Ever since our pilgrim mothers lifted the lid to take a peek into the earthen jars simmering over Indian campfires, we've had high feasting on foods white men never knew before --- corn, clams, potatoes, tomatoes, turkeys, beans, pumpkins, terrapin, canvasback ducks, Jerusalem artichokes, alligator pears, maple syrup, pecans, peanuts --- a vast pantry of resources into which our hungry pioneers dipped and brought up kitchen miracles.  Each of our regions has produced specialties that make up our national cuisine --- Philadelphia Scrapple, Boston Baked Beans, Maine Pan Dowdy, Virginia Razorback Hams, New Orleans Gumbos.  From international influence, we gained even more and eagerly adopted German sauerbraten, sauerkraut, dill pickles and beer;  Italian spaghetti, scallopini and zabaglione;  Scandinavian lutfish and smorgasbord;  Chinese chop suey and chow mein;  boulyaw feasts and frogs legs from our French-Canadian neighbors;  chili con carne, tacos, tamales and tequila from Mexico --- until our cornucopia overflowed.  And after adopting, we adapted, and made them our very own.
    The history of American cuisine starts with the modest food of the Indians who taught the hard-pressed Europeans where to find and how to grow the native foods and how to capture wild game.  The colonists added their European culinary arts, imported foods, a touch of imagination, and a willingness to accept the new.  The recipes they created form the rudiments of our great food heritage.
INTRODUCTION
MARCH 1989
page 1 of 13
By MARY ECCHER
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THE FLAVORS OF AMERICA
The ingredients in the great American cooking pot reflect the rich diversity of our heritage
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