Food in Missouri: A Cultural Stew (Missouri Heritage Readers)

by Madeline Matson

Corn, squash, and beans from the Native Americans; barbecue sauces from the Spanish; potatoes and sausages from the Missouri's foods include a bountiful variety of ingredients. In Food in A Cultural Stew , Madeline Matson takes readers on an enticing journey through the history of this state's food, from the hunting and farming methods of the area's earliest inhabitants, through the contributions of the state's substantial African American population, to the fast-food purveyors of the microwave age. Tracing the history of food preparation, preservation, and marketing, while highlighting the cultural traditions that engendered each change, Matson shows how advances in farming methods, the invention of the electric range, the development of cookbooks, and three waves of immigration have profoundly influenced what Missourians eat today. Along the way, she highlights some of the key people, places, and institutions in Missouri's food Irma S. Rombauer, author of Joy of Cooking; Stark Bro's Nurseries and Orchards in Louisiana, Missouri, the largest family-owned fruit-tree nursery in the world and the home of Delicious, Golden Delicious, and Gala apples; St. Louis's Soulard Market, established in 1779 and said to be the oldest public market west of the Mississippi; and Stone Hill Winery, a leader in Hermann's nationally recognized wine- making industry. By bringing to life the traditions behind the foods we eat every day, Food in Missouri provides a unique perspective on the people who explored and settled the state, showing that Missouri's rich heritage truly is a cultural stew.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

168 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1994

Reviews

[Sean · Rating 2 out of 5]

A non-academic primer to the history of food in Missouri. I wish that the author wrote a little more on the history of regional cuisines, rather than focusing what seemed to be about half of the book on national or international trends. I assume that she felt it was necessary to do so, so that regional trends could be explained in relation to innovations going on at the technical and agricultural macro-levels, as well as in regards to the immigrant populations of Missouri (African-Americans, Scots-Irish and Germans outstate, the French and Spanish in the Mississippi Valley, Eastern Europeans in the cities, and the newer Asian and Latino immigrants), however more time was spent dealing with localized foods, ingredients, customs and dishes would have been a better use to the series, which focuses on Missouriana.

[Trinette · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an easy-to-read summary of Missouri culture as it relates to food and cooking in the state.