In the oft discussions of colonial cuisine, rarely does the discussion revolve around American colonial cuisine! One of the strongest reasons possibly is due to its immense range of colonial history and therefore, a corresponding impact on the cuisine. Starting with the cuisine of thirteen British colonies before the American revolution, going through the influence of Latin America and Mexico on America’s palate and finally, in what is not really colonial but undeniably an influence, the multicultural ethos of parts of America (such as the Silicon Valley) and the influence of South-East, South Asia, and Mid-East on America’s culinary habits and cuisine.
The British impact on the American cuisine in the early 1600s began in Virginia, where the first wave of English immigrants arrived and settled — essentially they were English nobility and poor peasants, both fleeing for various reasons. Aristocracy meant a preference for fine quality red meat over America’s seafood and gradually, frying and roasting became favourite techniques of cooking. Even today, the pot roast forms an integral part of the American cuisine. There is also some information regarding ovens that were quite similar to today’s wood-fired ovens, especially for baking bread and cake.
Different cultures that Americans came across through trading, economy and war influenced the modern American cuisine. For instance, the American pizza has its roots in the Italian cuisine; burgers and hotdogs were inspired by Germany. Lastly, the regions of the contemporary USA have their own cultural influence that determines their cuisine. These are influences borne out of historicity or cultural connections. The Northeast, for instance, has a culinary preference towards fish — neither meat nor seafood, but fish specifically given the style of its New England roots and the method of cooking being everything in one pot. The Mid-Atlantic, which includes New York, has an eclectic cuisine owing to cultural intermingling, which is only increasing with each passing year, and somewhere within this diversity is also the fact that the Dutch founded the city. Crab cakes, of English origin, have now led to large-scale crab festivals across the region where hundreds sit together to relish the crabs!
And no discussion on colonial cuisine in the region can conclude without a significant mention of America’s neighbours — Mexico and its influence on southwest and southern California. The region was part of the Spanish empire and unsurprisingly, Monterrey Jack cheese, ripe red tomatoes, beans, rice and bell peppers are all part of its culinary map till date. Cornbread is one of my favourites from the region, so is a breakfast burrito comprising of eggs, ham, a dash of salsa and pico de gallo (fresh uncooked salad of tomatoes, lime, jalapenos and shrimps among other ingredients). It’s one of the few cuisines that are ironically ethnic and mainstream in USA’s eating habits. Just when they’ve enjoyed on elements or dish adequately enough, it gets adopted in the mainstream culinary map and the search continues for another new Mexican dish. There’s more to Mexican cuisine than just tacos and enchiladas, and I enjoy US’ search for the same.
The writer is a chef and founder, Under One Roof Hotel Consultants P Ltd
