CHAPTER 3- Foodways in an Era of Expansion and Immigration

Note: NA is an abbreviation for Native Americans

Page 57-60

During the early colonial periods, the traditional English diet was the main food in the US, but the diet was influenced by other groups like the Dutch and German as early as the 1600s.

• The Dutch created a settlement in modern-day Manhattan.

  • They ate a lot of corn, creating a cornmeal mush called sapean
  • They grew rye into bread
  • Saw wheat as higher status grain similar to English

• Wheat was so highly valued that even in times of food scarcity, people were forbidden from trading with NA so it could be conserved.

  • Used for marked goods, pancakes, and deep-fried bread
  • Dutch also introduced coleslaw
  • They ate more shellfish, eating clams and mussels, which were looked down upon by the English

• The German immigrants were called the “Pennsylvania Dutch” introduced sauerkraut.
  • Introduced a new adaptation of a dish made of rabbit and flour to create a pudding that was fried or baked. it was called “scrapple”

American cooking and foods became even more varied and diverse as the country expanded geographically.

The lousiana purchase greatly expanded food possibilities.

The explosion of immigrant population in the 1860- 1920 further expanded this culinary diversity

Foodways and the Lousiana Purchase (60-65)

The Louisiana purchase in 1803 brought New Orleans, the center of a unique cuisine into the US

• Instead of a “simple, unadorned, republican cuisine”, settlers used elaborate cooking traditions
  • Lousiana proverbs encouraged consumption— not limited eating.
• Had many influences from Native American, African, Spanish, german, and italian styles of cooking.
  • Drew heavily on french culinary techniques.
• Rice was cultivated in Louisiana beginning in 1716, making a staple diet of the Creoles.
  • Rice eventually became a staple food item by 1910

• New Orleans is considered the culinary capital of the continent
• French colonists were more open-minded about embracing NA food than the English.
  • But they embraced these new foods only if they were prepared using French culinary techniques.
  • Relied on imported foods if they could

The Acadians were a group of French descent who were kicked out of Canada and moved to lousisiana. These acadians are now known as “cajun”. They adopted corn heavily into their diet, integrating it into every meal.

• Gumbo was a staple dish. Derived from the Bantu word kingombo
  • made up of File, ground sassafras leaves, introduced by NAs, the Choctaw people. Used as a thickening agent of the gumbo
  • French used roux beurre, a thickener made up of flour and butter.
  • Africans introduced okra which was also used to thicken the stew.

Cajuns are white and Creoles are Black or mixed race

• creoles lived by the Mississippi River

Cajun cooks lacked adequate access to fresh ingredients, so they depended on food preservation.

• Preserved hot peppers with vinegar
• Used more local spice ingredients than the Creoles.
• more likely to contain tomatoes
• Less likely to use seafood because they lacked refrigeration
  • Used chicken, duck, squirrel, rabbit

Cajun food is somehwat rustic home cooking while Creole is restaurant cuisine. (page 65)

When the Spanish took control of Louisiana, they introduced tomatoes into the food scene.

Jambalaya of fowls and rice

People believe that jambalaya was a variation of the Spanish paella.

• made of snails, chicken, rabbit, tomatoes, beans, shellfish, and more

Some believe the Name references “jambon” in french and “yaya” in west african.

Until the 1800s, Americans ate most of their food at home. They didn't go out to restaurants.

Most people who ate out, ate at taverns, which prepared poor food.

Charles dickens from the UK, recounts his experiences of food while visiting america

• He was disappointed in the food and table manners. How people don't talk during meals.
• Although he never visited NOLA, he published an anonymous author’s account of their experience at the french market.
  • They used positive words like “cheerful” “hum and bustle” of NOLA compared to the “greasy” markets in NY
  • Describes a wider variety of food.

Although the food scene in NY markets may not have been the best, NY had large enough population to support food establishments .

However, NOLA had a more established fine dining culture than most of the US.