How Food Becomes American

CultureHow Food Becomes AmericanWe may live in divided times, but eating has always brought the U.S. together.By Ashley Rose YoungJune 18, 2026Illustration by Tina TonaThe food historian in me cringes when people describe American food as “hamburgers and hot dogs,” as if two dishes could possibly represent everything American cuisine has to offer. The description is not so much wrong as incomplete, ignoring centuries of migration, adaptation, and creativity in favor of a single mid-20th-century snapshot. Conveniently cropped out are the diverse regional traditions that underpin our national food heritage.To be fair, hamburgers and hot dogs certainly conjure images we’ve come to associate with the American Dream.

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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Bon Appétit.