Kim Severson in The New York Times:
1770s The Johnnycake
Hunger is an unexpected enemy during the Revolutionary War, when more than twice as many soldiers die of malnourishment than fall in combat. But the troops persevere with the help of a simple Native American recipe of corn and water cooked over a fire. It’s one of several Indigenous practices adopted by early settlers, like smoking food, using fish as fertilizer and growing the “three sisters” — corn, beans and squash — together.
1780s Mac and Cheese
When Thomas Jefferson travels to Paris in 1784, he brings along James Hemings, an enslaved man who has worked at Monticello since childhood. Hemings studies French cooking, and when they return, he cooks at formal events hosted by Jefferson. One dish he serves is macaroni pie, an early version of macaroni and cheese made with noodles boiled in milk, layered with cheese and baked in a Dutch oven. Like Hercules Posey, another enslaved chef who cooked at the highest levels of society, Hemings, who becomes a free man in 1796, helps a young nation assert its culinary identity.
More here.
Enjoying the content on 3QD? Help keep us going by donating now.