The History of American Food

Po-tay-toesWhere are they from?  Why do we call them Irish?  Are they poisonous?  And what was the blight?  I answer all these questions and more - as well as providing you with a link to a really cool paper published about the origins of potatoes 9 Million Year Ago!Cell September 2025 Full Text Article on the Origin of PotatoesCell Press Release on Potato Origins (less technical)Music Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot comThreads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood some other socials... @THoAFood

Iron is back and it has a bunch of new tricks up it sleeves.  Sure we still cook on it - but it's doing lots of other new things it has never done before.And that is going to change the way we eat - because what food we get, and how much we have to work to prepare it, and how fast we - and the food can travel is going to upset everything.So much of how long we think things should take is about to change in a big way.Hop on - don't miss the train.Music Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot comThreads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFood

Let's Go Season 6(last season was way more dreary than I had thought)All I can say is Ice Cream for Everyone - and let's road trip... Rail Trip?The end of the 19th Century is exciting, colorful and yeah full of mistakes.  But we are Doing Things, Building Things and Going Places.Let's Go.Music Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot comThreads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFood

The LAST Civil War Episode becasue I'm writing this - and have decided that is ENOUGH Civil War.And, yes I'm not happy about writing about war while there is a "we are pretending it's not a war" going on.  My poor brain has said enough.That said - it's an interesting topic.  And despite how dire it is - things are actually better now than they used to be.  Eat your veggies, brush your teeth, wash your hands.The American Battle Field Trust article on Andersonville: Hell Hath a New NameMusic Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot comThreads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFood

Every seasone needs a salt episode!  And here it is.  It's mainly about why the South was without salt - and how that meant they couldn't keep food around.  That is - if they had been making enough.  Which they were not.This is also the last time I will blather on about the difference in railroad plans and how it helped back the Confeds into a corner they built themselves.Don't invest in your people and pay attention to technology and you will be left behind.  Especially if you are attempting to run your little corner of the world.  It happened before, It's happening now - and it will happen again.Music Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot comThreads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFood

How long has America been dealing with Opiod Epidemics?  If you said - since the 1860's you get a piece of Hardtack!Yes - just as war came up with more destructive weapons, the medical profession came up with the hypodermic syringe.  While the ability to inject and extract things with this tool have been largely amazing, it also brought in the addictive rush of injected drugs.  And one of the first injected drugs was opium.Even crazier than that was the fact the the US Government contracted with Chinese Immigrant farmers in Mexico to grow a large part of the supply of opium used in the war.America has always used drugs to make America go - has depended on the sale of drugs - nicotine and cafffeine for starters - to make American farmig profitable.Come find out about America's strange relationship with drugs - and how much we seem to not want to talk about it.Music Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot comThreads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFood

Yeah yeah - why a Thanksgiving Episode in April?  Is this worse than Christmas in July?   No, really, it makes sense.  Especially becasue during the Civil War, when everything was an Agrairain Society, Thanksgiving planning was on the mind in April (well prboobly earlier)But follow along as to why Thanksgivng really came to National Attention during the Civil War either as something to get behind - or something to hate.And - look you have to start raising your Turkey in the Spring if you want one in Novenber (April is actually probobly too late - maybe?)Anyway - Here's the Link to Lincoln's Address.  Johnson had to submit it b/c well, you know...Lincoln's 1863 Thanksgiving ProclamationMusic Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot comThreads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFood

In the Last Big War we threw in America we still had "Camp Followers" to do the laundry, the nursing and a good amount of the cooking (not to mention helping with loading guns).  And George Washington hated having these women around so much that Army practice - and new war philosophies got rid of most of them.  But then, the American Civil War started producing injured guys in the 1000's.Suddenly having women around to do nursing and laundry was important.  And they had to call the women back.  To be fair - they did it more officially this time. To find out who these women were - and what they fed you - listen in.Also - Spoiler:  Still better to be an officer.Books Referenced:A Mother's Work: Mary Ann Bickerdyke by Mary VangorderThe Big Burn by Timothy EganMusic Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot comThreads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFood

I am a producer on an Emmy Nominated Documentary.  Check it out here:Women's Work - The Untold Story of America's Female FarmersThe Emmy Nomination!!!!!Why are military staffs so bad at predicting war length?  And when they do boy-oh-boy does that mean things are going to go poorly for the people in charge of planning food.  It goes even worse, when nobody on staff has cooked Gumbo for 80.Come listen to all the pitfalls facing the people planning for war food in the middle of the the 1800's.But also a whole bunch of links.A Collection of Unmitigated Pedantry - the source documents for the Donkey ProblemThe Charge of the Light Brigade - that catchy verse that keeps getting people killed for dumb reasonsMusic Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot comThreads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFood

This week we get to look back at more of why War is Awful - and it's not JUST becasue of the food.  We also talk about why war food was predictably awful for everyone everywhere for approximately 5000 years.Biology - and mainly the stupid microfauna of the Earth.Understanding what war food was before the Civil War helps inform how such crazy supply errors and choices were made during the Civil War - and you can start to see how this is going to change war planning - and food system planning going forward.Also also - here's where you can viewThe National Parks: America's Best IdeaLove your Library!  Watch it on Kanopy(free with your Library Card)If your Library doesn't have Kanopy - PBS - With SubscriptionOther Options:Amazon - alas with an ad-onYou Tube - but for a priceMusic Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot comThreads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFood

This week canned food is the main character.  And it has the power to change the world, becaseu just like barrels of salted meat and ships biscuit - it's going to change how the fighting man (and the women along side) are fed.Wild to think that Civil War logistical problems were key to sweetened condensed milk becoming part of the whole world.Oh - and if you don't know what Vienetta was - or just want to relive the splendor, check this out.Vienetta AdvertisementMusic Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot comThreads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFood

Sure people complain about mashed potatoes made from potato flakes now - but dehydrated vegetables in their first iteration were far, far worse.In fact some of the first mass quantities of dried vegetables prepared using forced hot air drying - and hydraulic pressing for more compact storage were produced for the civil war.  And boy were they nasty.  All the same - they were still better than what happed to you if you didn't eat any vegetables at all.(And no - at this point there were no vitmin or fiber supplaments - you had to get it from the source)Music Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot comThreads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFood

I'm Back and it's bread.The American Civil War (the War of Rebellion is where suddenly we start really naming American Bread.Sure yeah, hard bread is nothing new, but the Fast Bread of fast moving America starts to become a thing.  So in order to talk about the bread of the American Army... we have to do a roll call of American Bread.So come find out how Civil War Bread is the most American Bread so far.Music Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot comThreads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFood

Welcome back to American Food!Sorry about the big break, and even more sorry to be talking about war food ... during war.  BlechBut it is interesting, and my ever growing fascination with American Food and how it keeps embracing emerging technology is not let down.So here we go.Music Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot comThreads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFood

I'm back and it's been so long.Find out why!Music Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot comThreads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFood

It's been a little while since I put up this Tukey History Episode!Since Thanksgiving Week is also Episode Week - why not throw this one in for fun?Learn about the wild history of an American bird with a huge travel resume and names that all think it came from somewhere else.Enjoy the name Chaos!Music Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot comThreads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFood

It's the last Episode of Season 4!And I think I've finally answered one of my opening questions - why did America make our grocery stores the way we did? As soon as Americans could, we ignored the food on the ground (unless it was familiar like deer or duck or pigeon) and instead brought our own provisions.  But when you do that, and don't develop local talent - the selection end up terribly limited.So now in modern America - we seem to be attempting to make up for lost time... by making our grocery store selection even larger.Check out this last episode before I go study the terrible food of war.Music Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot comThreads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFood

So far America is pretty hostile to everyday hunting - but for some reason we keep adding categories.And lets face it, for a country that keeps talking about how we don't need roaylty, we do seem to keep mimicking aritocrats.the early 19th century loves some fox hunting - so much so that we imported foxes (even though there are plenty already here).  Hunting keeps happening everyday - but we like to say it's not cool.Unless you are doing it for leisure... or to earn money.Yes - the early 19th century brings the birth of the Market Hunter - which needed the railroad to create itself.The Buffalo may cease to roam - and the Passenger Pigeon darken the skies by the end of the century - but the seeds of their destruction are planted here... at the start of the 19th cenutry.But worry not, it's not all bad news - you can still get a giant game pie.Music Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot comThreads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFood

After years of no plates, not enough plates and just enough plates - you suddenly have access to many plates and pretty plates.  What's a hostess of fashion to do?Obviously - upend the way food is served.  Obviously if you have access to more artificial light - you can make meals longer.  Especially on dark, chilly, wet nights when no one wants to be outside anyway.Luckily - cookbooks are up to the challenge.  With all sorts of ideas of how to roll out this new style of multi-course dining.So come check out the complications.And if you are interested in seeing what American pottery looked like - pre-China and pre-imported porcelain - look at the Workshop of the Poor Potter in Historic Yorktown!Music Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot comThreads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFood

Every wondered how we got into this fix of needing so many plates - or more specifically why you’re supposed to put a set of plates on a registry for a wedding that you are never gonna use?  Or at least why did people do that on the regular ,even just 20 years ago? And now it means you have relatives that are trying to push off plates on to you that you never got to eat off as a kid - and now why in the world would you want to lug them around now? For what’s at the bottom of these mysteries, and how we got into this fix - I look at the history of plates from my particular American Food History vantage point.Music Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot comThreads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFood

As a child reader, I always thought it was so quaint that "dinner" was this old-timey word for lunch.  It was a "Dinner Pail"  - which was a crude Indian Tiffin - only 1 chamber - vs. a Lunch Box.But I had never spent any tme thinking about why and how Dinner was the big meal of the day, and supper was toast dipped in cooling stew.Until I thought about it in terms of cooking in the dark.  When the sun goes down at 4:25 pm, why was anyone making all manner of food they can't see!?But - the Whale as Light in the early 1800's started to make it's mark.  Sure factories were changing the rhythm of life, but without artificial light to support the change, it never would have taken.The age of sail was also the Age of the Pursuit of the Whale.So come join the chase.Music Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot comThreads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFood

Celebrate National Public Lands Day by finding a place to visit and get involved at NEEFAUSA.ogorNPS.govAnd get into what was getting to be popular as vegetables in the early 19th century.How did Avocado Toast become a thing?  Well, it would never have gotten the traction it did with out practice runs by spinach or even more glamourously by celery.And those would have never had a chance if not for the propensity for food fads developed by the early 19th century Americans who had lost their food traditions and were now looking for something new.Join me on the journey to see what was cool in plant foods in the early 19th century.  We can't all be spring peas after all.Music Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot comThreads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFood

Wake up America!  Coffee is on its way to becoming the drink of the people.  Sure Cider and Beer are out there... but coffee is coming up on the outside.But how did one brew coffee in the 19th century?And just how weak was it?To find out, tune in.Music Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot comThreads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFood

Last show on the substandard mic - but the paper towel as popfilter helped some.Let's talk tea - what tea were people drinking in the early 19th century?  The answer was almost uniformly, "bad tea".  Ignorance lead to people needing sugar in their tea b/c they were drinking the bad stuff.  In fact a whole grade of "export quality" tea was invented to fulfill the growing global/European/American demand.  Just in this case - "expot quality" mostly meant the dregs.  Or the dust anyway.Understanding that most tea Americans were drinking in this age was somewhere between stale and adulterated, and only became more so as time went on, the swing to coffee starts to make more sense.  It had less to do with feelings towards England, and more to do with the tea just not tasting that good.  To understand just what tea was then, join in...Music Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot comThreads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFoodMusic Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot comThreads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFood

First of all - sorry about the diferent mic.  But this way we get the episode.  I'll see what I can do to make things better for next ep - and all will be back to normal by the one after that.Anyway - 19th Century Chinese Food?What can I tell you?  It would have looked much the same as lots of the food you will find right now around the Pearl RIver Delta, the old district of Canton - now known as Guangzhou.But this episode is not just about the food - it also looks a bit into how the US and China started dealing with each other.  How did that stream of labor from China - that would be essential in the gold fileds and then the construction of the US railroads get a foot hold in California.While there is much made of the Chinese presence in New York - and how they influenced east coast culture - there is the less well known story of China and the early west.So grab your dried fish, pickled vegetables, boiled millet and see what's there.Music Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot comThreads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFoodMusic Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot comThreads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFood

Think you're fancy with your lobster roll... or did you get it from a Massachusetts McDonalds?All are possible... and much more - including death by lobster poisoning.To get more of the story - tune in to early 19th century lobsterMusic Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot comThreads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFoodMusic Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot comThreads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFood

Have you ever thought how we got here - that farm land is all AWAY and houses are all in close?That products come to you... and packaging is often more important than the thing inside?That didn't happen over night.  The fact that farms are there, house are here, and manufacturing stuff is a third place altogether is not an accident.  Instead it's something that has been developing in America for about 200 year.To see WHY you don't have neighborhood farms - as well as why things like setting up local recycling centers and other things that make stuff is hard - listen in to how the roots of segregated land use ties back to the early railroad.I mean... maybe a local goat and donkey pasture wouldn't be such a bad thing?Anyway - more Pea Patches...!But also understand why modern American Farms Markets will always have food from hundreds of miles away.Music Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot comThreads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFoodMusic Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot comThreads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFood

What happens when you grow more cows to make more milk to make more cheese and butter?You end up with more oxen that can't make milk - but are useful as a source of beef.And this works out well when you are living in a society that craves more meat, and are in a place with apparently wide open spaces that are just fine for feeding said cattle.A bonus when you have lots of growing industries that are willing to buy beef from you to feed their growing ambitions - whaling, the railroad, new factories, a military pushing out the borders...And then... you also have new technologies to cook the beef, and have come up with new flavors for seasoning the beef.The result - American is ready to become a beefy country.Music Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot comThreads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFoodMusic Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot comThreads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFood

So you are a typical early 19th Century American type... Is there a dairy scene?  Yes.But are you drinking milk?  Maybe... and probobly only for breakfast.Ok... but is it Raw Milk?  Most likely not.In the early 19th century, most milk products were at least heated (cheese) or outright cooked - almost everything else - or downright boiled - your breakfast milk.Funny thing is, Americans have retained their passion for boiled milk at breakfast.  We just flavor it with coffee and tea now.For more on this and how the evolution of the American Barn got us ready to have Milk Runs on trains, listen in.Music Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot comThreads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFoodMusic Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot comThreads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFood

Check out the NCPTT... while it's still there, and maybe find an unexpectedly cool place to live.  Or maybe a cool woodworking job.https://www.nps.gov/subjects/ncptt/index.htmHey - so were early Americans eating mushrooms?Yeah.  But not all that much.  Just enough for a mushroom industry to spring up in the end of the century - but only in one place, and only for one kind.But in the meantime - mushroom powder is DELICIOUS... and not that hard to make.Recipe for 1 quart/4 cups/1 litre of MushroomsClean your favortie way.  Cut or break up.Combine with:1/2 tsp mace (or slightly less nutmeg)5 cloves2 bay leaves1/4 tsp pepper (or more depending on your tastes)1 Tbs salt1 small onion quartered (or half a large one)1 Tbs fat (butter or your favorite oil)1 Tbs vinegar (white/rice/apple cider all good choices)Heat over medium-low heat to sweat the mushrooms.  When mushrooms have withered - take off heat.  Squeeze out all the liquid using lint free tea-towel.Save liquid, reduce by 1/2 - Mushroom Ketchup!Remove large spices and larger onion pieces.  Spread out on drying tray.Dehydrate to crispy. (Dehydrator - or 200F/100C for a few hours)Crush to powder in favorite appliance.Music Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot comThreads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFoodMusic Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot comThreads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFood

While last episode was drowning in information - this week when hunting down mushroom info... it's a bit of a desert.  But no worries, there's still fun stuff to be learned - mainly just what is a mushroom?  And how have humans crossed paths with it - in ways besides tripping out?Also - how is the lack of information and the limited presence of mushrooms in AMerican food related?Some answers are here.Also - The Fantasia clip of Tchaikovsky's "Chinese Dance" will let you see (among other things) open and closed mushrooms - the "li'l-est" one with it's veil more or less intactAlso - that in the 1940's Americans were pretty mushroom cluelessMusic Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot comThreads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFoodMusic Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot comThreads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFood

This week - it’s time to look at the connection between westward American Expansion and the apple. How is the apple all tangled up with our creation of the  19th century tall tales we started to tell on and about ourselves? So get ready for a visit from some of the features/specters of that myth making that inhabited a huge part of the 20th century. Links:Johnny Appleseed Cartoon (1948) Paul Bunyan Cartoon (1958)  John Henry Cartoon 1 (1973 – narrated by Roberta Flack)John Henry Cartoon 2 (2000 - Disney)Pecos Bill Cartoon (1948) Davy Crockett Disney TV show Theme Song (1954 – This is… OOoooF rough) Iriana Geogescu's plum dumplings you can use with apples.  Or apricots of course.   Music Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot comThreads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFoodMusic Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot comThreads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFood

As odd as it sounds, there was a time in American Food before oatmeal.And while that's wild on it's own, even more impossible to imagine is how much of agriculture used to be dedicated simply to growing food to feed the animals that allowed you to run the farm.  Having solar panels and biodigesters to create power on the farm now is pretty wild... but it wasn't that long ago, all things considered when all the energy used on a farm was grown... on the farm!But it does help put into perspective how much energy it took to simply grow enough food for the farm - and then a little more to sell.  The surplusses we have now - simply NOT possible.To learn about the origins of 40 acres and a Mule - no the earlier origins... and how 160 acres would become the standard for American farms, tune in, and marvel at the idea of the oatmeal raisin cookie - and how far away it is from it's high end hose food origin.Music Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot com Threads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFoodMusic Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot comThreads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFood

Finally - Recipes for early 19th Century Fried Chicken - sorta.IT's time to learn some chicken history and face the reality about what chickens were really for in the early 19th century - eggs!If you wanted bird meat there were lots of better birds out there to eat above and beyond the scrawny backyard chcicken. But that was about to change as the worlds chickens began to come to America.To learn about all that and more - listen in.And the old Temple in Turkiye / AnatoliaGöbekli TepeScorpion Carving (photo 11)Music Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot com Threads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFoodMusic Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot comThreads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFood

Ever notice that fabulous dinner parties depicted on screen rarely take place earlier than the 1800's - and in America pretty much always after the Civil War?Well!  That's because in just about every one of those situations the eating etiquette would look so different it would be unrecognizable - in fact it's likely people would be eating with their fingers!Americans have only been eating with forks - on a regualr basis for about 150 years!The earliest Americans ate with their hands - becasue so did almost everyone else.Oh - and I answer the question, why do Americans constantly switch which hands they hold knife and fork when eating fancy?All manner of Fork Trivia is covered.Music Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot com Threads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFoodMusic Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot comThreads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFood

Yes yes... tasty pigs.But as you might have gathered I'm not entirely OK right now.  Will there be a National Park Service -NPS.gov by next episode?Will I have access to the library of congress or is it going to get "Alexandira'd"?I don't know, but at least I do know that I can hook you up with both old school and modern methods of preserving pork when the power grid goes down.I the mean time take care, love your local food producers and be kind.  Even and possibly especially to the people who don't eat pork.  They're fine as well - and it mean more for us ominivores.Music Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot com Threads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFoodMusic Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot comThreads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFood

Turns out all I was able to squeeze in to this episode was the fresh pork - more or less.How to keep pork will be around next time.But the big lesson is - boy do we need our hands held when it comes to recipes.Is 50 words not enough for you to prepare boiled poik and pease porridge?  It certainly isn't enough for me.  I'd be absolutely sunk.Though it does explain why enslaved cooks could learn the recipes that were read to them out loud.  The recipes weren't that long.   Just small notes getting them to combine techniques they were already familliar with.The woman reading the recipe probobly didn't know what it was supposed to be like either.  As long as it tasted good - that was good enough.So come along - and be glad at the variety in your pantry.  Becasue in the 19th century - it was likely all pork a lot of the time.Music Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot com Threads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFoodMusic Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot comThreads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFood

To Market to market to buy a fat pigHome again home again jiggety jig...But how did those pigs get to market in the first place?On their own 4 feet!  That's right, there's more than one way to concentrate corn down for better transport and not all of it is Bourbon / Corn Whiskey.Also learn about how early mechanical America only kept moving due to the presence of pigs.Big contributions to the script from Mark Essig's _Lesser Beasts_ Be sure to look up the Canadian Super Pigs... and the problem they are.Music Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot com Threads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFoodMusic Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot comThreads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFood

This week I've gone crackers.  I've wondered for awhile why it's biscuits everywhere else - but sometimes ... it's crackers.  I mean, the most British of British claymation - Wallace and Grommit, when they go to the moon to get cheese, even they bring crackers.... not biscuits.That, and a few other things had me wondering if crackers and biscuts DIDN'T come from the same source?  Rather did the two just meet in America.  Turns out - that's what it was.It was Douglas Mack of The Snack Shack that got me stared with this post on biscuit and cracker mysteries of the past: The Snack That's a Secret IngredientAnd here are the llinks to @oliviacooks excellent cracker recipes made with sourdough discard:Love & Olive Oil - Sourdough CrackersSiicilian Parchment Sourdough Crackers (pane carasau)both include a non-sourdough version.Find out how it was New Sweden all along.  Or maybe not that... but they were involved.  Anyway, be glad your crackers have fat and leavening in them.  Music Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot com Threads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFoodMusic Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot comThreads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFood

Sure - people say America is built on A LOT of things, but the rise of Industrial America depends on two things - Bread and Steel.  Steel to make the Great American Dessert into the Great American Bread Basket - and all that wheat would make the steel of the railroad make lots of sense very quickly.If you are curious just what steel is - and how all that early American iron is related, this is your episode.  Sure - I'm a food podcast, but this time it's all about Geology, Steel and some bread.The King Arthur Focaccia Bread RecipeMusic Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot com Threads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFoodMusic Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot comThreads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFood

For those of you listenting along at home - a little reminder, these are just filler episodes from the other podcast project I was playing around with.  If you want that feed and not this one - hop over there.But for those of you who need something to tide you over - listen along to the Hot Nonsense (and a little Cristo Fernandez appreciation).Again - this is not the safe for everyone part of the feed.  And some of the bonus contect will be just fine.  But this is to simply avoid a blank space if I can help it.So carry on with the Zorro-ing and say in the comments if it's too many locations #locations #toomuchBust seriously - your 6 eps in to a 10 episode season and you're just going to send this many hares running in the field of story.What Gives?Also - Greta admits she entirely absolutely was guessing and was WRONG.But that's happened before & will most likely happen again.You better start paying some things off in the next few episodes.  That's all I ask. Oh - and don't stop delivering on the fashion.Music Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot comThreads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFood

Welcome to the messy alcoholic beverage scene in the early 19th century.  Migration, mechanization and new profit centers are all going to shift how alcoholic beverages are made and regarded in early America.  They are less part of community exchange, and instead become part of the flow of economic life.  Any sense of aged or carefully constructed liquors will never develop.  Instead alcohol will have more of an identity as a cog in the economic wheel.And becaseu booze is about to become big business, lots of people are going to have lots to say about it.So to find out how messy and fast moving thing are as the split in what the north drinks and what the south drinks emerges - jump in and hang on.  There is a whole bunch of information in here.Drink Up! Music Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot com Threads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFoodMusic Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot comThreads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFood

*THIS* is the don't listen at work part of the feed. I'll include this for all the naughty episodes.  And Zorro - he's a Bad Boy?  Bad Girl? Oh heck... it's just how bad people can be when it all becomes about money, power and entertaining TV.So have you been following along?Now that we have our major players set up - and the relationships are established we can really get the plates spinning:Secret Societies - checkLove Triangle - checkTwin Brothers - checkMysterious/Nefarious Death - checkand a SLAP! - check and checkThere's some fun close quarters fighting, riding off frantically into the moonlight, and jaw clenching to beat the band.  Capt. Monestario get's to employ his jaw clenching in a range of emotional situations.We get a doctor that washes his hands (what!?)But most of all - Jamie and Greta hint what's next after we come to the end of the 1st season of Zorro.So saddle up - and come along for the ride.As always - you can reach us on the internets.Jamie Lewis (plagueofstrength.com & IG @plagueofstrength)and his NEW YouTube Apprearances on Carved Outta Stone Wednesday AM or Friday PMSchedule Details: instagram.com/carvedouttastone&Greta Hardin (The History of American Food podcast & @THoAFood all over)Music Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot comThreads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFood

This episode wwas one for the books.  So many many books.  And the reading and researching of all those recipes showed me that - once again - some of the assumptions I went in with were way off!Chicken and dumplins... dumplin - are not typical early 19th century fare.  But plenty of other stew type things are.  And there are lessons in the recipes for all us modern cooks - regardless of how we cook our stew.The biggest big deal - brown your meat!  The other thing - freshen up your seasoning right before serving.  Do it!But what if it's a vegetable... a meatless stew?  Well, I fear to tell you, due to the spice fearing vegetarian crusaders of the 19th century (the Grahamites and their ilk) this was a terrible time to go hunting for good American vegetable stew.  It was there, but not in any printed cookbook.  America's date with generally good vegetable cookery got badly shoved into the corner.Sigh.But get on board with why our stew got so bad - and how you can make yours great!Music Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot com Threads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFoodMusic Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot comThreads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFood

This episode is a not a love letter, more of a crush note about Romania.    I’m at the point of fascination. I don’t know a lot about Romania, really, and they definitely know nothing about me, but what I got to see in a short amount of time has me wanting to know more.     If Romania strikes you the same way – here are all the links I mentioned to look up cool and tasty stuff. Along with the Russian History(None of this is beng done on a promotional basis - I get nothing out of this.  I just wanted to share!)   Perestroika GlasnostBoris Yeltsin   Step by Step BucharestExodus Romania   Irina Georgescu – CookbooksCarpathia Danube Tava Music Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot com Threads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFoodMusic Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot comThreads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFood

Did you know there was no "stew" before the 18th Century?OK - there was stew, it's just that it went by all sorts of other names.  While the concept of stew is old, the word "stew" itself is only about 300 years old.  I know I was shocked as well.To find out about stew, gravy, soup, braise and all sorts of other words - and more importantly how YOU can make your stews better, come along and listen for a bit.And then next week I'll tell you about all the regional styles of stew that are going to influence our national cuisine on into the future.(Chicken & dumplins anyone?)Music Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot com Threads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFoodMusic Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot comThreads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFood

This week’s bonus episode is an interview I did with Rich Napolitano of the delightfully dark and decidedly educational podcast highlighting the Age of Sail - Shipwrecks and Sea Dogs - Tales of Mishaps, Misfortune, and MisadventuresBring along all the Cabin Girls & Boys - this one is for everyone.Rich does me the favor of quoting vivid primary sources to back up all these things I’ve been saying about food at sea. In a word: Terrible. Check out Shipwrecks and Sea Dogs (https://shipwrecksandseadogs.com/blog/) to discover many more engaging episodes about tales of mishaps, misfortune, and misadventures.For images and sources, please visit https://shipwrecksandseadogs.com/blog/2024/11/12/danderfunk-salt-junk-and-scurvy-cuisine-aboard-ships/ For ad-free listening to Shipwrecks and Sea Dogs and many other fantastic history podcasts, subscribe to Into History at IntoHistory.com/shipwreckspod.Music Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot comThreads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFood

Can I just be a black cat now?Anyway - what are Baked Beans really, how did they come about, and why, in my opinion are they America's first influential fusion food?  Also, why did America pass up the chance to become a pottery power house - and give it all up in favor of steel and glass (is it becasue we think art is secretly decadant and a waste of time?)Come along for the journey, give pork a chance and don't give up on mustard.  We all need it.Music Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot com Threads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFoodMusic Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot comThreads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFood

Look - I should really plan better when I take an unexpected trip to Romania. But I did not. Enjoy all the same. #NSFWThings just get more. More more. Oh you were confused last week?  Well it doesn't get any better this week.  If anything it gets worse... more soupy, more sloppy, more salacious.Greta badly speaks more Spanish - but mainly in the service of the 2! DOS! Zorros issue.Jamie is baffled by the twins issue - not twin Zorros, just regular Telenovella twins.Excitement as we are in New York.  Consternation as a transit across the Panama Isthmus is proposed.And as always we have fun dashing about the (not actually) old Los Angeles countryside as the Mexican sway over Las Californias is in the process of being lost.  But not before we are teased with more bears.  When will we solve the mystery of the dang bears!?As always - you can reach us on the internets.Jamie Lewis (plagueofstrength.com & IG @plagueofstrength)and his NEW YouTube Apprearances on Carved Outta Stone Wednesday AM or Friday PMSchedule Details: instagram.com/carvedouttastone&Greta Hardin (The History of American Food podcast & @THoAFood all over)Music Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot comThreads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFood

Have you ever thought about how there are so few North American foods that are globally available - or even regular foods for people living in North America?Well wonder no more.  Or at least slightly less - and explore some of the major items that are native to Norht America, and yet almost made it to "famous because they are yummy" but not quite.  Also - what are the possible global superstars in waiting.Music Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot com Threads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFoodMusic Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot comThreads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFood& some other socials... @THoAFood