Eating While Poor, Mac and Cheese
Pasta making machine , Courtesy of the New York Public Library
This is part of a larger series on Eating While Poor that highlights culinary lessons used during difficult times in American history. These dishes are 19th century European menus listed: "Macaroni with cheese," "Macaroni au Parmesan," "Macaroni a la creme," "Macaroni au gratin," "Macaroni in a form," "Macaroni a la Napolitaine," "Macaronia l'Italienne," and "Baked macaroni" writes Yale University Historian Peter Freedman. At the turn of the century nutrition experts in North America championed it as a healthy poor person’s food. During the Great Depression Italian immigrants in the south introduced pasta to African Americans who then added soul to it— the ability to make something wonderful out of the simple or what others consider trash.
