Food History Resources and Recipes
Almond History
Almond History - The history of almonds as food.
Apple History
The first commercially-ground coffee in sealed cans was distributed in 1878. Learn more about the history of coffee.
Apricot History
Why do those in the military consider apricots a jinx? Find out and learn the history of apricots.
Banana History
Sailors brought the banana to North America. Learn more about the history of bananas.
Beet (Beetroot) History
Beets have been used as dyes and medicinally. Learn more about beet and beetroot history.
Canned Milk History - Evaporated and Sweetened Condensed Milk
Canned Milk History - Evaporated and Sweetened Condensed Milk. Learn the history of canned milk and find out why early canned milk was safer than fresh milk.
Bourbon Whiskey History
Corn is the distinguishing factor in American bourbon whiskey. Learn about the history of bourbon.
Edible Flowers History
Edible Flowers History - The history of flowers as food.
Chive History
Chives date back thousands of years. Learn the history of chives.
Graham Cracker and Graham Flour History
Learn the history of graham flour and graham crackers.
Cinnamon History
Cinnamon has been used for embalming and meat preservation. Learn more about the history of cinnamon.
Ham History
Ham History - The history of ham and pork as food.
Beer History
The term honeymoon actually comes from honey beer. Learn more about the history of beer.
Heirloom Measures Conversion Chart
Some heirloom recipes use imprecise measurements such as a coffeecup of sugar or a gill of milk. Find out how to convert these heirloom measurements with this handy chart.
Home Cooking Articles
Home Cooking articles include history and often legend and lore about various foods including fruits, vegetables, meats, seafood, herbs, spices and more.
Honey History
Honey History - The history of honey as food.
Couscous History
Couscous may be older than pasta. Learn more about couscous history.
Irish Food History
Irish Food History. Potatoes, oats, and fish are Irish food staples. Learn about the history of Irish foods.
Irish Stew History
Irish stew is traditionally made with mutton or lamb. Learn the origin of Irish stew and new variations.
Jerusalem Artichokes / Sunchokes History
Jerusalem artichokes are not artichokes and do not come from Jerusalem. Learn about the history of sunchokes and Jerusalem artichokes.
Easter Egg Coloring History
Easter Coloring History. Here are explanations of some of the many types of decorated eggs.
Lamb History - The history of lamb as food.
Lamb History - The history of lamb as food.
Fondue History
Fondue History - The origins of fondue.
Pistachio History
Pistachios are related to cashews. Learn more about the history of pistachio nuts.
Pineapple History
The pineapple that made Hawaii famous is not from Hawaii. Learn about the history of pineapples.
St. Patrick's Day History
St. Patrick's Day History. Learn the history of St. Patrick's Day and how whisky is connected to the legends.
Sun-Dried Tomato History
Sun-Dried Tomatoes History - The history of sundried tomatoes as food.
Sweet Potato History
Sweet potatoes were brought to America by Columbus. They are often mistakenly called yams. Learn more about the history of sweet potatoes.
Valentine History - Food
Valentine's Day History. Food played an important part in the history of Valentine's Day.
Tequila History
Contrary to popular belief, tequila is not made from cactus. Learn about the history of tequila.
Thanksgiving Turkey History
Wild turkeys nearly became extinct and Roosevelt tried to change the date of Thanksgiving. Learn more about Thanksgiving and turkey history.
Tomato History - The history of tomatoes as food
Tomato History. Tomatoes were once thought to be poisonous. Find out the true story and where tomatoes originated.
A Boke of Gode Cookery
Medieval recipes from period sources, with modern adaptations, facts on food & feasting in the Middle Ages, a medieval feast presentation and much more.
Ancient Brewing
An interesting discussion on the concept of brewing with hops as it relates to ancient needs from About Ancient History Guide, N. S. Gill.
Antique Roman Recipes
Recipes and discussion of ingredients and measurements, all on one page. From Micaela Pantke.
Boston Cooking School Cook Book
The text of Fannie Farmer's original 1918 edition of her famous book is now completely online for your perusal courtesy of Bartleby.com. It's plain text, nicely formatted, so it loads quickly.
Butter History - Butter Through the Ages
Information about the history, chemistry, manufacture, and storage of butter. Includes illustrated directions for making butter at home. From WebExhibits and the Institute for Dynamic Educational Advancement (IDEA).
Ketchup / Catsup History
Original ketchup is Chinese in origin and had no tomatoes. Learn about the history of ketchup and catsup.
Colonial Williamsburg Recipes
A collection of nine traditional colonial recipes updated for today's use, plus an interesting article on the workings of an 18th-century tavern. From Historic Foodways Program.
What are mandarin oranges?
What are mandarin oranges? Learn about the mandarin orange and tangerine connection, along with mandarin orange history.
Dining Through the Decades
David Leite covers American food from the 1900's up to the end of the decade. Use the bar at the bottom to select the decade. Recipes included.
Eating History
Betty Fussell writes interesting monthly features on food history, hosted by Sally's Place. Don't missed the archives, located on the same index page.
Eating Utensils History
The history of forks, knives, spoons, and chopsticks, including some great photos of antique eating implements from the California Academy of Science.
The Food Museum
A growing collection of historical articles on foods from the Eastern and Western hemispheres, by name. You'll also find a link to articles on edible animals.
The Food Timeline
This timeline begins at 17,000 B.C. and ends in 1999, a work in progress it is nicely cross-referenced with links to the pertinent topics. From the Morris County Library.
Gallery of Regrettable Food
A simple introduction to poorly photographed foodstuffs and horrid recipes from the 40s, 50s, and 60s.
History of Food in Space
This interesting article covers astronaut food over the years, from NASA's Space Academy.
Islamic Medieval Dinner
How to plan, cook, and serve a medieval Islamic feast, including recipe links. From Cariadoc's Miscellany.
Julia Child's Kitchen - Smithsonian
The great Julia Child has donated her famous kitchen to the Smithsonian Institute. Take a virtual tour and don't miss her stories.
Mediterranean Food History
Small collection of informative articles on the history of foods in the Mediterranean from Clifford Wright.
Military Rations History
A very comprehensive look at military food rations from the Revolutionary War to the present from the Quartermaster Foundation.
Serve It Forth
The online version of the newsletter about pre-17th century cooking, culinary sources, culinary history, ingredients, food, and foodways, including recipes.
Southern Barbecue History
The history of Southern barbecue dating back to pre-Civil War days.
Mustard History - The history of mustard as food
Mustard History. Learn the history of mustard.
Passover Seder Food - Traditional Passover Foods for the Seder meal.
Passover Seder Food. Learn about the traditional foods served at Jewish Passover Seder meal.
Pecan History
Pecans are native to America. Learn more about America's favorite nut.
Hot Dog, Weiner, and Frankfurter History
The term hot dogs was initially a slur. Learn the history of hot dogs, weiners, and frankfurters.