(Page 2 of 2) Print Version
Early 20th Century Vegetarian Foods
Ellen Gould Harmon White (1827-1915), circa 1878
Courtesy of the Ellen G. White Estate Inc.
Vegetarian meals changed dramatically with advances in food processing technology like canned vegetables and the development of commercial vegetarian foods in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Maine industries produced great quantities of canned corn, beans, squash, and fruits, expanding food options for vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike. With a vast availability of options, eating vegetarian became less about religious doctrine and more about secular ideas relating to nutrition.
In an 1863 vision, Ellen G. White of Gorham and Portland—a prophet and founder of the Seventh-day Adventist church—saw vegetarian foods as ideal for humans. White and her Christian followers founded numerous vegetarian food businesses, most notably the Michigan-based Battle Creek Sanitarium run by Dr. John Harvey Kellogg of Kellogg’s cereal fame.
Maine grocery stores advertised Battle Creek breakfast cereals, plant-based meats such as Protose and Nuttose, and other vegetarian foods such as Savita, like a nutritional yeast; Fig Bromose, an early energy bar; and Malted Nuts, a nut milk.
C.W. Post was a patient at the Battle Creek Sanitarium and later launched his own line of popular Post breakfast cereals and vegetarian foods. Shaw’s grocery stores in Portland carried Battle Creek products, and in 1898 and 1936, the grocer hosted food demonstrations with the employees of the celebrated Sanitarium.
Adventists continue to open and operate vegetarian food businesses in Maine, such as the all-vegetarian Poland Spring Health Institute which operated from 1979 to 2004, and Little Lad’s plant-based food manufacturer in Corinth, known for its Herbal Corn product since 1995.
Canning in Maine
In the 1850s, the Winslow Packing Company in Portland perfected and patented the process to can food. Later known as the Portland Packing Company, they led the way for Portland and other packing houses in Maine to dominate the business of canning fresh Maine produce like green corn, beans, vegetables, and fruits. These new, shelf-stable foods had attractive labels, made cooking easier, and provided year-round access to healthful foods.
Maine’s 1970s Vegetarian Mood
Vegetarianism was in vogue in 1970, when a reissue of the book Living the Good Life by internationally-known vegetarians and Maine residents Scott Nearing and Helen Nearing became a bestseller.
The Nearings attracted new vegetarians to Maine, as people flocked to Harborside to study at what is now the Good Life Center. That same year, Portland’s meat-free co-op, the Good Day Market (1970-1997), opened and incubated at least five other vegetarian businesses: The Hollow Reed (1974-1981), an influential restaurant that was plant-based its first season; The Hungry Hunza sandwich restaurant (1977-1981); the No Moo Dairy tofu shop (1976-1981); Second Ceres (1981-1984), all-vegan its first season; and Ala Carte (1982-1983), a vegetarian food cart.
In 1975, more than 1,500 vegetarians gathered at the University of Maine in Orono for the World Vegetarian Congress, where comedian and vegetarian Dick Gregory was the headline speaker. The following year, vegetarian restaurants Fig O My Heart in Old Town and Food for Thought in Oakland opened.
In 1978, The Hungry Hunza catered a 1,000-person vegetarian food fundraiser in Portland headlined by President Jimmy Carter and featuring soysage stroganoff.
Early 21st Century Vegetarian Food
Click to see more 21st Century Vegetarian Foods
The Whole Almond Original sprouted almond milk, Portland, ca. 2021
With the turn of the 21st century, vegetarian and vegan activity in Maine increased. Chase’s Daily vegetarian restaurant opened in Belfast in 2000. Two years later, filming began in South Portland for Totally Vegetarian, a cooking show picked up nationally by PBS.
In 2005, the first Maine Vegetarian Food Festival, now VegFest, took place. Portland’s Green Elephant Vegetarian Bistro opened in 2007, based on the vegan dishes co-owner Dan Sriprasert learned to make in Thailand at his mother’s food stall during the country’s annual Vegetarian Festival. In 2008, Heiwa Tofu in Rockport opened. In 2009, national food justice advocate and vegan chef Bryant Terry gave a talk and cooking demonstration in downtown Portland. That same year, the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram added a vegetarian column, and Lalibela Tempeh in Bowdoinham launched.
In 2012, filming began in Cumberland on the PBS cooking show Vegan Mashup. Maine’s first all-vegan ice cream shop, Sticky Sweet, opened in 2017. The following year the Totally Awesome Vegan Food Truck drove into Portland. In 2019, the Portland Public Schools gained national attention when they added daily vegan hot lunches. Tootie’s Tempeh started manufacturing in Biddeford in 2022. Atlantic Sea Farm, also based in Biddeford, sold more than 300,000 of its kelp veggie burgers in 2023.
Friendly URL: https://www.mainememory.net/exhibits/mainesuntoldvegetarianhistory
