Food Americana: The Remarkable People and Incredible Stories Behind America's Favorite Dishes

What is American cuisine? What national menu do we share? What dishes have we chosen, how did they become "American," and how are they likely to evolve from here? In Food Americana, David Page answers all these questions and more.

America is more than just a fast food nation. Food Americana is the inside story of how generations of Americans have formed a national cuisine with tastes from all over the world. Fried chicken was a distinctly southern dish--now it's the Sunday night special at the Chateau Marmont Hotel in Hollywood. A Utah restaurant won Maine's annual Best Lobster Roll competition. And perhaps the ultimate all-American dish, pizza, is served up in thirty different styles, a total of three billion pies a year, an average of twenty-three pounds for each of us.

Food Americana is an engaging and entertaining combination of food culture and pop culture, nostalgia and the newest food obsessions. Creating Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives and hands-on producing its first eleven seasons gave food journalist David Page an appetite for the world of American food. It is that experience, the discoveries of little-known stories and facts, that led him to dig even deeper and tie the strands together now. In this riveting book, learn more about:

• How American food has grown and changed over time, such as how lobster and caviar evolved from a plentiful offering in bars to an expensive luxury
• A growing authenticity movement of people searching for the antecedents of the dishes that have become American staples, from genuine Mexican favorites to Chinese foods that are actually eaten in China
• The incredible history of American food and culture, drawn almost entirely from the world around us and transformed into something new

If you enjoyed captivating food history books like A History of the World in 6 Glasses, On Food and Cooking, or the classic Salt by Mark Kurlansky, you'll love Food Americana.