A Gourmet Taste of the Ironbound April 28, 2007

Tantalize your senses with this tour of Newark's most diverse neighborhood: the Ironbound. The first home to the many immigrant groups that began coming to Newark in the 1820s, it has been an Irish, German, Italian, Polish and Jewish community over the years. Once surrounded by iron railroad tracks, and filled with the belching factories that contributed to Newark's reputation as an industrial center, today the Ironbound is known as the place to dine on traditional Portuguese, Brazilian or Spanish fare. A bustling, pedestrian-friendly town within a city, the Ironbound is a truly unusual immigrant community that is famous for its restaurants, bakeries, wine shops and nightlife. It is also an important exaple of a neighborhood that is reinventing itself in the 21st century, as it did for the needs of the 19th and 20th centuries.

Join the New Jersey Historical Society and Portuguese-born John Peneda, a local community organizer, who will share the Ironbound with you. This walking tour will stop at local stores, where you wil be introduced to the ingredients and implements of Portguese cooking. You will meet the owner of Lopes Meat Market, whose sausage graces the White House table, and learn about his traditional meat preparation process. You will visit fish markets that sell fish flown in weekly from Portugal, bakeries that offer exquisite pastries and shops offering handmade Portuguese pottery.

This tour will culminate with a traditional multi-course Portuguese meal at one of the best restaurants in the neighborhood.

Please meet in the lobby of the New Jersey Historical Society. Wear comfortable shoes!

Cost: $70, including meal

Space is limited. To register call SOMAS 973-378-7620

This tour is a collaborative effort with South Orange-Maplewood Adult School.

Official Website: http://www.jerseyhistory.org