“Historic gastronomist”—learning history through cooking

For those familiar with the BBC drama "Downton Abbey," Ms. Pattymore, the estate's cook, was a central character in both the cast of servants and the lives of the Crawley family who lived upstairs in the large estate for whom every meal was an event. The producers of the show went to greatl lengths to recreate authentic dishes for the show, in keeping with the historic detail of the characters' costumes, the estate's décor, and the cultural traditions of the British upper classes. Today, this historian tackles this subject of historic cooking and cuisines focusing on the Italian immigrant community of early 20th-century New York City.

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Devouring (and Drinking) American History

By Corey Kilgannon

The New York Times

November 17, 2016