The American Plate: A Culinary History in 100 Bites

353 Pages·2014·50.305 MB·English

by  Libby O'Connell

t h e
a m e r i c a n
p l a t e
a c u l i n a r y h i s t o r y
i n 1 0 0 b i t e s
L I B B Y H . O ’ C O N N E L L
|
AmericanPlate_Part1_INT.indd 3 8/25/14 4:29 PM
Copyright © 2014 by Libby H. O’Connell
Cover and internal design © 2014 by Sourcebooks, Inc.
Cover design by Sourcebooks, Inc.
Cover images © Shutterstock
Sourcebooks and the colophon are registered trademarks of Sourcebooks, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic
or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems— except in the
case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews— without permission in
writing from its publisher, Sourcebooks, Inc.
This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard
to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not
engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional service. If legal advice or other
expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be
sought.—F rom a Declaration of Principles Jointly Adopted by a Committee of the American Bar
Association and a Committee of Publishers and Associations
All brand names and product names used in this book are trademarks, registered trademarks,
or trade names of their respective holders. Sourcebooks, Inc., is not associated with any
product or vendor in this book.
Published by Sourcebooks, Inc.
P.O. Box 4410, Naperville, Illinois 60567- 4410
(630) 961- 3900
Fax: [phone]
www.sourcebooks.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
O’Connell, Libby H.
The American plate : a culinary history in 100 bites / Libby H. O’Connell.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
(hard cover : alk. paper) 1. Food—United States—History. 2. Cooking, American—
History. I. Title.
TX360.U6O35 2014
641.5973—dc23
2014020381
Printed and bound in the United States of America.
WOZ 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
AmericanPlate_Part1_INT.indd 4 8/25/14 4:29 PM
To Matt
AmericanPlate_Part1_INT.indd 5 8/25/14 4:29 PM
AmericanPlate_Part1_INT.indd 6 8/25/14 4:29 PM
CONTENTS
Acknowledgments xiii
Introduction xvii
Chapter 1: The Three Sisters and So Much More
American Indian Foods before Columbus
1
1 Maize 3 Recipe: Pemmican 13
2 Beans 6 6 Blueberries 14
Recipe: Traditional 7 Maple Syrup 15
Succotash 7 8 Wild Rice 17
3 Squash 8 9 Red Peppers 19
4 Venison 9 10 Salmon 21
5 American Bison 11
Chapter 2: Cod, Beaver Tail, and Sassafras
Encounters and Exchanges, Old World and New
23
11 Jamaican Pepper or 14 Beaver Tail 32
Allspice 26 Recipe: Roast
12 Atlantic Cod 28 Beaver Tail 34
13 Pork 30 15 Sassafras 35
AmericanPlate_Part1_INT.indd 7 8/25/14 4:29 PM
16 English Garden Herbs 18 Eel 46
and Vegetables 36 Recipe: Old Eel Pie 48
Recipe: Cockaleekie Soup 41 19 Perry 49
17 Cow’s Butter 43 20 Turkey 50
Chapter 3: Breakfast with Rum and Tea
From Colonies to Country
55
21 Corn Again! 56 26 Syllabub 67
Recipe: Breakfast Hoe Cakes 57 Recipe: Colonial Syllabub 69
22 Doughnuts, Waffles, 27 Pie 70
and Cookies 59 Recipe: Shoo Fly Pie 71
23 Wheat Flour 61 28 Rum and Whiskey 74
24 Oxtail Stew 62 29 Tea and Coffee 76
Recipe: Oxtail Stew 64 30 Green Peas 78
25 Sugar 65
Chapter 4: Roast Turtles and Hangtown Fry
The Rise of a New Nation
81
31 Oysters 82 Recipe: Rabbit in
32 Roast Turtles 84 Chile Sauce 95
33 Ice Cream 85 37 Hangtown Fry 98
34 Brunswick Stew 86 Recipe: Hangtown Fry 99
Recipe: Brunswick Stew 88 38 Irish Potatoes 101
35 Cake and the Era of 39 Mint Juleps 103
Andrew Jackson 89 Recipe: Classic Mint Julep 105
Recipe: Election Day Cake 92 40 Chitlins 106
36 Spanish California
Rabbit Stew 93
AmericanPlate_Part1_INT.indd 8 8/25/14 4:29 PM
Chapter 5: Hardtack and Chop Suey
From the Civil War to the Factory (1860–1875)
109
41 Lincoln’s Favorite Cake 110 46 Borden’s Canned
Recipe: Mary Todd Lincoln’s Condensed Milk 124
White Almond Cake 112 47 Beer and Pretzels 126
42 Soldiers’ Rations 114 48 Pasta with Red Sauce 131
43 Fried Catfish 116 49 Lunch Pails 134
Recipe: Fried Catfish 118 50 Rhubarb 137
44 The Rise of Thanksgiving 119 Recipe: Strawberry
45 Railroad Workers Rhubarb Pie 139
and Chop Suey 122
Chapter 6: Baked Alaska and Barbecue
The Gilded Age, the Gritty Age (1870–1900)
141
51 Baked Alaska 142 Recipe: Hungarian
Recipe: Modern Chicken Paprikash 160
Baked Alaska 145 57 Scrapple 161
52 Oysters Rockefeller 148 Recipe: Scrapple 163
53 Beef Tenderloin 150 58 Bagels and Bialys 164
54 Cold Cereal 152 59 Celery 167
55 Cracker Jack 156 60 Barbecue 169
56 Chicken Paprikash 158
Chapter 7: Hot Dogs, Liberty Gardens, and Bathtub Gin
The Progressive Era, World War I, and Prohibition (1900–1928)
173
61 Hot Dogs 174 64 Peanut Butter 183
62 Bananas 177 65 Home Canning and
63 Commercial Canning 180 Food Conservation 184
AmericanPlate_Part1_INT.indd 9 8/25/14 4:29 PM
66 Doughboy Rations during 68 Cocktails and the
World War I 189 Roaring Twenties 197
Recipe: Red Cross War Cake 191 Recipe: Gimlet 201
67 Lace Cookies and Oreos 192 69 Canapés 201
Recipe: Oatmeal 70 Tostadas 203
Lace Cookies 196
Chapter 8: Scrambled Eggs, Hershey Bars, and Peach Cobbler
The Great Depression and World War II
205
71 Mulatto Rice 206 75 SPAM 217
Recipe: Mulatto Rice 209 76 Meatloaf 219
72 WPA Soup 210 77 Hershey Bars 220
Recipe: WPA Soup (Potato 78 Peach Cobbler 223
Sausage Soup) 212 79 Navajo Fry Bread 226
73 Lamb’s Quarters 213 80 Frozen Food 229
74 Eleanor Roosevelt’s
Scrambled Eggs 215
Chapter 9: Coca-C ola, Iceberg Lettuce, and Fast Food
The Postwar, Cold War Era
231
81 Jell- O 232 87 Jack Kennedy’s
82 Iceberg Lettuce 234 Fish Chowder 246
83 Coca- Cola 236 Recipe: New England
84 Pizza 239 Fish Chowder 248
85 TV Dinners 241 88 Crème Caramel 249
86 Cuban American Food 243 89 McDonald’s 252
Recipe: Ofelia Braga’s 90 Southern Fried Chicken 255
Picadillo Criollo 245 Recipe: Southern Buttermilk
Fried Chicken 257
AmericanPlate_Part1_INT.indd 10 8/25/14 4:29 PM