Macaroni and Cheese

 

Macaroni and cheese is the ultimate American comfort food.  Many people grew up enjoying the stuff from the Kraft ® Macaroni & Cheese box.  But, did you know that while many believe this is an American dish, it actually originated in Italy?  Oh, and the ingredients did not come from a box.  Shocking, right?  Well, according to TLC on their “How Stuff Works” page, “back in the 13^th century an Italian cookbook, Liber de Coquina (Book of Cooking), included a recipe that food historians believe is the first macaroni and cheese recipe.”¹    There are multiple stories on the internet that credit Thomas Jefferson with bringing the recipe and a pasta machine from Italy home to his daughter, Mary Rudolph, who then made it for White House dinner parties.  According to the Monticello website, Mr. Jefferson brought neither the recipe nor the pasta machine.  The machine was shipped from Naples to Paris, and eventually listed among Mr. Jefferson’s household items shipped from Philadelphia to Monticello in 1793.  He did make the recipe popular by serving it to dinner guests during his presidency.²  Apparently the original cheese (possibly Parmesan) was replaced with white American cheese.    In 1937 Kraft foods introduced Mac & Cheese during the Great Depression, selling 8 million boxes that year.³  And a brand was born.