Mock Foods

Mock foods provide an insight into America’s national heritage. This culinary genre was introduced to colonial America by European cooks versed in the ancient arts of presentation and food substitution. American mock foods were created when colonial cooks plied these skills to reconcile Old World recipes with New World ingredients. Recipes evolved according to immediate need, technological advancement, culinary creativity, economic necessity, and health concerns. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, American mock foods centered on practical substitutions. In the late nineteenth century, creations featured more complicated, showy foods. In the twentieth century, mock foods often showcased manufactured products promoted by food companies. What makes a food “mock” is not a simple question to answer.