Not by Bread Alone You can tell a lot about a culture by its eating habits. That's why the Cornell University Library put together this exhibit of rare books, photographs, advertisements, and other documents about gastronomy in America. Start with the simplistic cookbooks published between the 16th and early 19th centuries. Then discover how America evolved from a frontier economy with simple tastes to a society that began to embrace fine French cooking late in the 1800s. America's puritan heritage played out in the Victorian temperance movements, but cocktail culture returned with a vengeance in the 1930s. Food tastes even show up in fashion, or at least in society's attitudes towards corpulence and leanness. Throughout the 20th century, scientific principles, kitchen technology, and food processing all had a dramatic impact on our dinner table. This exhibit shows that America's culinary heritage is a rich stew that's been simmering for nearly 400 years. (in Food & Drink)
