the products can be purchased online.
Ployes are made from a mixture of Acadian
buckwheat flour, wheat flour, aluminum-free baking powder, salt and water. They are considered by
historians and others interested in the old foodways
to be more of a flatbread than a pancake. Ployes
are a multi-generational staple in the upper St.
John Valley of Aroostook County and the Madawaska region of New Brunswick. They were served
in 19th century logging camps with most meals.
Ployes were also rolled and dunked in maple syrup
and molasses for
dessert. Today they
are still served as
part of a traditional
Acadian breakfast
with cretons, a
spicy pork spread.
The Acadians, descendants of 17th
century French colonists who settled
in the maritime
provinces of New
Brunswick, Nova
Scotia, and Prince
Edward Island,
were forced to
leave their lands in
1755-1763, during
the Anglo-French
struggle for control
in North America
known as “the great
upheaval”. They became
reestablished in several
different locations, with
some settlements in New
Brunswick moving more
than once.
The Acadians who
came to Maine and southern New Brunswick in the
1780’s brought the hardy
buckwheat with them.
“Silver-skinned” or common buckwheat, the same
Top L to R : Jane Crawford her Rebeckha Bosse and Rita
Middle L to R : Joseph, Janice, Rita and Alban Bouchard
Far Right: Janice and Rita Bouchard
26 Bouchard Family SUMMER & FALL 09