Overview
When Europeans settled in America during colonization, they brought with them spices, ingredients, cooking styles, and herbs. The cuisine styles spread across the continent in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Together with the influx of immigrants from various countries across the world, a diverse and rich way of preparing food ensued.
Therefore, the colonial American diet varied based on the region the colonialists settled. Animals such as bear, wild turkey, deer, and bison were hunted for meat.
Fats and oils for cooking foods during the colonial times were harnessed from animals. Colonies in the south had longer growing seasons, hence a diverse agricultural diet.
During the circa of 1890s to 1920s in the Progressive Era (the 19th and 20th centuries), new foods were developed in America. Similarly, production of food and its presentation was industrialized.
Some personalities and programs that played a role in defining American cooking as an integration of regional techniques and multiple ethnic approaches into new cooking styles include:
- Cable channels such as Cooking Channel
- Celebrity chefs such as Graham Kerr and Julia Child
