Rømmegrøt (sour-cream porridge), pinnekjøtt (dried mutton ribs), reker (boiled shrimp), meatcakes, lefse (griddlecakes), geitost (a sweet semihard cheese made from cow's or goat's milk), and reindeer, moose, elk, and other wildlife also are popular traditional delicacies.
Prochnik introduces him at Putnam Camp, an Adirondack hideaway where he, James and fellow Transcendentalists would gather to play whimsical games, stage Wagner sing-alongs, eat griddlecakes and commune with nature.
And so a New England breakfast in the 18th century might have included oyster stew and apple pie as well as griddlecakes, eggs and smoked meats and fish.
Now their children and grandchildren come for the traditional diner fare — super-large cholesterol-be-darned breakfasts featuring more than a dozen omelets (try the spinach and feta cheese) and other egg dishes, griddlecakes and French toast, and sides like bacon, sausage, ham and home fries.
Dr. Jackson wanted an alternative to the more common breakfasts of that time, which were typically some combination of meat, bread and cheese, and griddlecakes fried in grease and doused with syrup, butter or jam, said Abigail Carroll, a cultural historian and the author of "Three Squares: The Invention of the American Meal".
Campers may enjoy fresh bass and griddlecakes; cabin dwellers have charcoal grills as well as kitchens.
The foie gras ($14) was delivered in a "short stack" of alternating corn griddlecakes with pear conserve and pomegranate molasses.
Bright Food Shop also serves breakfast featuring dishes like cornmeal pecan griddlecakes, and huevos rancheros on corn tortillas.
But giving up ham and griddlecakes for simple grains often relieved indigestion and made a lot of people feel better, Ms. Carroll said.
