Twelfth International Conference on Food Studies

Abstract

The culinary technology and foods introduced at the World’s Fairs significantly changed what Americans’ ate and drank over the years. In part, this was a result of the World’s Fairs, which introduced foods from foreign lands that the food editors covered. For example, the use of Creole sauce was popular in the early 1940s, even outside of New Orleans – because of a World’s Fair demonstration. Much of this change was introduced by the female newspaper food editors. The explained to their readers: ice cream cones, hot dogs and cotton candy. They also explored sangria and iced tea. Advertisers were also eager to share what could be made with their products with new recipes from the Borden Company or French’s mustard. Cookbooks also introduced new food ideas, from cookbooks the World’s Fair produced to the Tampa Junior League’s Gasparilla Cookbook which was spotted in the hand of former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy. New technologies also changed how food was prepared. This proposed paper will explore these trends that resulted from the World’s Fairs and how they impacted the American diet. Of special interest will be the impact on home cooks. This research adds to the growing scholarship about America’s culinary history. Information will come from advertising files, newspaper coverage and the digitized cookbooks available online.