The American Plate

"From maize and barbeque to granola and salsa, Libby O'Connell illuminates the history of America's palate with fun and engaging tales of how the nation became what it eats. Using anthropology, history, folklore and economics as her ingredients, she cooks up an intellectually delicious buffet sure to please a wide readership. Thoroughly researched, and based upon serious scholarship, this is a wonderful, informative and entertaining book." - Richard Kurin, author of The Smithsonian's History of America in 101 Objects

"Libby O'Connell's The American Plate presents one hundred well-researched stories on key foods from the obvious–corn, wheat, beef and turkeys-- to the unexpected–soldier's rations, Lincoln's favorite cake, Eleanor Roosevelt's scrambled eggs, and roasted turtles. Every page tells a surprising story about American culinary history. O'Connell's easy-to-digest prose and modest portions are sprinkled with fascinating anecdotes that make these stories compulsively readable. This book is a wonderful delight." - Andrew F. Smith, Editor in Chief, The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America

"The American Plate shows that food is interesting not just because it tastes good, but because it reflects the people who grow, cook, and eat it. Here are the compelling, colorful backstories of national bites as familiar as microwave popcorn and as obscure as pemmican, as enduring as Southern fried chicken and as of-the-moment as seaweed and acai – a buffet of information that revels in the incredible diversity of American cuisine." - Michael Stern, co-author of the bestselling Roadfood series