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An insightful guide
to American Cuisine
for diners & travelers
by an established authority

American Cuisine
has both a dull
and exciting side
Dull
Fast foods
Exciting
Regional and ethnic cooking
My 10-page American Cuisine section focuses on the latter, the
one that sophisticated palates seek.

Click an American region to
learn about its cuisine
and famous dishes



American Cuisine
Insights

Innovative
American Cuisine is the most innovative major cuisine on our planet.
This is not because Americans cooks are naturally more creative than their
counterparts abroad. They're not. A prime reason is American Cuisine is relatively new. It is
not as encumbered by ironbound culinary rules as in, say, the French and Chinese
Cuisines. The Americans have more freedom to experiment.
This has
been particularly true with the regional Southwestern, Californian and
Hawaiian Cuisines (click their buttons above for details).

Land
of plenty
America has so much land suitable for farming that it
could support twice its population.

Surplus
land
The arable land that could be used for
agriculture is not wasted. Much of it is used by the cattle industry
(which requires extensive grazing land). This has allowed meat eating
to become a significant factor in American Cuisine.

Production science
America has
been a key pioneer in the scientific
production of foodstuffs that has increased availability and lowered costs. Some
methods have been adopted by other nations.
Poultry
rearing is a good example of production science. Most of the chicken in
this country are raised in indoor farm factories that spew forth less
expensive poultry (though a mixed blessing because the meat is less flavorful).
Cost-efficiency methods have also been applied to grains, vegetables, and
fruits. Advances in canning, freezing, transportation, and processing make it
possible for Americans to eat almost any food grown anywhere in any season. This
accessibility has added year-round variety (but it has also
suppressed some of the rich traditions of the regional cuisines).

Also learn
about these
exciting
world cuisines



My food & wine
credentials
My books have been critically acclaimed by major magazines and newspapers. Click
the button below to read a sampling (in Acrobat format).



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