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The United States Its Food and Its People Where It All Began Our American Heritage Food is a reflection of who we are & where we came from. The foods eaten in a given area will tell about geography, climate, history, and culture. American Cuisine • • • • Dynamic Diverse Constantly changing Carved out of layers of the past with each generation keeping some traditions of the past while adding new tastes and flavors • Uniqueness of each region is beginning to disappear True American Regional Cooking Shaped by: • History—who settled in the region; what traditions did they bring • Climate---determined growing season: type of food that could be grown (wheat did not grow well in the NE • Terrain---determined type of food that could grow; cranberries in the NE, rice in the south, etc. • Availability of ingredients---seafood vs. beef American Indians • Excellent farmers (most were) • Cultivated 50% of the world’s plant including: potatoes, pineapples, corn, beans, squash, pumpkins, tapioca, avocados, tomatoes, chili peppers and more Early Settlers • Poor farmers, sought Indians for advice • Corn---how to use it. • Grew corn & beans together then cooked them together (succotash) • Substituted cornmeal for oatmeal & wheat creating new dishes. The First Immigrants • The English settled in the northeastern mid-south parts of what is now the U.S. The Spanish settled in what is now Florida. More Immigrants • English, Dutch, German, French settled in the northeast. • English, French, Spanish settled in the Deep South • Most immigrants settled with individuals of similar culture. • African slaves were part of all of the colonies Reason for Immigration • • • • • Reasons varied Religious freedom Slavery Opportunity to own property Economic opportunity Unique Characteristics of Early American Food • High protein base , high fat base • Corn very important early; now wheat based • Good bakers Food Meant Hospitality • First Presidents (Washington, Jefferson, Madison) established tradition of good food and dining. • President Jefferson is considered the country’s first gourmet. America Today • Cornucopia of people • More cultures, ethnic groups are found in the United States than anywhere else in the world • Total of the minority population is close to exceeding the majority population • Latinos are the fastest growing group American Food • Cuisine of the U.S. is a combination of all of these cultures and ethnic groups • Each group tried to incorporate its cuisine into its new life in the United States • We love to snack and love snack foods. It is believed to be a habit dating back to the 1800’s with free lunch in bars to encourage drinking Holidays and Foods • Holiday traditions are closely associated with food in North America • Immigrants brought many of these traditions plus we have added many of our own Example of Ethnic Based Holidays • Mardi Gras (French for Fat Tuesday) – Cajun Foods – King Cake (baked with a tiny plastic doll--person getting it is supposed to throw the next Mardi Gras party) – Rich colors of purple & gold – Big time party • Cinco de Mayo – Observed by the Mexican Americans – Means fifth of May – Marks the victory of Mexican troops over the French – Foods include sweet breads coffee & cinnamon flavored hot chocolate • Kwanzaa – – – – – Relatively new holiday African American Focus on African cultural heritage Between Christmas & New Year’s Day Karamu---a ritual feast held on the next to last night of the week long festival • Chanukah – Eight day Jewish festival held in December – Also called Festival of Lights – Commemorates regaining of the temple of Jerusalem – Light one candle each day (menorah) – Eat latkes (potato pancakes) & sufganiyah--potato doughnuts among other things NEW ENGLAND Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont, Delaware, Connecticut, & Rhode Island New England Cuisine Influenced by: • Location---abundance of seafood • Short growing season--– Food had to be sensible – Crops had to be suited to the short season – Food needed to be hardy The Indian Triad • Corn • Beans • Squash Corn • Corn lacks gluten---Mexican Indians adapted by making tortillas, New England Indians did not. Foods Made From Corn Johnny Cakes: type of bread or pancake, consisting of corn meal, boiling water & salt. Dates back to 1621. (1st Thanksgiving) Corn Mush: (Hasty Pudding) Cornmeal boiled in water Fried Mush: Mush that is cooled, sliced, fried in lard and served as a pancake. Indian Pudding: Milk flavored with molasses & thickened with cornmeal. It may have eggs, sugar, butter, etc. • Brown Bread: Cornmeal, wheat flour, sour milk, molasses. It was often prepared by steaming. • Corn Chowder: Green corn kernels, mild, potatoes, onions and salt pork. Squash We ate pumpkins at morning Pumpkins at noon If it were not for pumpkins We would be undoon. Beans • Unknown food to the Europeans • Quality source of protein • Often planted together with corn Dishes Prepared with Beans • New England Baked Beans (Boston Baked Beans): the most important bean dish. An acceptable food for the Sabbath because it could be prepared the day before. – Any type of bean cooked with salt pork, molasses, and sometimes sugar. Tomato was seldom used. • Succotash: Corn and beans cooked together; sometimes prepared like a chowder. – Hominy is often the form of corn used today. Other New England Dishes • New England Boiled Dinner: Dates back to the days when the only cooking utensil was a large kettle. Combination of meat (often corned beef) cooked with potatoes, onions, carrots, beets, cabbage. • Red Flannel Hash: made from the leftovers of a New England Boiled Dinner. The leftovers, including beets were ground & fried in an iron skillet. Name comes from the appearance the beets gave the food. • • Chowder: cream soup made from thickened milk. Clam Chowder is one of the more popular forms today. (Our potato soup is a form of chowder.) • Lobster • Clam Bakes • Cranberries • Maple Syrup – Sugar in the snow: maple syrup poured over bowls of clean snow where it hardens like taffy. MIDDLE ATLANTIC STATES New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland Original National Cuisines • Dutch (Netherlands) • German • English New York (New Netherlands) • • • • Farmers and bakers Bread Basket of the Colonies Brought animals from Europe Preserved foods Dutch Foods • • • • • • • Koekjes---cookies Olykoeks---doughnuts Molasses cakes Gingerbread men Waffles Cole slaw Cottage cheese Pennsylvania Dutch Feinschmecker Country • Feinschmecker: those who know how good food tastes and eat plenty of it. • Dutch---actually Deutsch • PA Dutch country is located between Lancaster & Allentown, PA • Settled there in search of religious freedom Religious Groups • • • • • • Mennonites---most important group Crefeblers Dunkards 7th. Day Adventists Amish Moravians Main Religious Groups Today • Plain People: Amish, Mennonites • Gay Dutch: Lutherans & reformed churches Two Common Bonds • Common language: German dialect interlaced with English and own idioms. • Huge appetites---believed that if you were not hungry it was because you were not working hard enough. Foods Created by PN Dutch • • • • • Pickled pigs feet Blood pudding Scrapple: pork with cornmeal Smoked beef tongue Hog Maw: cleaned pig’s stomach stuffed with sausage, diced vegetables and baked. Seven Sweets and Seven Sours • Believed in serving a balance at each meal • Mixture of sweet and sour relishes, dried fruits, salads Big Time Bakers • • • • • • • Kuchen: yeast dough coffee cake Lebkuchen: Xmas Cookies Sticky buns Funnel cakes Crumb cakes Pretzels & pretzel soup Pies at every meal: shoofly, green tomato, vinegar, funeral pie (raisin), Amish half-moon pies Other PN Dutch Foods • • • • • • Chicken corn soup Dishes made with cabbage Starchy foods---dumplings, potatoes, pies, noodles Anything with apples Sauerbraten: beef roast marinated in vinegar Schnitz & knepp: ham butt, dumplings, & dried apples Philadelphia • Ice Cream • Home of the ice cream soda (1874) • Philadelphia cheese steak sandwich New Jersey • Fresh vegetables • Truck farmers • Home of the beefsteak tomato Maryland • Chicken • Terrapin soup • Blue crabs