In recent years there has been a resurgence of interest in early American cooking, fueled, ironically, by advances in technology. Online digital projects such as Feeding America at Michigan State University have made it possible for... Read More

Americans have submitted to increasingly frantic, contradictory food fads in pursuit of a healthy diet. From banishing carbs, to factory-made dietetic meals (vacuum-sealed in plastic), and synthetic fat substitute (notorious for inducing... Read More

Few Baby Boomers who grew up lunching in public school cafeterias escaped ladles of an over-salted, brown glop known as chop suey. That meal passed as an introduction to “Asian” food, despite its dubious and controversial origins... Read More

Deep-fried Twinkies. Yes, deep-fried Twinkies. That’s just one of the more, um, exotic recipes that can be found in this book. While ostensibly a cookbook, this ring-bound volume is actually a celebration of the culture that has... Read More

The extent of most Americans’ knowledge of Swedish food probably consists of Swedish meatballs and a vague conception of a smörgàsbord. Swedish meatballs with gravy are here, of course, along with an explanation of smörgàsbord,... Read More

Mandarin Matches. The roster of exceptional pairings, from Fred and Ginger to peanut butter and chocolate, shouldn’t make such a fuss over the relationship between wine and food. Clever chefs and sommeliers know that adding a... Read More

In the light of the popularity of Food Network TV shows like 30 Minute Meals*, Calorie Commando, Cooking Thin, and Good Food Fast, this cookbook should appeal to a ready-made audience, for the author’s goal is the same as these... Read More

Most scholars and laypeople agree that Thomas Jefferson was a Renaissance man. But scholarly treatments of his accomplishments in government, literature, philosophy, and invention omit his influence on the culinary world. Curious minds... Read More