Americans at the Table - Reflections on Food and Culture

The A&W American Recipe Collection
http://www.governorsrecipes.com/
Sponsored by A&W Root Beer, this site features dishes from each of the 50 states, as submitted by their governors. Access is provided through a clickable map, a drop-down menu, and a downloadable recipe book containing additional recipes using root beer.

America the Bountiful: Classic American Food from Antiquity to the Space Age
http://www.lib.ucdavis.edu/exhibits/food/
This exhibit from the University of California, Davis, chronicles the use of "10 classic American food groups including: beef, chicken, turkey, pork, potatoes, corn, greens, wheat, beans, and apples" that have played a role in American culture.

America's Test Kitchen
http://www.americastestkitchen.com/
This companion site to a public television series sponsored by Cook's Illustrated magazine provides all of the recipes from the series as well as related information on equipment, food ratings, and food science.

American Diner Museum
http://www.dinermuseum.org/
Dedicated to "celebrating and preserving the cultural and historical significance of the American diner," the American Diner Museum site offers news, features, events, tours, a registry of diners, and other resources.

Bon Appétit! Julia Child's Kitchen at the Smithsonian
http://americanhistory.si.edu/juliachild/default.asp
Designed to accompany an exhibition at the National Museum of American History, this Web site includes an audio interview with Julia Child, a timeline with related stories, a dynamic exploration of the exhibition, and detailed information about the objects that are included. A companion site, "What's Cooking? Julia Child's Kitchen at the Smithsonian," http://americanhistory.si.edu/kitchen/, tells the story of the development of the exhibition.

Culinary Institute of America
http://www.ciachef.edu/
Founded in 1946, this private, not-for-profit college offers bachelor's degrees, associate degrees, and continuing education programs in the food service industry. Information on the site is designed for professionals, alumni, educators, and cooking enthusiasts.

Epicurious: The World's Greatest Recipe Collection
http://eat.epicurious.com/
This site contains thousands of recipes as well as articles and other features from Bon Appétit and Gourmet magazines. Links to information about food, wine, shopping, and travel are also provided.

Fast Food Facts - Interactive Food Finder
http://www.olen.com/food/
Based on the book Fast Food Facts by the Minnesota Attorney General's Office, this interactive site allows you to determine the number of calories, grams of fat, sodium, and cholesterol in fast food, so you can create a menu based on your nutritional profile.

Feeding America: The Historic American Cookbook Project
http://digital.lib.msu.edu/cookbooks/
The Michigan State University and the MSU museum collaborated on this online collection of the "most important and influential 19th and early 20th century American cookbooks." The site includes a glossary of cookery terms, essays by culinary historian Jan Longone, biographies of the cookbook authors, and multidimensional images of antique cooking implements from the collections of the MSU Museum.

Food and Nutrition Information Center (FNIC)
http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/
The National Agricultural Library's FNIC's Web site provides a directory to resources for consumers, nutrition and health professionals, educators, and government officials. Sections of the site include extensive resource lists of educational materials, government reports, and research papers; searchable databases; dietary supplements; food composition; dietary guidelines; the Food Guide Pyramid, and a "Consumer Corner."

The Food Museum Online
http://www.foodmuseum.com/
This site provides a "virtual tour of the world's foods, based on artifacts from the museum's collections. The site answers food questions, relates food news, reviews books, and describes the museum's programs." Of interest is the exhibits section, which includes food lists and foods that originated in the Western Hemisphere.

Food Network
http://www.foodnetwork.com/
A commercial cable television network, the Food Network explores "new, different, and interesting ways to approach food - through pop culture, adventure, travel" - in addition to its many cooking shows. Besides television schedules, recipes, and cooking tips, the Web site presents information about entertainment, travel, and shopping.

The Food Timeline
http://www.gti.net/mocolib1/kid/food.html
This timeline from the Morris County Library, New Jersey, "illustrates the human experience of technological advancement, social history, and creative ingenuity" through food from prehistory to modern times. The companion site, "Culinary History Timeline: Social History, Manners and Menus," http://www.gti.net/mocolib1/kid/food1.html, provides links to American and international culinary customs and traditions.

The Great American Potluck
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/features/immig/ckbk/index.html
This interactive site from the American Memory Project of the Library of Congress highlights the immigrant experience through recipes that are searchable by title, category, and region.

Key Ingredients: America by Food
http://www.museumonmainstreet.org/exhibs_key/key.htm
An online educational companion to the Smithsonian Institution's traveling exhibition, "Key Ingredients: America by Food" explores regional traditions and international influences in American cuisine. Divided into three segments, the exhibition includes "500 Years of American Food," "The American Cookbook Project," and "Eating from Coast to Coast," where Americans recommend local restaurants, festivals, and markets.

Leite's Culinaria
http://www.leitesculinaria.com
Articles, recipes, food history, a newsletter, and other useful resources are contained in this site maintained by food writer David Leite. See especially the article, "Dining Through the Decades: 100 Years of Glorious American Food," which first appeared in the Chicago Sun Times, 29 December1999: http://www.leitesculinaria.com/features/dining.html.

NativeTech: Food & Recipes
http://www.nativetech.org/food/index.php
This is an extensive collection of Native American recipes, browsable by type of dish or region and tribe. NativeTech also provides a Food & Recipes bibliography, which links to a list of Native American cookbooks: http://www.nativetech.org/food/foodrefs.html.

Not by Bread Alone: America's Culinary Heritage
http://rmc.library.cornell.edu/food/
From the Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections at the Cornell University Library, this exhibition "explores the influences and inventions that have shaped American food habits over the past 200 years." It highlights rare books, photographs, menus, and other early documents that trace the history of gastronomy in America.

Nutrition and Your Health: Dietary Guidelines for Americans
http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/
Published jointly every five years by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Agriculture (USDA), the guidelines provide authoritative advice on healthier living, based on exercise, moderate eating, and a balanced diet. Links to reports and other government sites are also provided. For more information on diet and nutrition, see the Web page of the Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture: http://www.usda.gov/cnpp/.

Nutrition.gov
http://www.nutrition.gov/home/index.php3
This is a portal page, providing access to accurate scientific information on nutrition, healthy eating, physical activity, and food safety from over a dozen government Web sites. It addresses the prevention of food-related diseases, such as diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and obesity; the food pyramid; food labels; health management; recipes; and other topics. The page also links to information about nutrition and food assistance programs, federally supported research, and funding opportunities in the federal government.

Overweight and Obesity
http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/obesity/index.htm
From the Centers of Disease Control's Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity, this site focuses on all aspects of overweight and obesity from contributing factors to health and economic consequences. Recommendations are offered, state-based programs are detailed, and a list of useful resources is provided.

Thanksgiving in American Memory
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/features/thanks/thanks.html
This learning resource from the American Memory Project of the Library of Congress includes a Thanksgiving timeline as well as sections on reminiscences and celebrations. Links to additional teaching resources and to the historical collections at the library are provided as well.

The U.S. Department of State assumes no responsibility for the content and availability of the resources listed above, all of which were active as of July 2004.

Americans at the Table - Reflections on Food and Culture