Potatoes: American Food Staple

As components of a typical American meal, potatoes are matched with flesh foods (as in “meat and potatoes”) and served in casseroles and stews. They also feature as an ingredient in appetizers, soups, salads, and vegetable dishes. By the early twenty-first century, Americans were consuming more potatoes than any other vegetable. In American cuisine, potatoes contribute to distinctive foods of all regions. Randi Danforth’s Culinaria (1998) contains no fewer than sixty-five references to the potato in typical American dishes. These dishes begin with home fries, a basic component of the American breakfast that is served along with eggs, meat, breads or biscuits, and gravies; mashed potatoes, an essential part of the traditional American Thanksgiving dinner; and new potatoes, filling the Fourth of July plate along with poached salmon and fresh green peas.