What comes to mind when you think of American cuisine? Is there
even such a thing as an American food culture? Be honest now,
how many of you thought instantly of hamburgers, s’mores,
doughnuts or corn dogs? Or did you laugh scornfully and think
microwave dinners and fast food? I’ve always wondered why the
thought of American food raises so many eyebrows and why it
seems to have such a bad reputation around the world. America is
a melting pot of cultures, ethnicities and customs and the food
in this vast country is as varied as the people living in it.
The food is a synthesis of the various nationalities that over
the years have settled down in the different regions of America.
From European, native American, Asian, Caribbean, and African,
the impulses came from all over the world. New immigrants
brought their customs and local specialties, adapting them to
indigenous ingredients and flavors they found in the new
country. The immigrants tended to settle according to
nationality, forming compact urban and rura