Random Facts

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 big rum producing city – the Great Molasses Flood of 1919 (which killed 21), ocurred 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. If you want to try it yourself, here’s a Boston baked beans recipe

via The Boston FAQ.