The Food of a Younger Land: A Portrait of American Food--Before the National Highway System, Before Chain Restaurants, and Before Frozen Food, Whe Hardcover - 2009

by Mark Kurlansky (Editor); Mark Kurlansky (Illustrator)

A remarkable portrait of American foodbefore World War II, presented by theNew York Times-bestselling author ofCod and Salt.

Award-winning New York Times-bestselling authorMark Kurlansky takes us back to the food and eatinghabits of a younger America: Before the nationalhighway system brought the country closer together;before chain restaurants imposed uniformity and lowquality; and before the Frigidaire meant frozen foodin mass quantities, the nation's food was seasonal,regional, and traditional. It helped form the distinctcharacter, attitudes, and customs of those who ate it.

In the 1930s, with the country gripped by the GreatDepression and millions of Americans struggling toget by, FDR created the Federal Writers' Project underthe New Deal as a make-work program for artists andauthors. A number of writers, including Zora NealeHurston, Eudora Welty, and Nelson Algren, were dispatchedall across America to chronicle the eatinghabits, traditions, and struggles of local people. Theproject, called "America Eats," was abandoned in theearly 1940s because of the World War and never completed.

The Food of a Younger Land unearths this forgottenliterary and historical treasure and brings it to exuberantlife. Mark Kurlansky's brilliant book captures theseremarkable stories, and combined with authentic recipes,anecdotes, photos, and his own musings and analysis,evokes a bygone era when Americans had neverheard of fast food and the grocery superstore was athing of the future. Kurlansky serves as a guide to thishearty and poignant look at the country's roots.

From New York automats to Georgia Coca-Colaparties, from Arkansas possum-eating clubs to PugetSound salmon feasts, from Choctaw funerals to SouthCarolina barbecues, the WPA writers found Americansin their regional niches and eating an enormousdiversity of meals. From Mississippi chittlins to Indianapersimmon puddings, Maine lobsters, and Montanabeavertails, they recorded the curiosities, commonalities,and communities of American food.