May 06, 2020 22:30:00

How did macaroni and cheese, once the 'dish of kings,' become American soul food?

For those who have seen the movie '

Home Alone ,' there must be a memorable scene in which the main character, Kevin, eats macaroni and cheese with gusto while saying, 'Blessings on this nutritious instant macaroni and cheese dinner and on the people who sell it. Amen.' Macaroni and cheese can be considered American soul food, but it is said that it was once a luxury dish served on the table of the British royal family.

A Gooey and Delicious History of Mac and Cheese
https://melmagazine.com/en-us/story/history-of-mac-and-cheese

The history of macaroni and cheese is long, dating back to the 14th century in Europe.

The Liber de Coquina (Latin for 'Cookbook'), one of the oldest cookbooks in medieval Europe, describes a dish made with Parmesan cheese and pasta, which is said to be the origin of the later macaroni and cheese.

In addition, a recipe for a similar dish is described in the book ' The Forme of Cury ,' which is said to have been written by the court chef of King Richard II of England in the 14th century, so we know that the British royal family of the time also ate macaroni and cheese.

In those days in England, all kinds of pasta were called 'macaroni,' so the macaroni and cheese eaten by Richard II and others included flat pasta like lasagna. Also, the ingredients were almost exclusively macaroni, Parmesan cheese, and butter, so the taste and appearance are thought to have been quite different from what we have today.

By

Emily

Macaroni and cheese with cheese sauce, like the one featured in the movie 'Home Alone,' began to be made after the invention of béchamel sauce in France in the 1600s. It was then introduced to America in the late 1780s, when Thomas Jefferson , who was the American envoy to France, tried the macaroni and cheese served at the Palace of Versailles.

Jefferson became addicted to macaroni and cheese after eating it in France, and even after returning to America, he would often have a slave cook named Hemings make it for him. There are also records that Jefferson ate macaroni and cheese at dinner parties held at the White House. At that time, macaroni and cheese was often called 'macaroni pudding.'

Adrian Miller, a researcher of American food culture history, says, 'Macaroni and cheese was a luxury dish at the time because it required durum wheat, which was only grown in Italy at the time. Also, Italian Parmesan cheese was not widely available because exports were restricted.'

Things started to change in the 19th century when durum wheat began to be grown outside of Italy, and cheddar cheese, made in Cheddar, Somerset, England, was introduced to the United States, making macaroni and cheese a much more popular dish.

Kraft Foods developed a ready-made version of macaroni and cheese in 1937. Shortly after, World War II began and many Americans were forced to cut back on their food intake, so macaroni and cheese quickly became a common American dinner staple because it was cheap, mass-produced, and easy to make.

by Mike Mozart