Revolution on the Table: The American Fight for Independence and the Birth of National Identity

Before independence was won on the battlefield, it was declared in the kitchen. From boycotts of British tea to the brewing of “Liberty Tea” made from native herbs, Americans turned everyday meals into acts of protest. Taverns became centers of political debate and rebellion, while dishes prepared with local ingredients came to symbolize freedom and self-reliance, and act traced in early cookbooks.

In this episode, Eva and Maite explore how the American Revolution transformed eating into an expression of resistance and how food helped shape a distinctly American identity. They discuss France’s influence on American Independence, and how Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson brought French recipes and dining customs home, forever changing the nation’s culinary culture.

This is part 2 of a 3 part series called, How Eating Shapes History! 

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