The History of American Food

106 The Waning of Vegetables and Variety as America is on the Move

Nov 15, 2023 · 28 min · Season 3 · 40.4 MB
0:00-28:05

Streams straight from the publisher. podnod never proxies or re-hosts episode audio.

This might be one of my only, and definitely the most forceful hot take I've had so far:

The variety of food depends almost entirely on the vegetables - well the plant foods. After all, there are only so many ways to cook meat - roast, boil, fry, braise... all the interesting flavors come from the plant additions.

But also - going on the move, and the "hurry up" of American culture made our food bland.
Not everyone in new America had bland food, but note, they stayed in place!

Pawpaw & sweet corn pudding vs. baked beans. I ask you...


Books by William Woys Weaver:
The Christmas Cook: Three Centuries of American Yuletide Sweets
Pennsylvania Dutch Country Cooking
American Eats: Forms of Edible Folk Art
Sauerkraut Yankees
Country Scrapple: An American Tradition

Videos on Typical Early American Diets via Townsends:
The Poor Hunter
The Poor Fronteirsman
The Poor Farmer
The Poor Sailor
The Poor Soldier


Also check out:
Prizefighters, Circus Freaks & Gangsters! There's Fighting, Food, Fashion & Fraud (we swear... we laugh, we tease, it's fun)

Music Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor Turtle
Show Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/
Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot com
Threads: @THoAFood
Instagram: @THoAFood

Music Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor Turtle
Show Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/
Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot com
Threads: @THoAFood
Instagram: @THoAFood
& some other socials... @THoAFood