Bite by Bite
American History through Feasts, Foods, and Side Dishes
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Explore the fascinating history of America as told through the lens of food in this illustrated nonfiction middle grade book “sure to please history buffs and foodies alike” (BCCB, starred review) that lays out the diverse cultures that have combined to create the rich and delicious tapestry of the American country and cuisine.
As American as apple pie. It’s a familiar saying, yet gumbo and chop suey are also American! What we eat tells us who we are: where we’re from, how we move from place to place, and how we express our cultures and living traditions.
In twelve dishes that take readers from thousands of years ago through today, this book explores the diverse peoples and foodways that make up the United States. From First Salmon Feasts of the Umatilla and Cayuse tribes in the Pacific Northwest to fish fries celebrated by formerly enslaved African Americans, from “red sauce” Italian restaurants popular with young bohemians in the East to Cantonese restaurants enjoyed by rebellious young eaters in the West, this is the true story of the many Americas—laid out bite by bite.
Paul Freedman
Paul Freedman is the Chester D. Tripp Professor of History at Yale University. He is the author of Out of the East: Spices and the Medieval Imagination and editor of Food: The History of Taste.
Joyce E. Chaplin is the James Duncan Phillips Professor of Early American History at Harvard University. Her publications include Round about the Earth: Circumnavigation from Magellan to Orbit and Benjamin Franklin’s Political Arithmetic: A Materialist View of Humanity.
Ken Albala is Professor of History at the University of the Pacific. He is the author of more than a dozen books, including Eating Right in the Renaissance; Beans: A History; The Banquet; and The Lost Art of Real Cooking.
More by Paul Freedman
Amanda Palacios
Amanda Palacios has a master’s degree in anthropology with a minor in food studies and a graduate certificate in public health from New Mexico State University. She plans to do work on addressing health issues and food access in the border region.
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Tatum Willis
Tatum Willis is an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) and descends from the Yakama, Nez Perce, and Oglala Lakota peoples. A graduate of Yale University, she is currently a managing director of Cayuse Mission Solutions, part of the Cayuse family of companies.
More by Tatum Willis
David Zheng
David Zheng is an artist and filmmaker. After growing up in China, he immigrated to South Carolina and later attended Yale University. His passion for cooking got him started in food history, and he is especially interested in the history of Chinese cuisine.
More by David Zheng
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