History Corner: The Epic History of Macaroni and Cheese: From Ancient Rome to Modern America by Karima Moyer-Nocchi

  Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this ebook, free of charge, from Columbia Press,via Edelweiss for review purposes on this blog. No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it. All opinions are my own

Synopsis:

Today, macaroni and cheese is the ultimate comfort food, a staple of weeknight dinners, family gatherings, and Soul Food restaurants. Humble though the dish may seem, its history is filled with surprising twists and turns. Renaissance cardinals and popes dined on elaborate pasta-and-cheese concoctions laced with costly spices. In the eighteenth century, wealthy young Englishmen made macaroni a symbol of continental sophistication. Black women, whose contribution has long been overshadowed, played a crucial role in establishing the dish as an American tradition from the nation’s founding through the Civil Rights Movement.

This book is a delectable history of macaroni and cheese, tracing an extraordinary journey of cultural exchange and social change. Karima Moyer-Nocchi reveals the religious, political, and industrial forces that shaped its evolution alongside stories of the unsung figures who crafted the dish as we know it today: enslaved cooks who preserved and adapted traditions, immigrant chefs who introduced new variations, and practical homemakers looking to nourish their families with an affordable meal. She emphasizes the adaptability of macaroni and cheese, which in different times has served as both an indulgence on the elite table and sustenance to those struggling to survive, crossing borders, social classes, and cultural divides. Deeply researched and rich with enticing details, this book uncovers the creativity and resilience that brought a beloved food to our tables. The Epic History of Macaroni and Cheese also shares centuries of recipes—from ancient Roman authors to celebrity chefs, reworked for modern kitchens—that provide a hands-on way to experience the evolution of this iconic dish.

Review:

Have you ever even THOUGHT about where mac n cheese came from? Most of us just think of it as a Southern traditional dish, but they THEY got it from somewhere else, obviously, as they came from European stock....So one would go ok, so yeah pasta is Italian, so that makes sense. But....again, not quite the way you're thinking! The author does a great job in taking the reader through the ENTIRE history of mac n cheese, with every noted recipe for it, and showing how each cultural shift changed it, leading it more to the dish we know today. Fun for history lovers, as well as those who love cookbooks and reading about how dishes evolve, this is one no one would expect for the holiday season, but will thank you for it, and the great trivia knowledge to be learned, after it is read!

About the Author:

Karima Moyer-Nocchi is a culinary historian specializing in Italian food who teaches at the University of Siena. She is the author of Chewing the Fat: An Oral History of Italian Foodways from Fascism to Dolce Vita (2015) and The Eternal Table: A Cultural History of Food in Rome (2019).