How Just 8 Flavors Have Defined American Cuisine

NPR ^ | 12/6 | Alan Yu

[oldvirginian]

My mom always sprinkled paprika on her potatoe salad as well as her deviled eggs.
She used it on several dishes which now escape my memory.

[oldvirginian]

We were too poor to afford anything remotely connected to maple syrup.

It was Karo syrup for pancakes and French toast.
Now the dang Karo is so expensive I can’t afford THAT.

[Dr. Sivana]

Food is something that is often accepted in this country before we accept the immigrants themselves. ... We happily buy hummus in our grocery store, but in the meantime, they were going to ban Muslims from entering this country.”

It's time for someone to introduce bacon flavored hummus. We Americans are great at cultural appropriation. Our best pizzas are an improvement on the stuff in Italy.

[NonValueAdded]

No cinnamon?

[reed13k]

No salt and too much SJW wrapped into this. Things created in 1980 don’t qualify as defining American Cuisine historically in my opinion (and I know what opinions are worth).

Where’s the bay leaf? Where’s the red crab boil? Nothing from a gumbo or a chowder? How about tomato flavoring/catsup/ketchup? No mustard? How is MSG a flavor and not a flavor enhancer?

[moose07]

Keeping my head down, this is a dangerous thread. :)

[ETL]

"That moose-face recipe dates back to the 19th century, and it wasn't easy. She recalls spending hours trying to butcher the moose from Alaska in her kitchen in Queens, New York. She tried scalding the face in hot water to remove the fur, but it didn't quite work and her apartment stunk of wet moose."

I haven't had a good moose face in years. I prefer it deep-fried. Seriously, I remember reading somewhere that it was Michelle O's favorite dish. You know what they say: You are what you eat.

Around 6 months ago in my local supermarket here in Queens, NY, in a neighborhood of now mostly spanish and chinese, was an entire pig's head in with the normal pork products. The neighborhood, which I've for just around 2 years, has come a long way over the decades when it was largely Italian.

As an aside, there is a street a block away named "Justice". Found out a couple months ago it was named after Justice Scalia who grew up here in the 50s.

[who knows what evil?]

Yeah, I understand that. The ‘old man’ was a government employee, so proximity to the Fort Meade area was crucial.

[tumblindice]

I stewed a moose once that bit my sister.
In all honesty it was a nasti dish.

[Daffynition]

Yes, and mentioned in my link above, for those who may not know. :)

The bigger puzzle is why we are still known as the *Constitution State*. {{{GUFFAW}}}

[rlmorel]

I haven’t had a dish of hummus blow up and kill everyone in the room yet, so hummus can stick around.

[Daffynition]

What you kids needed was this. I have a pair, somewhere in my Early American tool collection

And no, they are not equine tooth extractors. :)

[HartleyMBaldwin]

Oh, OK, I hadn’t followed the link. (I don’t follow very many links in comments; it takes a lot of time.)

[rlmorel]

Sriracha? Really? It has defined American Cuisine?

[Daffynition]

Well, at least you *read* the comments. :)

Carry on

[Daffynition]

No, I pass, you can have the eyeballs, and my share of brains

[Little Ray]

Just ordered a sample of her book for Kindle!

I love books on spices and old recipes!

[rlmorel]

I always thought Moosehead was okay, but...I have never developed a palate for beer. However, my buddy and I drove up to New Brunswick and Nova Scotia back around 1984, and we went to the Moosehead brewery for a tour. (This is my buddy driving my car! One of my few surviving photos from that trip...)

We were the only ones there, and it was a hot, hot July day in the middle of the week. They brought us into a room, opened a fridge, and asked us what we wanted. Ten-Penny Ale, Moosehead, and half a dozen or more other names I never heard of. Ice cold, we would drink a bottle, and they would give us another!

Needless to say, when we walked outside, we had more in us than we should have. We jumped in the car and drove back to the camp ground, passed out inside that tent. I'll tell ya, sleeping inside a tent in 90 degree weather in the middle of the day with a few drinks...it sucks when you wake up. Doesn't feel good.

How times have changed. They didn't check ID. They didn't limit us, we could have as much beer as we wanted...now THAT was a brewery tour!

I have a nylon Moosehead duffel I got there, and I still have it. I think that has done the equivalent of traveling around the world several times over...:)

[Clutch Martin]

Sarah Lohman once again provides us with a mosaic view of her interpretive misunderstanding from inside the urban bubble she inhabits.

Pure schlock and jigsaw puzzlebug.

[Salamander]

That is precisely what I needed...or a ball peen hammer, chisel and a flat rock..

;)