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Mon, 19 Dec 2016 20:49:26 +0000
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<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"> <p>Our blog covered a cornucopia of food history topics in 2016, but a few dishes rose to the top. Here are ten of our most-read blog posts of 2016 related to cuisine and cooking in America. Look out for some Julia Child, recipes from eras gone by, adventures in DIY food, and news about how we’re growing our food history team.</p><p><img alt="White shirt with a print of watermelon, pickles, skewers of meat, and grilling tools" class="auto-caption media-image img__fid__19855 img__view_mode__media_large attr__format__media_large" rel="lightbox" src="https://americanhistory.si.edu/sites/default/files/styles/blog_image/public/shirt.jpg?itok=8wdYM7ta" style="width: 437px; height: 550px;" title="BBQ shirt, around 1965. Beginning in the 1950s, it became fashionable for Americans to enjoy a meal outside on the backyard patio. As depicted on this shirt, grilling required new tools like grill racks and spatulas."></p><p>1.&nbsp;<a href="http://americanhistory.si.edu/blog/postwar-potluck-grilling-out-convenience-cooking-and-other-1950s-food-trends">Postwar potluck: Grilling out, convenience cooking, and other 1950s food trends</a></p><p>The tradition of backyard grilling, now synonymous with American food and leisure, began in the 1950s. Explore history and recipes that defined postwar America, including a pretty sweet shirt a Weber-grilling dad would love to wear (ours would!).</p><p><img alt="Photo of star-shaped biscuits and butter-saver spread" class="auto-caption media-image img__fid__19856 img__view_mode__media_large attr__format__media_large" rel="lightbox" src="https://americanhistory.si.edu/sites/default/files/styles/blog_image/public/buter%20saver.jpg?itok=z9fBC8rz" style="width: 550px; height: 367px;" title="Butter-saver spread and biscuits, made from &quot;Recipes for Today&quot;"></p><p>2.&nbsp;<a href="http://americanhistory.si.edu/blog/taste-wartime-rationing-1940s-product-cookbooks">A taste of wartime rationing in 1940s product cookbooks</a>&nbsp;investigates the history of World War II-era rationing through recipes from period cookbooks. Can you imagine living with a fraction of essential ingredients to your diet, such as sugar, fresh meat, butter, cheese, and canned goods? Cookbooks from the era were there to help out with shortcuts and workarounds so one would not have to sacrifice on taste. Pass the Baked Fish Molds?</p><p><img alt="Beer tray, about 1905, National Museum of American History" class="auto-caption media-image img__fid__19857 img__view_mode__media_large attr__format__media_large" rel="lightbox" src="https://americanhistory.si.edu/sites/default/files/styles/blog_image/public/beer%20tray.jpg?itok=zFAedKvQ" style="width: 480px; height: 397px;" title="Beer tray, about 1905, National Museum of American History"></p><p>3.&nbsp;<a href="http://americanhistory.si.edu/blog/brewing-historians-way-more-than-beer">Brewing Historians . . . Way More than Beer</a></p><p>Our job listing for a brewing historian was met with a hearty buzz. Here, the director of our food history program describes the responsibilities of this historian position in greater detail and explains why beer and brewing deserves to be on the menu of American food history.</p><p><img alt="A green picture on some sort of board. It depicts a gray fish on a background that looks like abstract seaweed. The fish has a very surprised expression, as if he had not expected to be there." class="auto-caption media-image img__fid__19858 img__view_mode__media_large attr__format__media_large" rel="lightbox" src="https://americanhistory.si.edu/sites/default/files/styles/blog_image/public/rock%20cod.jpg?itok=tACm7TiM" style="width: 550px; height: 373px;" title="The rock cod fish print. 2001.0253.0747."></p><p>4.&nbsp;<a href="http://americanhistory.si.edu/blog/tale-two-fish-prints-julia-childs-kitchen">A tale of two fish prints in Julia Child’s kitchen</a></p><p>The fish on Julia Child’s kitchen walls were more than mere decoration. Food curator Paula Johnson speaks with Child’s old friend and learns how her fish reflected not just a penchant for cheerful kitchen decor but the interests and hobbies of the famed chef herself.</p><p><img alt="Photograph of Brownie Wise leading a Tupperware party" class="auto-caption media-image img__fid__19859 img__view_mode__media_large attr__format__media_large" rel="lightbox" src="https://americanhistory.si.edu/sites/default/files/styles/blog_image/public/tupp%20party.jpg?itok=3pL-MUNP" style="width: 550px; height: 452px;" title="In this publicity photo, Brownie Wise leads a Tupperware party. Courtesy of Brownie Wise Papers, 1938-1968, Archives Center, National Museum of American History. AC0509-0000003."></p><p>5.&nbsp;<a href="http://americanhistory.si.edu/blog/parties-plastic-how-women-used-tupperware-participate-business">Parties for plastic: How women used Tupperware to participate in business</a></p><p>Turns out the unassuming plastic container you stick your leftovers in helped nudge women into entrepreneurship. The Tupperware parties of our mothers and grandmothers were opportunities for women to learn sales and marketing skills and sell a product out of their home.</p><p><img alt="A beer comb which looks like a tongue depressor with an elaborate handle that is a black vine-like design" class="auto-caption media-image img__fid__19860 img__view_mode__media_large attr__format__media_large" rel="lightbox" src="https://americanhistory.si.edu/sites/default/files/styles/blog_image/public/beer%20comb.jpg?itok=1gY__t89" style="width: 550px; height: 268px;" title="The unmarked beer combs above (catalog numbers 2006.0098.1567 and 2006.0098.0752) are part of a donation to the museum from private collectors in 2006."></p><p>6.&nbsp;<a href="http://americanhistory.si.edu/blog/behold-beer-comb-fancy-bartending-tool-drinking-days-old">Behold the beer comb, a fancy bartending tool from drinking days of old</a></p><p>These days, a bartender may tip over a glass slightly after pulling a pint to pour out a frothy head. Behold the beer comb: a more elegant way to smooth the top of a glass of beer, but now a rarity in bars.</p><p><img alt="Scoops of strawberry ice cream in a teal glass bowl on a white tablecloth." class="auto-caption media-image img__fid__19862 img__view_mode__media_large attr__format__media_large" rel="lightbox" src="https://americanhistory.si.edu/sites/default/files/styles/blog_image/public/9_Strawberry%20Ice%20Cream_0.JPG?itok=RWE3nqhe" style="width: 413px; height: 550px;" title="The final chocolate and strawberry ice creams. Although my serving dishes were not vintage, I did follow the cookbook’s recommendation to serve the final product in “colored plates” for “attractive effects.” With an entire chapter devoted to “Attractive Methods of Serving Frozen Desserts,” presentation clearly mattered!"></p><p>7.&nbsp;<a href="http://americanhistory.si.edu/blog/ice-cream-1927">Making ice cream like it’s 1927</a></p><p>Who knew you could get a workout making common foods from old recipes? One of our interns makes ice cream the old-fashioned way—labor-intensively! How did her attempts at chocolate and strawberry ice cream come out, especially to a modern palate? Is trying old methods for making food worth the effort? Read on!</p><p><img alt="1700s copper chocolate pot" class="auto-caption media-image img__fid__19864 img__view_mode__media_large attr__format__media_large" rel="lightbox" src="https://americanhistory.si.edu/sites/default/files/styles/blog_image/public/choco%20thing.jpg?itok=52wqXEEZ" style="width: 413px; height: 550px;" title="1700s copper chocolate pot"></p><p>8.&nbsp;<a href="http://americanhistory.si.edu/blog/snow-day-snacks">Cooking your way through this snow day with history</a></p><p>If you live in the mid-Atlantic states, especially in the District of Columbia region like most of the museum staff, we’re sure you can still recall Snowmageddon of January 2016! This blog post gives you pointers on how to eat, drink, and cook your way through the snow day. With drifts as large as they were for nearly five days, being snowed in meant one had to battle cabin fever and work with what was in the house.</p><p><img alt="Color photo. Three people at a dining table with white tablecloth embrace and smile for the camera. On the table, glasses of wine." class="auto-caption media-image img__fid__19865 img__view_mode__media_large attr__format__media_large" rel="lightbox" src="https://americanhistory.si.edu/sites/default/files/styles/blog_image/public/michel%20richard.jpg?itok=8jOe_stp" style="width: 550px; height: 367px;" title="Chef Michel Richard, Chef Ris Lacoste, and Eric Spivey, Chairman of the Julia Child Foundation for Gastronomy and the Culinary Arts at the museum's Winemakers' Dinner in November 2012. "></p><p>9.&nbsp;<a href="http://americanhistory.si.edu/blog/remembering-chef-michel-richard">Remembering Chef Michel Richard, a longtime friend to the museum</a></p><p>A tribute to the late Chef Michel Richard, a favorite of D.C. foodies and a friend of the museum.</p><p><img alt="Brown, yellow, and blue wrapped “Hershey’s Tropical Chocolate” bar. Small print on the top reads, “REG. U.S. PAT. OFF”. Small print on the side of bar reads, “MANUFACTURED BY HERSHEY CHOCOLATE CORPORATION, HERSHEY, PA.” The top left corner of the wrapper is torn, revealing the inner foil wrapping." class="auto-caption media-image img__fid__19866 img__view_mode__media_large attr__format__media_large" rel="lightbox" src="https://americanhistory.si.edu/sites/default/files/styles/blog_image/public/Hersheys_Tropical_chocolate_0.jpg?itok=MT0urxO2" style="width: 550px; height: 253px;" title="Another variant of the Ration D bar was Hershey's Tropical Bar, used commonly in the Pacific Theater. You can see a Tropical Bar in our exhibition &quot;The Price of Freedom: Americans at War.&quot; 1977.0865.04."></p><p>10.&nbsp;<a href="http://americanhistory.si.edu/blog/chocolate-bars-second-world-war">‘Chocolate is a Fighting Food!’ – Chocolate bars in the Second World War</a></p><p>Think the soldiers in World War II who received chocolate in their ration packs were savoring the smooth taste of a Hershey’s Kiss or colorful “melt in your mouth, not in your hand” M&amp;M’s? Wrong! Wartime chocolate was a far cry from the sweet confections of today’s candy aisles, and served uses beyond gustatory satisfaction for the soldiers who received them.</p><p>Thanks for reading our blog in 2016. The blog posts above received over 52,000 pageviews and we’re grateful for each one of them. What food history topics do you want us to take on in 2017? Share your thoughts with us on&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/amhistorymuseum">Twitter</a>&nbsp;(we’re partial to the hashtag&nbsp;<a href="https://storify.com/americanhistory/smithsonianfood-festival-explores-politics-on-your">#SmithsonianFood</a>) or&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/amhistorymuseum">Facebook</a>. Make sure you don’t miss future food history happenings by signing up for our&nbsp;<a href="http://americanhistory.us2.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=b40506315d18eee600463244c&amp;id=1561b44e72&amp;utm_source=nmah_blog_blasco">food history newsletter</a>.</p><p><em>Rebecca Seel works for the Offices of Communications and Marketing and New Media. She fully supports a return of the beer comb.</em></p> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-related-user field-type-user-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Related Staff Member:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/users/seelr">SeelR</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-posted-date field-type-datetime field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Posted Date:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><span class="date-display-single">Tuesday, December 20, 2016 - 08:00</span></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-blog-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above clearfix"><h3 class="field-label">Categories: </h3><ul class="links"><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-0"><a href="/blog-tags/collections">From the Collections</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-1"><a href="/blog-tags/food-history">Food History</a></li></ul></div><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/OSayCanYouSee?a=_cRV7-4_lnY:o0E40g3KLKE:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/OSayCanYouSee?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/OSayCanYouSee?a=_cRV7-4_lnY:o0E40g3KLKE:7Q72WNTAKBA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/OSayCanYouSee?d=7Q72WNTAKBA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/OSayCanYouSee?a=_cRV7-4_lnY:o0E40g3KLKE:V_sGLiPBpWU"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/OSayCanYouSee?i=_cRV7-4_lnY:o0E40g3KLKE:V_sGLiPBpWU" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/OSayCanYouSee?a=_cRV7-4_lnY:o0E40g3KLKE:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/OSayCanYouSee?i=_cRV7-4_lnY:o0E40g3KLKE:gIN9vFwOqvQ" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/OSayCanYouSee?a=_cRV7-4_lnY:o0E40g3KLKE:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/OSayCanYouSee?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/OSayCanYouSee/~4/_cRV7-4_lnY" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>
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