Andrew F. Smith

How did tuna go from being sold primarily as a fertilizer to almost everyone’s lunch box?

How did regular old food become American food? We’ll spend this hour with culinary historian and author Andrew F. Smith, whose new book is “Eating History: Thirty Turning Points in the Making of American Cuisine” (Columbia, 2009).

When did American Cuisine begin and where is it headed? Ask Andrew F. Smith. He’s written about turkeys, popcorn, ketchup, and junk food. He serves as the Chair of The Culinary Trust and teaches culinary history at the New School in Manhattan. He’s the editor of the “Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America” and the brand new “Oxford Companion to American Food and Drink” (Oxford, 2007). Smith is in town to teach a class called “A Taste of America’s New Culinary Revolution” at the Dallas Central Market location this evening. He’ll be our guest this hour.

There’s probably one in your freezer right now. And even if you’re not cooking one this week, chances are good that you’ll tuck in to a plate of turkey this Thanksgiving holiday. But what do we know of the history of the turkey – a bird that once competed with the bald eagle as America’s national symbol? We’ll spend this hour with food historian Andrew F. Smith, editor-in-chief of the “Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America,” and one of our favorite guests. Smith’s latest book is “The Turkey: An American Story” (University of Illinois Press, 2006). The Turkey: An American Story (University of Illinois Press, 2006)