The Epic History of Macaroni and Cheese

From Ancient Rome to Modern America

Karima Moyer-Nocchi (Autor)

Buch | Hardcover

368 Seiten

2026
Columbia University Press (Verlag)
978-0-231-21531-2 (ISBN)

Noch nicht erschienen (ca. Februar 2026)
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Today, macaroni and cheese is the ultimate comfort food, a staple of weeknight dinners, family gatherings, and Soul Food restaurants. Humble though the dish may seem, its history is filled with surprising twists and turns. Renaissance cardinals and popes dined on elaborate pasta-and-cheese concoctions laced with costly spices. In the eighteenth century, wealthy young Englishmen made macaroni a symbol of continental sophistication. Black women, whose contribution has long been overshadowed, played a crucial role in establishing the dish as an American tradition from the nation’s founding through the Civil Rights Movement.

This book is a delectable history of macaroni and cheese, tracing an extraordinary journey of cultural exchange and social change. Karima Moyer-Nocchi reveals the religious, political, and industrial forces that shaped its evolution alongside stories of the unsung figures who crafted the dish as we know it today: enslaved cooks who preserved and adapted traditions, immigrant chefs who introduced new variations, and practical homemakers looking to nourish their families with an affordable meal. She emphasizes the adaptability of macaroni and cheese, which in different times has served as both an indulgence on the elite table and sustenance to those struggling to survive, crossing borders, social classes, and cultural divides. Deeply researched and rich with enticing details, this book uncovers the creativity and resilience that brought a beloved food to our tables. The Epic History of Macaroni and Cheese also shares centuries of recipes—from ancient Roman authors to celebrity chefs, reworked for modern kitchens—that provide a hands-on way to experience the evolution of this iconic dish.

Karima Moyer-Nocchi is a culinary historian specializing in Italian food who teaches at the University of Siena. She is the author of Chewing the Fat: An Oral History of Italian Foodways from Fascism to Dolce Vita (2015) and The Eternal Table: A Cultural History of Food in Rome (2019). Paula J. Johnson is curator of food history at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.

Foreword, by Paula Johnson
Introduction
1. Digging In: Ancient Antecedents
2. Macaroni on Papal Plates
3. The French Connection and English Reflection
4. Jefferson, Hemings, and the Macaroni Mythologies
5. The New World Order: Macaroni’s Triangular Transformation
6. Pasta, Power, and Progress: From the Elite to the Everyday
7. Americans Vie for Their Piece of the Pie
8. Macaroni’s American Soul: Bringing It Home
Acknowledgments
Notes
Bibliography
Index

Erscheint lt. Verlag	3.2.2026
Reihe/Serie	Arts and Traditions of the Table: Perspectives on Culinary History
Zusatzinfo	34 b&w images; 8-page color insert
Verlagsort	New York
Sprache	englisch
Maße	152 x 229 mm
Themenwelt	Sachbuch/Ratgeber ► Essen / Trinken ► Themenkochbücher
ISBN-10	0-231-21531-2 / 0231215312
ISBN-13	978-0-231-21531-2 / 9780231215312
Zustand	Neuware