ABSTRACT
A short immigration history of the nation is important to understand the changing character of the national diet through time, and its continuing regionality. Connections between people and place are quickly established; migration tends to involve concentrations of people who have the same origins settling in only a handful of destinations. A variety of widely specific popular food items, virtual icons in the American diet, certainly are ascribable to German influence. The post-Civil War era brought renewed immigration to the United States as the Industrial Revolution brought widespread economic readjustments to Europe. The initial western European food traditions set a pattern that dominates the American national cuisine. New foods have been added to the culinary soup, but most often traditional ethnic favorites reach popularity only after significant modification to accommodate the same set of taste buds that created the McDonald's hamburger and Franco-American Spaghetti-O's.
