The Routledge History of American Foodways provides an important overview of the main themes surrounding the history of food in the Americas from the pre-colonial era to the present day. By broadly incorporating the latest food studies research, the book explores the major advances that have taken place in the past few decades in this crucial field.The volume is composed of four parts. The first part explores the significant developments in US food history in one of five time periods to situate the topical and thematic chapters to follow. The second part examines the key ingredients in the American diet throughout time, allowing authors to analyze many of these foods as items that originated in or dramatically impacted the Americas as a whole, and not just the United States. The third part focuses on how these ingredients have been transformed into foods identified with the American diet, and on how Americans have produced and presented these foods over the last four centuries. The final section explores how food practices are a means of embodying ideas about identity, showing how food choices, preferences, and stereotypes have been used to create and maintain ideas of difference. Including essays on all the key topics and issues, The Routledge History of American Foodways comprises work from a leading group of scholars and presents a comprehensive survey of the current state of the field. It will be essential reading for all those interested in the history of food in American culture.

Part I: Cooking Times 1. Pre-Colonial 2. Early American 3. Nineteenth Century 4. Twentieth Century 5. Contemporary Issues Part II: Ingredients 6. Grains 7. Meat 8. Alcohol 9. Sugar 10. Fish 11. Fruits and Vegetables Part III: Recipes 12. Kitchens 13. Holidays and Festivals 14. Restaurant Culture 15. Food Tourism 16. Food Policy 17. Food and the Environment Part IV: Appetites 18. Food and Immigration 19. Food and Race 20. Food and Regionalism 21. Food and American Wars 22. Food and Gender 23. Food and Empire 24. Food and Entertainment 25. Food and Marketing