Food for the People: How Food History is Changing the Conversation at the National Museum of American History

This paper explores recent developments in food history at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, including new research and collecting initiatives, exhibitions, and a hearty menu of public programs.  It touches on the scholarly and material culture foundations that have shaped this expanded, cross-disciplinary project, and discusses how and why the museum, which welcomes about 5 million visitors per year and many millions more on-line, has embraced food history as a powerful lens for exploring diverse strands of American history. The paper will reveal how adding sensory and experiential dimensions to food history, especially through cooking and history programs conducted on a new demonstration kitchen and performance plaza, is creating a fundamentally different way for the public to understand complex aspects of American history, such as immigration and migration, cultural identity, race relations, gender roles, and environmental history. Drawing on survey data compiled during the trial periods for these new food history initiatives, the presentation will address questions of public engagement around food, the challenges and opportunities inherent in presenting American food history in a museum environment, and the responsibilities that accrue in both sustaining and expanding such conversations at a national level.