapin of baltimore" that's referring to diamondback terrapins which were harvested to near extinction to make turtle soup.
Scouring the internet for this, thanks!
I'm curious about everything.
Thank you.
Born, raised, and live in Syracuse. I've ate my fair share of salt potatoes! Never realized it's not common everywhere in the US though.
Having grown up there, this brought back memories.
Grew up in Syracuse in the 50's and 60's. Hard to believe that they used the sun to extract the salt. It was generally believed that Syracuse was one of, if the the most, cloudy locations in the country. I certainly remember more overcast days than sunny, maybe that's why I enjoy cloudy days so much.
"Syracuse is where clouds go to die." Rick Pitino.
MadDad There is a Bell Displayed at the Museum that was rung to warn of Rain Approaching . The images of the Pans show the roofs that were rolled over to Cover the Salt Pans . Clouds are like Salt Potatoes , if you grow up with them you think they are Normal .
I moved from the are to Florida & a lot of my health problems improved with less clouds, more sun
I am from Rochester, went to Syracuse. Salt potatoes and white hots are new York delicacies!
I grew up in Liverpool NY, and have loved salt potatoes for years and was surprised when some people from Idaho had never heard of salt Potatoes. I told them take seed potatoes, boil them in brine and serve with butter.
Heid’s!
Ran into salt potatoes in 1968 at the New York State Fair. I was old enough to appreciate the potatoes, moved from the area, never knew the history of of the salt, thank you. The pronunciation of Onondaga has only 2 "n"s not three, fantastic history!
Hehehe, I missed that. Going to have to rewarch.Re-watch.. 😁👍
Grew up in the area and a lot of us only pronounced the first N 🤪
@@fnjesusfreak that's actually how I remembered it too, but I deferred to the accepted authorities. Lol
@Les Franks same here, but 1989 or 1990.
I'm another person who grew up in upstate NY and had no idea salt potatoes were a local thing until I moved out of state. they were just a normal part of growing up to us.
Incredible. I live in Oswego lol
same here!!!
Cooked so many at carnivals over the years that I don't even need a physical recipe in front of me. Boil until they float and then they're done. Serve with melted butter and repeat. Taught someone at a fire dept function and they were taken back how simple it was.
Grew up in Syracuse and salt potatoes were always around. When I moved to Ohio, no one knew what I was asking for at the store. Later, our Boy Scout troop was selling "Indian Fry Bread" as a fundraiser at the Heritage Festival and did quite well, but needed something more. I suggested we have the boys cook up in a huge pan over the fire, "Old Fashioned Salt Potatoes"! We sold out every year we offered them. People would stop by multiple times during the long weekend for more! THANKS for the history that I really did not know about!!
Grew up there. Summers were clam bakes with salt potatoes. Large dairy area and so clams, salt potatoes and sweet corn where all covered with butter. Followed by half moon cookies for desert. Probably not considered heart healthy but sure tasty😄
& the tomatoe sandwiches in august
And Byrne Dairy chocolate milk. Especially after a Heids coney!!!! Summers in Liverpool were great and as a kid spent a few nights walking the railroad track and sneaking into the “French Fort” near the lake right next to the salt springs!! Also, Liverpool is the home of the “Salt Museum”!
@@jameslindberg1273 Byrne dairy chocolate milk, & a coney was my dad’s favorite. Good memories!
@@jameslindberg1273 Byrne dairy chocolate milk, & a coney was my dad’s favorite. Good memories!
@@rosalindr4975 I live in the Tidewater (Virginia Beach) area now and a few years ago we had a Wegmans open up. So I can get salt potatoes, Hoffman coneys and Gianelli sausages. It’s like going home!
While my grandmother was Icelandic from the old country, she would fix Salt Potatoes for us kid's when our cousins were out from North Dakota in the 60s. It was for us kids all of the adults enjoyed them as well.
Us 'kids' would dig and wash the potatoes in garden, as I remember we would dig up about 3-5 five gallon pails of potatoes to get enough small potatoes for the gathering.
Of course us kid's would be dirty so we got washed off with the garden hose...
Thank you so much. Grew up in the Syracuse and Rochester areas. Salt potatoes are ubiquitous at every cookout, fair, carnival, or summer event there. I live in Maryland now but Wegmans has the bagged salt potatoes here so I can eat them with my Zweigles and Country Sweet just as I did as a kid. I always thought the story at the salt mines was a legend. Thank you for this video.
Wegmans for the win!
I live in Buffalo and our Wegmans doesn't have bagged salt potatoes. I have to buy the potatoes and salt separately. (Or retreat to Tops...)
Living in Rochester, NY, salt potatoes have been a staple here all my life (hovering around 60 years), and are the best way to prepare small potatoes. My son-in-law is from Ireland, and absolutely loves them now! If you have never had them, do yourself a favor and go for it!
Never knew the history behind it, but salt potatoes and Spiedies have always been an enjoyable part of my upbringing here in NY.
Having lived in the central New York/Syracuse area for most of my life, summer would not be summer without salt potatoes served at many meals. Salty outside, delicate skins of young potatoes, creamy inside and dipped in butter...yum!!
Salt potatoes, known locally as _Papas Arrugadas_ ("wrinkly potatoes") are traditional in the Canary Isles, often served as a starter with mojo rojo (a garlic/pepper/chilli sauce). I noticed that Tenerife supermarkets were selling potatoes for this dish which were Maris Pipers from UK - but the smaller ones as UK shoppers prefer the larger ones for making chips (that's fries to 'Merkins).
You beat me to it! From what I understood, they are boiled in sea water. Delicious.
That's 'Muricans.
A merkin is a pubic wig.
Thanks. We prefer to be 'Mercans. Look up the definition of Merkin.
@@njoldguy8728 I keep one in a drawer for special occasions. 😉
@@njoldguy8728 I am the Professor of Pubic Awareness. Merkins was the term that the novelist Terry Pratchett adopted. I usually preced it with an apostrophe to indicate the omitted 'A', and to indicate the awareness.
I introduced salt potatoes to my friends here in Washington state and they now make it for their cookouts.. 😁👍
Moved from NY (Utica) now Im in Oregon and did the same. Everyone whos tried them thinks they are great.
I was born and raised in Syracuse. I've lived in the NYC Metro area for most of my adulthood. Along with salt potatoes and Hoffman's hotdogs, one of the foods I miss most is fried Haddock. Syracuse was largely Catholic. (Italian, Irish, Polish & German) Procuring Deep fried Haddock on Fridays often resulted in long waits at the local fish fry.
Doug’s fish fry in Skeneatalas !
Lived in Syr. for 50 years. Every time we visit you have to go to Doug's, Heid's hot dogs and eat Hinerwadels Salt Potatoes. I really miss Hinerwadels Clambakes.
I live outside of Buffalo in the town that is home to the Erie County Fair, one of the largest county fairs in the country. It celebrated its 182nd birthday this year and is one of summer's major attractions in the region. I can still remember the first time I had salt potatoes at the fair as a child in the 1960's. They have been my only must-have food at the fair ever since.
I found this very interesting on the salt industry in Syracuse. I grew up in NY state and went to Syracuse In the 80s. I remember Syracuse University had an original name as at Saltine Warriors for there mascot.
Dang, I live about 20 miles south and never knew that. I just remember when the Orangemen turned into the Orange.
One of the trumpet section leaders my 1 required year in marching band gave the whole history of the Saltine Warrior and told when it was changed. He told how the original school colors were blue and pink, and when the pink was replaced with orange.
@@rhoetusochten4211 The reason why they were called the Orangemen is because a descendent of William the Conquerer (William of Orange) created the University.
I'm from Louisiana, and we traditionally boil potatoes and corn in with our crawfish, shrimp, and whatever else alien looking thing we can dig out of the swamp, but I had never even heard of salt potatoes until I moved to Connecticut. The only reason I know they exist is because I saw a bag of them in the store. Now that they have been explained to me, I'll be adding these to my pantry!
From Syracuse, live in NOLA, always bring bags down when I travel to see old home.
If your wife has to hit the top of the pot to keep the food from escaping... You might be in Louisiana. 😆
@@ChipmunkRapidsMadMan1869 This is a true statement. We will eat anything that can't eat us first.
@@garywatson3778 alligators are a horse apiece
@@ChipmunkRapidsMadMan1869 Whoever catches it gets its teeth.
Lived in Syracuse most of my life. Moved to Kentucky for a year when I was a kid, the entire concept of salt potatoes scared the locals. The bags have gotten smaller throughout the years, but we still buy them. Its a tradition we won't turn our backs on.
Back in the Saddle Again Naturally!
A company I worked many years for had a branch in Rochester, NY, and their culinary claim to fame was something known as the
“Garbage Plate.” It’s basically a bunch of traditional lunch items all piled on a single plate, kind of like a food mountain. Anytime I
visited that branch, lunchtime conversation inevitably centered on who’s turn it was to go pick up the garbage plates!
That originated at a diner near downtown Rochester called “Nic Tahou’s”
Nick Tahoes Garbage Plate is infamous and it too deserves to be remembered. God bless old Nick.
@@markthervguy Maybe you mean "Famous". 'Infamous' is actually a derogatory term.
Yes. But have you tasted the garbage plate? Infamous might be the correct term !! 😁
@@eatiegourmet1015 Come on it’s called the “Garbage Plate”. It was where you dragged your drunk self to at 3:00 am to eat and sober up some. They were awesome to eat and hell the next morning. lol
When stationed at the Air Force base in Rome, NY in the early 90's people still refered to Syracuse as "Salt City". Though (I think) few knew exactly why.
Lol. I grew up in Rome and never knew this.
My father was a B-52 instructor pilot at Griffiss for a couple of years before he retired in '74... I was still in elementary school, so I never heard of "Salt City"
I was just staying in Hornell & Bath NY, and they harassed me out after reporting crime. Considering I’m retired military and a ex presidential candidate that’s pretty bad.
You have to love that veterans started the business.
Yep, the canal, the salt lake the salt processing all in Syracuse. We still have a salt city museum and Salt City theater. Although if you go there now, wear Kevlar.
@@elfpimp1 I just though it had come from Utah for the most part. This really was surprising, and also speaks to the environment being a limited resource. As we are discussing this I just got the notification about Time Square now implementing a gun ban. Now for the rest of the nation.
I was raised in the Syracuse area and have grown up eating salt potatoes and while I knew some of the history, I learned a lot here. How cool to see MY local history!
I haven’t even watched it yet and I HAVE to say, THANK YOU for featuring the city nearest my hometown. Very few people know much about Central New York state, and fewer know anything about Syracuse being The Salt City. I was annoyed as a child because my older brother got to go to the Salt Museum on a field trip in grade school but I never had the opportunity (the school nixed the trip, and I never figured out why). Looking forward to another awesome video. ❤️
Edit: Thank you again! Thank you for calling the area Central New York rather than “Upstate” since most NYC residents refer to anything outside the City “upstate”. Also, a little fun fact- the original mascot for Syracuse University (founded 1870) was an Onondaga native warrior named “The Saltine Warrior”. The mascot was changed a long time ago to the now beloved Otto the Orange.
The father of one of my childhood friends worked in the salt mining industry near Syracuse, NY.
It's funny. I have lived in NY my whole life (57 years) and have eaten salt potatoes, probably for every one of those years. I never knew they were a regional dish. That is, until now. Thanks, HG!
I live near Syracuse, every year when I was growing up, we would have family picnics where all the aunts and uncles and their families would come together for barbecued chicken, potato salad, and salt potatoes. It's not a picnic without salt potatoes.
I currently live in Northern NY inside the Adirondack State Park but I'm originally from the Mexico/Oswego area and salt potatoes are a way of life all the way up to the border, I've only rarely seen any outdoor celebration without salt potatoes. They're only properly cooked if the edge of your pot is encrusted with salt after boiling. Lavish amounts of butter are also a must, and they're the perfect thing to eat with corn on the cob, snappies and conies, and 2 dozen clams per person.
A lot of people do not know that central NY has a Village called Mexico, a Village called Phoenix, and a Hamlet called Memphis.
I’m in down state NY and had never heard of these until a Syracuse transplant started working in our office and would talk about these potatoes as the best thing since sliced bread. One day she went crack you to visit and came back with bags of these to sell and I bought one and we cooked them at home and, man, they were damn good!
I grew up and until 16 years ago lived outside Syracuse on Oneida Lake. My son & his family still live there. No clam bake would be proper without the salt Potato. Now living in Mesilla NM we still make this old Syracuse delicacy when we can find the right sized potatoes. Thank you for bringing back great memories of Central NY.
My Grandad had a camp on that lake. South shore very near the marina. Caught many a bass there.
@@koogle612 I had a very dear friend name Joe Mascaro who lived in Brewerton.
I live in So Cal and a relative from NY brought them on a visit. I enjoyed them very much . It's nice to know the rich history behind such a simple dish.
I grew up in Utica, NY, 50 miles east of Syracuse. Back then the legal drinking age was 18 and my friends and I visited many a bar that served salt potatoes. They were usually served in a paperboard basket like you see French fries often served in. Salt potatoes and beer were always great together.
I learned this recipe a few years ago from a cooking channel on RUclips. Salt potatoes are absolutely delicious.
Salt potatoes (Salzkartoffeln) are a thing in Germany. I was an exchange student in the Black Forest area in the late 80's and that's how potatoes were usually cooked, in fact. They really are delicious.
As a native to the area, salt potatoes are a staple at every family cookout. Leftover salt potatoes make excellent potato salad the following day. They are also commonly served with Hoffman hotdogs, aka coneys. Not to be confused with coney hotdogs from Coney Island. The Syracuse version are made by Hoffman and are labeled as German Franks. It can't be a coincidence that Irish salt potatoes were served with German franks seeing how both nationalities worked alongside each other on the Erie canal.
Tremendous I spent half my childhood in Liverpool a Suburb of Syracuse and yes ate those wonderful potatoes. Thanks for zest for history may we never forget.
Heid’ s too?
@@rosalindr4975 they have the greatest hot dogs and coney’s check their history
@@davidmacesr5672 my grandma would go there when she was in “ normal school “ ( college for teachers) , our family has loved them for 4 generations. I moved to Florida and when I was relocating, made sure my husband got to have the experience in Liverpool. We get the hot dogs from aldis in Florida now. The only kind I will eat. Great memories too!
@@rosalindr4975 that’s sweet thanks for the memories
I first encountered Salt Potatoes as an item on a culinary Chef Association menu fundraising dinner in Atlanta in the early 80's. You picked a salad, soup, appetizer, entree, sides, and dessert out of a hat ( actual stovepipe chefs hat ) when you entered the dinner and what you blindly picked was your dinner. I " chose " the salt potatoes as a side and they were delicious but I never knew the history. Thanks History Guy for reminding me of a dinner I had 40 years ago.
I was born in Syracuse in 1980, I was probably eating my first salt potato around the same time!
I attended Syracuse University for a year and never heard of Salt Potatoes. Thanks for enlightening me.
My moms family is from upstate NY. Salt Potatoes are one of the many foods unique to the region that hold a special place in my heart. You can boil new potatoes in ridiculously salty water and its good, but its not quite the same as the actual salt potatoes.
Thank you! Very interesting. Genius idea to serve salty food where beer is also sold.
Salt potatoes up in New York State may take the place, which boiled peanuts have down South.
I was super stoked to see this this morning.....I live in NC but grew up in North Syracuse. As a kid no summer picnic was legit unless it had Hinerwadel's salt potatoes, Grandma Brown's (brand) Baked Beans, and Hoffman got dogs!!
Same here. Sometimes a clam bake too
Thank you so much for this. I was born and raised in Syracuse. I live in NH now and MA before that and everywhere I go I tell people of salt potatoes. I even bring bags to people for them to try. Locally you can get them at Wegmens. They have several locations in MA. Thank god for that! They also have Hoffman hot dogs and coneys or AKA Snappy Grillers. Ahhh! What a great lunch combo!
I grew up in Syracuse and we would eat salt potatoes often. Now in my 60’s and living in the south, I still eat them and my brother and sister who still live in Syracuse send them to me regularly. Gotta love them salty spuds.
Home town of Oswego, NY. It’s just west of Syracuse and it wasn’t summer unless you were eating salt potatoes. Left in 1983 and still miss them every summer. Love this channels content!!
First I ever heard of this I was at an amateur racing event in the deep south and a guy that had grown up around Syracuse made them. One pound of salt per gallon of water.
Likely the best boiled potatoes I've ever had.
I grew up in the fishkill-Carmel NY area but my mom grew up in Binghamton, these were A beloved staple of our house I never realized it was specifically a local thing until I moved around the country so much... Funny the things that instantly take you back to when you are young again. Truly is special for one of your favorite RUclipsrs as an adult to to be talking about one of your favorite childhood memories!
I lived and worked in Ithaca for many years and discovered salt potatoes while living there. They pair well with Cornell Chicken and corn on the cob which we enjoyed at Memorial Day picnics.
I found them at Wegman's as far south as North Carolina. I brought two bags back with me and served them at a potluck in California. Once people tasted them, the salt potatoes quickly disappeared.
I appreciate learning the history behind them.
Excellent. As a Central New York native, I am now embarrassed to admit that my family has been preparing salt potatoes WRONG all these years -- rather than use the 12 ounce bag of salt in the bag of potatoes, we have only ever used a few teaspoons of salt and save the rest of the salt for other uses. I had no idea that using the whole bag of salt is what makes true salt potatoes. The History Guy's description of the recipe makes a real salt potato seem like a delicious boiled french fry. I promise to make my next batch of salt potatoes with the full 12 ounces of salt to make a proper brine.
It is so true that people outside of Central New York have not heard of salt potatoes, while here in CNY they can be found for sale from food trucks and at all public events and family get-togethers almost always include salt potatoes.
Upstate New York and Central New York has a rich history of foods -- so many they would make for a very long list.
Another food that was intertwined with the history of the Erie Canal is CHEESE. While cheese has been produced around the world for centuries, it was always done in small batches typically with the milk from a single dairy farm. In 1851, Jesse Williams of Rome, NY is credited for building the world's first Cheese FACTORY which utilized the milk from hundreds of farmers to make cheese in large quantities. Both the milk and cheese (and the salt needed to make cheese) were transported via the Erie Canal.
Upstate NY and CNY are also responsible for the production of various food manufacturing. The only factory for the USA and Canadian supply for name brand Cool Whip products is in Avon, NY. Philadelphia brand cream cheese is made in Lowville, NY at the largest cream cheese factory in the USA and still hosts the annual cream cheese festival.
There are many roads around central and Western New York called "cheese factory road".
I originally heard of them from Food Wishes, whose recipe called for a cup of salt and 5 cups water. Works pretty good but salt gets brined all over the stone. I used a spatter shield to keep that to a minimum.
I'd suggest 1/2 to 2/3 of the 12 oz bag. If you use all of it you may regret it
And many here in Northern NY. We're still popular for our cheese and cheese curds, River Rat is in the Thousand Islands.
Mexico New York- Grandma Browns baked beans was a staple as well. Thanks for great comment
My family and I were in the Syracuse area just last week, and Had Salt Potatoes at a cookout on Otisco Lake!! Thanks THG!
Salt potatoes are amazing! I was shocked when I moved to college in Maryland and couldn't find them in the grocery store. I have been to the Empire field days and saw the original sorting machine that filtered out the small potatoes.
I live in NY and grew up there but moved out to CA for a couple years and I would make salt potatoes for my friends there. Literally blew their minds how much they loved them but I never told them how to make them. History guy just gave them the recipe. :(
Mark Kurlansky has a great book on the historical & economic impact of salt, "Salt, a World History".
Hey, I read that book years ago. Kinda funny to think that something in everyday life as basic as salt can be so genuinely interesting.
@@frigginjerk Kurlansky is great at that. I also read his book, "Cod, A Biography". He made Cod fish seem like the most interesting thing in the World! I recommend it.
As a proud CNY native who lives near and works In Syracuse NY, salt potatoes have always just been a normal part of every BBQ we ever had. The very idea that there are people who don't know about salt potatoes is just... sad.
Born and raised in Syracuse. Thought everyone ate salt potatoes. They are delicious!
In the local area there are still large cast iron kettle that were used to boil the alt brine down.
Have friends in the Syracuse area. My first exposure to ‘salt potatoes’ was camping with them. I thought they just made up the name. 😂
Back in the mid 70’s I went to Utica NY for UPS supervisor training. Salt potatoes were sold on the steps of city hall. Thoroughly enjoyed them during my stay and they were a great way to stretch my per diem.
What a fascinating story and it makes me wonder if we could start a Pomeroy style initiative here in Aotearoa-New Zealand. We've certainly got the history and local areas that have dishes native to them, if no longer unknown across the islands that make up this beautiful country.
Additionally, Townsends channel may be interested in the Pomeroy initiative and they almost certainly would have information to share.
I live a block from where the old Erie Canal used to run through the center of Syracuse - and this has to be one of the most well researched, in depth, and generally talented documentaries on early Syracuse history that I've ever seen.
I live about 100 miles from Syracuse and have been there many times. I have had salt potatoes but I never knew the history behind them. Thanks THG!
How are they?
@@stevemadak6255 They are really good. Normally small new potatoes that are tender and flavorful and of course the salt.
Same here just outside Rochester, we have plenty of salt and potato's. I always thought salt potato's were standard fare at any festival or carnival. When I moved away for college I was surprised they werent.
@@charlesbaldo Potatoes, not potato's.
@@mirzaahmed6589 Thank you, but actually iPad auto complete did that when I put the "s" at the end. Must have thought it was a possessive noun. Either way they taste the same.
I used to go to Syracuse every October during the 80s for a yearly sports event and was introduced to salt potatoes. Also I had my first buffalo wings in Syracuse. They had migrated there from Buffalo, NY and weren't heard of outside western NY.
I moved to NY in 2006 and I had no clue what salt potatoes were. I used to get gentle ribbing because I didn't know what they were. Now it is a staple in my family when it is Salt Potato season.
I went to Syracuse university and can attest firsthand Syracuse salts are really tasty!
As a chef, I find it easier to understand why different countries cook as they do, if I know their culture and history.
Love that whole area of NY... So much history around every corner. Love driving by old Erie and Black River canal ruins... Every small town is centered around mostly long abandoned factories...
I was born in Syracuse and live in NC now. Unfortunately Syracuse has turned into trash now. Tons of poverty, crime and gangs.
@@waynemontpetit8181 As another poster on here has recently indicated, it's apparently a good place to get assaulted (a salted).
Sad to hear that, it sounds like it *was* a nice place long ago. I'm not personally very familiar with it, but glad that some of you are.
@@waynemontpetit8181 a sanctuary city.
Had cold salted potatoes as a food during a bicycling event in West Virginia. They were red potatoes but when you are cycling 100 miles no one is picky. I found them extremely tasty.
So glad to see you do this about our beloved salt potato.
I'm from Mattydale, 5 miles from Onondaga Lake. I knew about our salty history, but I didn't know just how important we were. Salt changed civilization, and Syracuse is the Salt City.
Great, now I'm hungry!
I LOVE THIS EPISODE! I lived in Liverpool NY, where the salt museum and "French fort" are during the 1960's-70's, and spent many many good times in the spots you've mentioned here.
Hinerwadel's was still open then and, yes, the salt potatoes bathed in melted butter were beyond fabulous. On the far side of Onondaga Lake, for decades, were the Crucible Steel and Allied Chemical factories which polluted the salt lake dreadfully; I remember 2-headed fish being caught in the 60's, but it's been cleaned up enough that fishing & swimming are safe now. :) Hippies used to go to the 'dead' side of the lake to get high and called them the 'Mescaline Beaches'.
Two other local things of interest from *right there* are:
(1) the world-famous HEID'S hotdog stand, which still serves the, simply peerless, Syracuse-made Hoffman's white hots and hotdogs - the salt trade was also historically-related to many great European cured meats family-made in the area.
(2) The annual collegiate regatta that takes place each summer on Onondaga Lake, which draws thousands of spectators and teams from Ivy League universities across the nation. A massive good time every time.
💌Heid’s ! & the potatoes
Awesome. I live in Phoenix NY
I lived near a salt mine outside Litchfield Park Arizona in the 70's. I was told at the time that that mine had the biggest quantity of underground salt in the world.
I grew up and went to college in western NY, not far from Syracuse, but never heard of salt potatoes. I did know about salt nearby, such as at the southern edge of Seneca Lake. I learned that power of Niagara Falls was used to break down salt NaCl into products using the Na and Cl in other products.
Also, I always heard the name of the lake and tribe without the ng sound in the last syllable.
Thank you History Guy! As a proud graduate of Syracuse University, I spent a number of enriching years in the Salt City and still didn't know this much about its origins. Keep up the good work! Your food episodes are some of my favorites.
I grew up in upstate NY..Salt Potatoes are a staple of all he local fairs, parties and family reunions. Thanks so much for reminding me of my hometown!
And didn't know Syracuse had such a fascinating and important role in history thank you
I grew up and still live about 30 miles west of Syracuse. Wasn't until I was in my 20s that I moved south and found out that Salt Potatoes weren't something that everyone knew about.
Just had a bag of them 'bout a week ago.
Even though I've known all this info since I was elementary school, I'm delighted to know that the story is out there for everyone else to discover.
Thank you, great piece 👏 👍
I grew up in Wisconsin and had never heard of salt potatoes until I moved to the area 15 years ago and had them at the Utica-Rome Speedway.
I grew up in Cortland, enjoying salt potatoes every summer. I did not realize it was a local dish until a co-worker from Florida pointed out that she had never had them before coming to upstate NY.
Later, I came across and article that shared the history.