1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910798399703321

Autore

Begin Camille <1984->

Titolo

Taste of the nation : the New Deal search for America's food / / Camille Begin

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Urbana, IL : , : University of Illinois Press, , 2016

©2016

ISBN

0-252-09851-X

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (241 p.)

Collana

Studies in sensory history

Disciplina

641.30097309/04

Soggetti

Food habits - United States - History - 20th century

Food writing - United States - History - 20th century

Diet - United States - History - 20th century

Food - United States - History - 20th century

United States Social life and customs 1918-1945

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Description based upon print version of record.

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references (pages 199-213) and index.

Nota di contenuto

Introduction: sensing food in the New Deal era -- America eats: the making of a sensory archive -- Romance of the homemade -- Tasting place, sensing race -- An American culinary heritage? Mexican food in the Southwest -- A "well-filled melting pot" -- Conclusion: how taste is made.

Sommario/riassunto

The role of taste in a culinary transformation

Camille Begin shapes a cultural and sensory history of New Deal-era eating from the FWP archives. From "ravioli, the diminutive derbies of pastries, the crowns stuffed with a well-seasoned paste" to barbeque seasoning that integrated "salt, black pepper, dried red chili powder, garlic, oregano, cumin seed, and cayenne pepper" while "tomatoes, green chili peppers, onions, and olive oil made up the sauce", Begin describes in mouth-watering detail how Americans tasted their food. They did so in ways that varied, and varied widely, depending on race, ethnicity, class, and region. Begin explores how likes and dislikes, cravings and disgust operated within local sensory economies that she culls from the FWP's vivid descriptions, visual cues, culinary expectations, recipes and accounts of restaurant meals. She illustrates



how nostalgia, prescriptive gender ideals, and racial stereotypes shaped how the FWP was able to frame regional food cultures as "American."