Many of the American colonists’ eating habits have made a comeback in recent years.They ate minimally processed, locally sourced whole foods and regularly incorporated organ meats into their meals.Livestock and many Old World crops had already been introduced to North America by European explorers and settlers during the centuries before the nation's founding.Early settlers adapted European cooking traditions using ingredients available in North America, the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress (CSPC) reported.CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APPIndigenous peoples introduced corn to the colonists, and it became a core ingredient in many of their recipes.
Beans, squash, and potatoes were among the other crops that became incorporated into colonial cooking, according to the CSPC."Cornmeal appeared in dishes such as hasty pudding — a thick porridge similar to polenta — and johnnycakes, simple griddle cakes that were popular from New England to the South," reported History Facts.Cornmeal Johnnycakes, roast pork and cream cheese are distinctly early-American foods the CSPC has recipes for on its website.Corn became a staple of early colonists' diets after Indigenous peoples introduced the crop to the settlers and taught them how to cultivate it.(iStock)Regional customs and crops greatly influenced what the colonists ate.
Rice and okra grew well and was plentiful in the South, where French and African influences also shaped eating habits.Dutch, English and German immigrants largely settled the north and established the region’s culinary traditions.Seafood such as rockfish and crab dominated the diets of early Maryland settlers, NPR reported.Meat was a status symbol, local food historian Joyce White told the publication.
Beef was prized, and chicken was often saved for egg production."If it's your pig or cow coming from your plantation, you don't want to waste it," White said.TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZThomas Jefferson was know...