Food in the United States, 1820s-1890

The period from the 1820s to 1890 was one of invention, new trends, and growth in the American food culture. Inventions included the potato chip and Coca-Cola. Patents were taken out for the tin can, canning jars, and condensed milk. Vegetarianism was promulgated. Factories and mills such as Pillsbury came into being, as did Quaker Oats and other icons of American food. This volume describes the beginnings of many familiar mainstays of our daily life and consumer culture. It chronicles the shift from farming to agribusiness. Cookbooks proliferated and readers will trace the modernization of cooking, from the hearth to the stove, and the availability of refrigeration. Regional foodways are covered, as are how various classes ate at home or away. A final chapter covers the diet fads, which were similar to those being touted today. The period from the 1820s to 1890 was one of invention, new trends, and growth in the American food culture. Inventions included the potato chip and Coca-Cola. Patents were taken out for the tin can, canning jars, and condensed milk. Vegetarianism was promulgated. Factories and mills such as Pillsbury came into being. This volume describes the beginnings of many familiar mainstays of our daily life and consumer culture. It chronicles the shift from farming to agribusiness. Cookbooks proliferated and readers will trace the modernization of cooking, from the hearth to the stove, and the availability of refrigeration. Regional foodways are covered, as are how various classes ate at home or away. A final chapter covers the diet fads, which were similar to those being touted today. The volume is targeted toward high school students on up to the general public who want to complement U.S. history cultural studies or better understand the fascinating groundwork for the modern kitchen, cook, and food industry. Abundant insight into the daily life of women is given. Period illustrations and recipes and a chronology round out the text.

Susan Williams teaches American History at Fitchburg State College, Massachusetts.