When you think about the American food and cuisines, the things that will probably come into your mind are hamburgers, French fries, or any fried, fast and greasy food. The thought is correct, but it includes a very narrow part of American food and cuisine. American food culture is a meat culture.
One can find meat in an American plate-like steak, chicken and bacon etc. American food can be described as a group of different kinds of food that originated from various other parts of the world. American recipes are made up of a variety of dishes that come from many other cultures.
Mexican, Italian and Chinese cuisines are very famous and common in America. Although they are named as Mexican, Italian and Chinese cuisines but Americans have added their tastes in these cuisines, and that is why the dishes are quite different than that of what is found in Mexico, Italy and China.
Revolution of American Food and Cuisines
The American food and cuisines, like many other countries, has evolved. As the technology is changing, availability and migration of people across the country have changed too, so does the food that the Americans buy, grow, cook and enjoy.
Impact of European foods and cuisines on American cooking (1492-1850) differed significantly for regions and tribes. Local Americans encountering Spanish settlers were exposed to different cuisines and foods than those exposed to French, English and Dutch cuisines.
Some areas and tribes eagerly embraced new foods and recipes, while others shunned them. Foods and recipes previously unknown in Europe & Africa such as tomatoes, potatoes, corn, yams, cassava, manioc and a wide variety of beans migrated eastward.
Other sources of food which were unknown to America like pigs, sheep, and cattle moved westward. Sugar, coffee and chocolate that were grown in the New World became the basis for the world’s first genuinely multinational consumer-oriented industries. During the 19th & early 20th centuries, change in American food ways took place slowly, despite the steady influx of immigrants. Mass change in American recipes took place due to the industrialization.
In the late 19th century food began to be mass-produced, marketed and standardized. Factories processed, preserved, canned and package a wide variety of foods. Processed cereals quickly became the defining feature of American breakfast.
World War II played a crucial role in American recipes. Overseas service introduced soldiers to a variety of foreign foods & cuisines, while population movements at home exposed to a wider variety of American food ways. The post-war expansion of international trade also made American diets more diverse, making fresh fruits and vegetables available all year. In the 1920s, a technique of “freezing” emerged in the industries of America.
Increasingly processed & nationally distributed cuisine & foods began to dominate the nation’s diet. But the distinct regional and ethnic cuisines persisted and showed a different charm all around the globe. America is a melting pot of traditions & cultures as a result of many immigrants that came to America from other various countries.
This makes American recipes diverse, homey, original, unique, spicy, casual and formal. The country has established several dishes that are considered to be an example of American foods and cuisines like hamburgers, potato salad, dumplings, fried chicken, steaks and seafood.
