Filled artichokes

Recipe: Artichokes Barigoule (1879)

Artichokes have a long history in global cuisine. Ancient civilizations ate the artichoke’s distant relative, the cardoon, and what we now think of as...
Tunnel of Fudge Cake, Photo by Eric Colleary at The American Table

Recipe: Tunnel of Fudge Cake (1966)

We can owe the entire bundt cake phenomenon to one single recipe: the Tunnel of Fudge cake. Following World War II, a man named...
Table Service, from Charles Ranhofer's "The Epicurean" (1894)

Top 12 Most Influential Historic American Cookbooks

Occasionally I hear from people looking to start a historic cookbook library and want recommendations. With the new year being the time for lists,...
Picnic near Yanceyville, N.C., Photo: Library of Congress

Planning Your Memorial Day Picnic

For my interview with Chad Bouchard on the history and recipes of early Memorial Day picnics, visit Earth Eats at Indiana Public Media. Memorial...
Switchel, Photo: Eric Colleary

Recipe: Switchel (1853)

Spring has finally sprung, and my first year teaching at Macalester College has come to an end. In Minneapolis, where I currently live, spring...
Winter Cafe - CCL, Flickr: Zzmeika

Winter Update at the American Table

It’s hard to believe I haven’t posted in a few months. Back in August, I was unexpectedly offered a visiting professorship at Macalester College...
Bake until browned

Recipe: Scolloped Tomatoes (1838)

Mary Randolph’s The Virginia Housewife may not be the first cookbook published in America, but many consider it the first truly regional American cookbook –...
Moby Dick, New Bedford Harbor

Herman Melville on Chowder – Moby Dick (1851)

“We could not possibly do better than try pot-luck at the Try Pots,” says Moby Dick narrator Ishmael. The chapter is rife with dark...
Eggs, Source: Flickr, pietroizzo - CCL

Making History Monday: July 29, 2013

Making History Mondays is a digest of American food news from the around the web. These are the stories that are changing American foodways and...
Ham and Banana Rolls

Retro Recipe: Ham Banana Rolls (1947)

If memory serves, this week’s “Retro Recipe” began as a dare some months ago when a friend and colleague posted a photo of Ham...
◀ ▶