Some notable events in the history of American cuisine, excerpted from throughout We Are What We Eat.

1400s Breton, Portuguese, and Bristol fishermen visit New England's coastal waters
				After 1497 European fishermen begin processing fish in America to trade for sugar, molasses and rum to feed the growing slave population
1500s Potatoes, corn, tomatoes, peppers, and peanuts are transported from the Americas to Europe, Africa, and Asia
				1634 Massachusetts Bay buys 500 bushels of corn from one Native American tribe alone, up from only 100 total bushels 4 years before
1767 Franciscans introduce grapes and vineyards in California, beginning by planting the so-called mission grape
				1773 Alexander Hamilton estimates that Americans consume an average of 2.5 gallons of alcohol per year
1796 Amelia Simmons of New Haven combines English baking techniques and local ingredients to create "Pompkin" pie
				1825 Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin declares: "Tell me what you eat and I will tell you who you are."
1828 Precursors of chili, in the form of hashes and stews of meat and peppers dipped up with a spoon, are common in the Southwest
				1850 Rice production in the Carolinas is at its zenith, but drops off precipitously soon after
1859-1899 The food manufacturing industry expands fifteen-fold
				1860s There is a revolution in California wine production as the state is incorporated into the U.S., the transcontinental railroad is developed, and millions of wine-drinking Germans and Italians arrive; the number of grape vines planted in the state increases from 1 million to 28 million
1893 The San Antonio Chili Stand introduces chili to the nation at the Chicago World's Fair; Cracker Jacks are invented by German immigrant F.W. Rueckheim
				1896 Henry J. Heinz, a second generation German-American, begins advertising "57 varieties" (a meaningless number) of canned sauces, pickles and preserves
1900 Factory food processing generates 20% of the U.S.'s manufactured product
				1902 Santo Ortolano claims to have introduced broccoli, an Italian favorite, in California; "No one liked broccoli for a long time" he noted
1904 The hot dog, modeled on German sausages, and the ice cream cone, adapted from wafer-like cookies popular with Swedish and German immigrants, are introduced at the St. Louis World's Fair
				1906 The federal pure food and drug law is passed; many large corporations welcome it as a way to decrease competition from smaller businesses
1919 The 18th amendment to the Constitution is passed, outlawing alcohol consumption
				1920 Small-scale, hand-baked bread succumbs to the marketing onslaught of mass producers like the Taggat Co., whose Wonder Bread rapidly becomes the national standard
1920s Francisco Garcia opens San Antonio's first tortilla factory; Louis Auter invents the New York Egg Cream, a mixture of soda water, cocoa, and sugar
				1923 Two thirds of American retail businesses are still "Mom and Pop" stores
1930 Most grocers are expanding to become supermarkets
				1934 New York state passes a law to enforce standards in food labelled kosher; Zabar's deli opens in Brooklyn
1940 The breeding of new varieties of plants and animals and experimentation with new methods of processing, such as freezing, are well under way
				1940s German lager breweries begin opening in the U.S. (primarily only dark British ales and porters had been available)
1941-1944 Prices for imports (especially from Italy) soar during World War II; alternatives for many foreign foods must be found
				1946 Chef Boyardee canned pasta company, founded by Italian immigrant Hector Boiardi, is sold to the conglomerate American Home Foods
1948 Pace Foods, the first mass producer of salsa, begins bottling and selling in San Antonio
				1949 The Sara Lee baked goods company is founded; they soon develop a freezing technique to ship products such as their popular "New York cheesecake" (manufactured in the Midwest) throughout the country
1954 Swanson's, founded by Swedish immigrant Carl Swanson, markets their first frozen TV dinner: turkey with dressing, green peas, and mashed potatoes
				1960s Reuben Mattus, the son of Jewish immigrants, founds Haagen Daas ice cream, using a Danish-sounding name to suggest a superior, exotic product to upper-income customers
1960 Beef consumption begins to overtake pork in the U.S.
				1965 Frito-Lay introduces Doritos, made to look and taste more like 'authentic' tostadas than other corn chips
1977 Chili is declared the state food of Texas
				1980s The typical American now eats fast food nine times a month
1984 Kraft, the makers of Philadelphia Cream Cheese, buys Lenders' Bagels and goes on to acquire Celestial Seasonings tea, Tombstone Pizza, and Frusen Gladje ice cream
				1989 Guggenheim's Delicatessen opens in Houston; the New York Bagel Shop and Delicatessen opens in Oklahoma
1990s The sun-dried tomato bagel is invented
				1991 Salsa dethrones ketchup as the king of American condiments in total sales