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Waverly Root and Richard de Rochemont, Eating in America: A History (Ecco Press, 1976) Reissed by Ecco Press in paperback in 1999. Journalists seeking to understand why deep-fried potatoes have been rechristened "Freedom Fries" will find precedent in American culinary history. Waverly Root and Richard de Rochemont note that sauerkraut went by the name "Liberty Cabbage" on some menus during World War I, permitting patriotic Americans to relish this dish despite anti-German sentiment. Food writers often quote such choice morsels from Waverly Root's extensive food writing to add piquancy to their articles. A distinguished American journalist who lived in Paris, Root wrote engaging surveys of the food of France, Italy, and America. Eating in America reveals Root's wit, erudition, and culinary opinions — or prejudices, which are many. Over 30 short chapters with such titles as "A Land of Plenty," "Beef and Buffalo," "The Birth of Food Processing," and "The Tepid Melting Pot" describe how the continent's abundant resources and the traditional eating habits of Northern European settlers created a distinctive American cuisine, which, if not known for its culinary excellence, was at least plentiful. The great distances between farmers and markets created a food system unequaled in producing processed foods — like sauerkraut and French fries. Among academics who study food, Root's writing is admired but his books' conclusions are sometimes disputed in light of later research. And if the authors' speculation about delicacies like fresh buffalo tongue remains intriguing, other opinions are simply ridiculous. Consider the discussion on the contribution of Jewish foods to American cuisine: "There are, of course, those Jewish foods about which cults have been built up, like that cousin of the doughnut, the bagel, which it is perhaps necessary to be Jewish to appreciate." Still, Eating in America is worth examining to understand how radically American expectations about our national cuisine have changed in the 30 years since the book's publication. The text fails to mention sushi, or salsa, or even pizza. Delmonico's, the temple of New York gastronomy in the Gilded Age, commands over 20 pages; McDonald's earns only a paragraph. And while several chapters generously describe the agricultural skill and culinary ingenuity of pre-Columbian Americans — called Indians, of course — the enormous contribution of African-American cooks to regional cuisines is nowhere to be found. Eating in America is a classic work of culinary history but, as with attitudes to Freedom Fries and Liberty Cabbage, what America eats has changed. Treat this book as an appetizer before sampling the richer references now available. MORE: Good Guide to Internet Sites about Food US Congress opts for "Freedom Fries" Alternative to Root's Work A Second Alternative |
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