From whiskey in the American Revolution to Spam in WWII, food reveals a great deal about the society in which it exists. Selecting 15 foods that represent key moments in the history of the United States, this book takes readers from before European colonization to the present, narrating major turning points along the way, with food as a guide. US History in 15 Foods takes everyday items like wheat bread, peanuts, and chicken nuggets, and shows the part they played in the making of America. What did the British colonists think about the corn they observed Indigenous people growing? How are oranges connected to Roosevelt's New Deal? And what can green bean casserole tell us about gender roles in the mid-20th century? Weaving food into colonialism, globalization, racism, economic depression, environmental change and more, Anna Zeide shows how America has evolved through the food it eats.

An introduction to US history from pre-colonization to the present day through the lens of 15 foods.

About the Author
Anna Zeide is Associate Professor of History and the founding director of the Food Studies Program in the College of Liberal Arts & Human Sciences at Virginia Tech, USA. She has previously written Canned: The Rise and Fall of Consumer Confidence in the American Food Industry (2018), which won a 2019 James Beard Media Award, and co-edited Acquired Tastes: Stories about the Origins of Modern Food (2021).

Reviews
Zeide takes readers on a fascinating tour of American foodways, from the pre-contact era to the present. As she tells the story of fifteen iconic foods and dishes, she traces the key political, social, and economic trends that defined the nation. Food history, this book persuasively shows, is U.S. history. -- Julia Irwin, University of South Florida, USA
Anna Zeide has made a convincing case that these fifteen foods can indeed be used to tell the complicated story of a nation. With lively prose and compelling examples, she has written a book with the potential to transform the way readers appreciate the significance of everyday ingredients. -- Jennifer Wallach, University of North Texas, USA
[US History in 15 Foods] is well written and enjoyable to read. ... Zeide brings out the exploitative and destructive nature of the modern food system, shedding light on the negative impacts on people and the environment. * H-Net Reviews *



Book Information
ISBN 9781350211971
Author Anna Zeide
Format Paperback
Page Count 288
Imprint Bloomsbury Academic
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing PLC