“A New England clam chowder, made as it should be, is a dish to preach about, to chant praises and sing hymns and burn incense before. To fight for. The Battle of Bunker Hill was fought for—or on—clam chowder; part of it at least, I am sure it was. It is as American as the Stars and Stripes, as patriotic as the national Anthem. It is 'Yankee Doodle in a kettle.'”

-Joseph C. Lincoln

Where did Americans get their love of barbecue? The Taino’s in the Caribbean used smoke to cook their favorite meats (fish, turtles, reptiles-even worms) on a raised grate or spears over hot coals. When the Spanish saw this, they took this method of preparing meat and used it to prepare the animal that we most associate with barbecue-pork.

Today, 95 percent of Americans say they like barbecue, and you can find a style to fit nearly any palate.

Americans consume 2.8 billion pounds of chocolate each year. A product of the cacao plant, chocolate was enjoyed for thousands of years by Olmec, Mayan, and Aztec civilizations as a drink that was thought to stimulate sexual potency and strength in battle.

What do pigs and severed breasts have in common? Both are replicated using marzipan in certain parts of the world.

Hard to believe, but when “fairy floss” was first made for the public at the World’s Fair in 1904, it was the brainchild of Tennessee dentist William Morrison and confectioner John C. Wharton. Years later, another dentist would try his hand at confection production (though not with the same success as Morrison), and the Louisiana native was the one who called the fluffy clouds of sugar “Cotton Candy.”