In 2010, chicken finally overtook beef as the most consumed meat in the country. More recently, we've become a nation of chicken thighs, which are easy to cook, flavorful, and affordable.
In Italy, food is never just food. It's memory, identity and, sometimes, a full-blown argument. This season, we explore how the past continues to shape the present, one region and one extraordinary meal at a time.
In 1924, Lionel Sternberger, at just 16 years old, first put cheese on a hamburger and served it to a customer at the Rite Spot in Pasadena. This simple act changed the course of American food history, leading to the creation of the cheeseburger, a dish that billions of people have enjoyed since.
Food has been used as more than a form of sustenance. Food trade melds cultures and stimulates economies, religious traditions almost always involve some aspect of food, and, most importantly, food brings people together.
Many of the sandwiches we refer to as Italian sandwiches in America are usually not Italian at all. Rather, they are Italian-American creations, developed by immigrants from Italy or their descendants to suit a fast-paced lifestyle in their new country.
