As Europeans and their decendents the Earliest Americans desired, loved and craved bread. But with wheat being a tough go generally at these early stages, the whole in their grain loving hearts was filled by corn.

So when it was time to leave home and go to war, or just on adventure, corn came with them as well. As cornbread - sure - but that was actually pretty uncommon. Instead puddings, porridges and as parched corn was much more likely.

Find out why cornmeal now needs wheat flour to hold together (bad) but doesn't go rancid in three month or less (good).

And Corn Whiskey is back - feeding the troops and calming them down when food is short.

Corn for all seasons - even when not at home.

Music Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor Turtle
Show Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/
Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot com
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Sugar is sugar... right?

Not so much. I mean, the sugar everyone cares about it cane sugar, but honey and maple syrup & sugar are also playing a role at this point.

And then war. War gets in the way of everything, especially when you end up in a war with the country supplying you most of your sugar.
Twice!

And then there's a whole seperate revolutioin on the other place you are getting your sugar from.
1776 - 1815 were certainly fraught years for sugar in the brand new United States.
Come find out how.

Music Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor Turtle
Show Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/
Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot com
Threads@THoAFood
Twitter: @THoAFood
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Three iron innovations that made a difference during this age - two on the battle front, and one in people's homes.

With furnaces and forges both up and running - and expanding to meet the insatiable appitite for iron, iron workers had to eat as well.
Food, wood and water - all plentiful in this new country - they made American iron cheaper than it had ever been.

Also for fun - some facts about Valley Forge. Mainly why it was called that, and why it was a good place for winter quarters for the Continental Army.


Music Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor Turtle
Show Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/
Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot com
Threads@THoAFood
Twitter: @THoAFood
Instagram: @THoAFood
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Why so much Iron America?

Well, it has to do with the stars, and I'll explaon why. But I'll also spend time going over how American Iron - and most Iron from the Age of Sail until the 20th Century was made - Charcoal Fired Blast Furnaces!

Read enough on iron - and one gets very frustrated with not understanding the common terminology used around it. I've broken it down to the important basics so you can understand it to. Becasue iron will not stop being important to American food - coming 1st - so we can fight wars. Coming 2nd and soon - railroads!

And then refrigeration and then gasoline engines and trucks and metal framed buildings that hold our grocery stores. It's inescapable, so let's take a look at the tech.

Music Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor Turtle
Show Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/
Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot com
Threads@THoAFood
Twitter: @THoAFood
Instagram: @THoAFood
BlueSky: THoAFood.bsky.social

Now that American food is actually American food, we egeet to talk about the food as America starts to sort out what it wants to be.

The first answer is, BIGGER!

And in order to do that the country has to break away - war #1 - and then kick the parent country to show that they aree big boy now - war #2 - and then continue to push the borders of the infant countryinto the lands of other nations - wars #3 to n+1.

How American food adapted to all this expansion and fighting will be the center of season 3. But we also geet Gumbo, so that's good.

Hop onto the Season 3 Mule Train and lets go see the new country.

Music Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor Turtle
Show Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/
Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot com
Threads@THoAFood
Twitter: @THoAFood
Instagram: @THoAFood
BlueSky: THoAFood.bsky.social

Still up to my ears in military history, food logistics, the end of the age of Fighting Sail (so C.S. Forester) and so very much sugar. That's right - Season 3 is on it's way.

But that's not all - I'm up to new stuff in more places. Check it out!

Music Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor Turtle
Show Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/
Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot com
Threads@THoAFood
Twitter: @THoAFood
Instagram: @THoAFood
BlueSky: THoAFood.bsky.social

Done with only England

Done with Great Britain

At last we are going to be - AMERICA!

That whole transition is going to be So Messy.

Time to look back on what's changed over the last season and century - what it all means for a daily meal (meat, so much more meat! and from the farm)

There are forks now. More people get to have their own plates and cups. Not everyone drinks beer for breakfast. Now you can also choose from tea, herbal tea or whiskey. Its a change.

Subscribe so you know about bonus episodes, and when I get back on the air.

See you in August!

Music Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor Turtle
Show Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/
Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot com
Threads@THoAFood
Twitter: @THoAFood
Instagram: @THoAFood
BlueSky: THoAFood.bsky.social

Let's Go Outside and look at all the jobs out there that helped the 18th Century food-o-verse go around.

While not every job outside the home was food related in the 18th century - quite a few of them were. I take you through Grain, Livestock, Fish, Sugar, Iron and Wood. There's a detour through buldings and even a shoutout to the American McMansion.

Lots of fun pictures this week.
McMansion Hell: The Faux quarried blocks look - https://mcmansionhell.com/post/707909502449614849/every-small-city-has-that-one-dictator-chic-house

Fieldstone:
Newport Tower -
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newport_Tower_(Rhode_Island)
Grove Park Inn -
https://www.omnihotels.com/hotels/asheville-grove-park/dining/great-hall-bar

All the old northern European style buildings in America are made of wood:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_oldest_buildings_in_the_United_States

Omohundro Institute: https://oieahc.wm.edu/

Ben Franklin's World: https://benfranklinsworld.com/


Music Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor Turtle
Show Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/
Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot com
Twitter: @THoAFood
Instagram: @THoAFood
Post: @THoAFood

Send in your Questions! Chemistry Class for food is back and this time it is protein. Again, no tests and no homework.

Fascinating Topics Addressed:

Why amino acids are called that;
Where protein as a substance was identified in chemistry experiments;
What a peptide bond is;
Why proteins inspire micro manufacturing;
Can you survive only eating aminos - but no proteins;
How we get energy from protein;
And I say primordial ooze.

As always - you can catch the Dinosaur Neil Episode of the The Tick here: "Don't eat in the Lab or you might turn into a Dinosaur!" References - The Tick v. Dinosaur Neil: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1J8HxakmkWU

Music Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor Turtle Show Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/ Email: [email protected] Twitter: @THoAFood Instagram: @THoAFood

Shout out to the National Park Service! Hallowell Furnace is a beautiful spot all full of history.

So what does it take to run an 18th century house - inside?
Who does the work? (and how glad am I to live in the. age of not just running water - but hot running water?)

It's women and children working on the household jobs - find out what kind of women and children. But mostly - an update on the orphan situation.

Music Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor Turtle
Show Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/
Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot com
Twitter: @THoAFood
Instagram: @THoAFood
Post: @THoAFood