Stories by era

1776-1865

A new republic ate from frontier gardens, ports, farms, mills, taverns, military rations, enslaved labor, Indigenous trade, immigrant skill, and regional necessity.

Title page of Amelia Simmons's American Cookery from 1796

1776-early republic

A Young Republic Learns to Cook for Itself

The new nation had to feed itself in war, in taverns, in farm kitchens, and on working plantations. By 1796, Amelia Simmons's American Cookery gave printed form to a cuisine using American ingredients and American names.

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