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US History in 15 Foods
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.
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.
- GenresNonfictionHistoryFood
274 pages, Paperback
Published February 9, 2023
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219 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 9, 2024
Anna Zeide’s central argument is that food isn’t just food. It is a window into our history; food and hunger are powerful tools in the hands of oppressive forces. It is a crucial piece of how we make meaning in our world and live our daily lives.
The book is structured similarly to a chronological museum exhibit. Each chapter displays a food that exemplifies themes of community, resistance, and/or government intervention, beginning before English colonization and continuing to the present day. The reader sees tangible examples of the forces of colonization, industrialization, and globalization, as well as community dynamics, political resistance, and activism.
From pemmican, corn, and whiskey to chicken nuggets, Big Macs, and Korean tacos, socially and culturally important foods tell the story of colonization, war, economic instability, capitalism, immigration, the pursuit of democracy, and so much more. The book takes a succinct, nuanced, and critical look at American history, tying individual experiences and societal realities together in order to present a holistic understanding of the role that the production and consumption of food plays in US history, and the role that US history plays on food.
Zeide used a collection of sources in order to paint an accurate picture of the political and historical landscapes in which each of the fifteen foods is situated. She utilized popular media, including books like My Bondage and My Freedom by Fredrick Douglas, movies, TV, magazines, and social media, to give the readers a glimpse into the attitudes around food, morality, and behavior that were held at specific points in history. She also used first-person accounts such as journal entries, analyses from historians, and sources more directly related to food like cookbooks. Primary sources are vital to Zeide’s methodology, as they are a direct connection to the events and political environments that she is studying.
I feel that Zeide’s work is clear and accessible while still holding space for the nuances of history and the human experience. Reading her writing felt like talking to an incredibly well-informed friend. The epilogue of her book felt lovely to engage with, not only because we share a similar politic, but because she is able to hold on to hope and her faith in humanity even in the face of devastating pieces of history. Especially given the current state of events, the idea that “when we stop to think about food, about where it comes from and where it has taken us, we recognize the daily acts of hope that feed us all” (pg. 210) feels incredibly comforting.
In addition to feeling comforted, as I was reading, I recognized many gaps in my knowledge of US history and the food that accompanied it. I loved Zeide’s work and feel that I learned a lot from it. I would hugely recommend her work to everyone!
The book is structured similarly to a chronological museum exhibit. Each chapter displays a food that exemplifies themes of community, resistance, and/or government intervention, beginning before English colonization and continuing to the present day. The reader sees tangible examples of the forces of colonization, industrialization, and globalization, as well as community dynamics, political resistance, and activism.
From pemmican, corn, and whiskey to chicken nuggets, Big Macs, and Korean tacos, socially and culturally important foods tell the story of colonization, war, economic instability, capitalism, immigration, the pursuit of democracy, and so much more. The book takes a succinct, nuanced, and critical look at American history, tying individual experiences and societal realities together in order to present a holistic understanding of the role that the production and consumption of food plays in US history, and the role that US history plays on food.
Zeide used a collection of sources in order to paint an accurate picture of the political and historical landscapes in which each of the fifteen foods is situated. She utilized popular media, including books like My Bondage and My Freedom by Fredrick Douglas, movies, TV, magazines, and social media, to give the readers a glimpse into the attitudes around food, morality, and behavior that were held at specific points in history. She also used first-person accounts such as journal entries, analyses from historians, and sources more directly related to food like cookbooks. Primary sources are vital to Zeide’s methodology, as they are a direct connection to the events and political environments that she is studying.
I feel that Zeide’s work is clear and accessible while still holding space for the nuances of history and the human experience. Reading her writing felt like talking to an incredibly well-informed friend. The epilogue of her book felt lovely to engage with, not only because we share a similar politic, but because she is able to hold on to hope and her faith in humanity even in the face of devastating pieces of history. Especially given the current state of events, the idea that “when we stop to think about food, about where it comes from and where it has taken us, we recognize the daily acts of hope that feed us all” (pg. 210) feels incredibly comforting.
In addition to feeling comforted, as I was reading, I recognized many gaps in my knowledge of US history and the food that accompanied it. I loved Zeide’s work and feel that I learned a lot from it. I would hugely recommend her work to everyone!
February 21, 2024
Below are some facts/stats from the book that I thought were particularly astonishing.
"The combined forces of industrialization and immigration led to urbanization, with the number of cities with populations above 5,000 rising from twelve in 1820 to almost 150 by 1850."
"Between 1890 and 1906, southern states limited Black voting rights through indirect means, using poll taxes, discriminatory literacy tests, and grandfather clauses. In one dramatic example, the number of Black registered voters in Louisiana went from 130,000 in 1894 to 1,342 by 1904."
"Chicago was the new center of the meatpacking industry, outpacing the previous leader Cincinnati in the years after the Civil War. The city grew spectacularly, from 200 residents in 1833 to more than a million by 1890."
"Some White Americans looked to urban Black neighborhoods like Harlem and immigrant neighborhoods like the Italian Bleecker Street as a site for exotic adventure. As one writer recalled, “Back then [1920s], to eat a loaf of garlic bread was an act of bravado and to eat a garlic-laden spaghettis sauce was an act of liberation.”"'
"After the McNugget’s introduction [nationwide in 1983], the percent of chicken consumed in further-processed form grew from 16% to 80% over the next two decades. The nugget inspired new chicken restaurants, frozen chicken products, and grocery store items. This helped companies like Tyson to grow even bigger as they automated and streamlined the processing of breaded and fried chicken products. These moves helped catapult chicken consumption by 50% between 1976 and 1989, overtaking beef as Americans’ #1 meat of choice."
"The years between 2004 and 2007 saw the launch of Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and the iPhone. By 2015, about 2/3 of Americans owned smartphones."
"The combined forces of industrialization and immigration led to urbanization, with the number of cities with populations above 5,000 rising from twelve in 1820 to almost 150 by 1850."
"Between 1890 and 1906, southern states limited Black voting rights through indirect means, using poll taxes, discriminatory literacy tests, and grandfather clauses. In one dramatic example, the number of Black registered voters in Louisiana went from 130,000 in 1894 to 1,342 by 1904."
"Chicago was the new center of the meatpacking industry, outpacing the previous leader Cincinnati in the years after the Civil War. The city grew spectacularly, from 200 residents in 1833 to more than a million by 1890."
"Some White Americans looked to urban Black neighborhoods like Harlem and immigrant neighborhoods like the Italian Bleecker Street as a site for exotic adventure. As one writer recalled, “Back then [1920s], to eat a loaf of garlic bread was an act of bravado and to eat a garlic-laden spaghettis sauce was an act of liberation.”"'
"After the McNugget’s introduction [nationwide in 1983], the percent of chicken consumed in further-processed form grew from 16% to 80% over the next two decades. The nugget inspired new chicken restaurants, frozen chicken products, and grocery store items. This helped companies like Tyson to grow even bigger as they automated and streamlined the processing of breaded and fried chicken products. These moves helped catapult chicken consumption by 50% between 1976 and 1989, overtaking beef as Americans’ #1 meat of choice."
"The years between 2004 and 2007 saw the launch of Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and the iPhone. By 2015, about 2/3 of Americans owned smartphones."
July 23, 2025
read as the main assigned text for my food history class. material is dense, but presented in a way that reads smoothly. learned a tremendous amount about the national food system from this book (and course) with a scoping review of how food has transcended its use as subsistence since far prior to the country’s existence
April 26, 2024
Thoughtful as well as enlightening!
August 3, 2025
Nice idea, poor execution. Lots of details in some subject, while lacking in others.
December 30, 2023
Very educational, I learned a fair bit.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews