Food

Photo of McCall's Cheese

Part of a nation's history lies in what people eat. Artifacts at the Museum document the history of food in the United States from farm machinery to diet fads.

More than 1,300 pieces of stoneware and earthenware show how Americans have stored, prepared, and served food for centuries. Ovens, cookie cutters, kettles, aprons, and ice-cream-making machines are part of the collections, along with home canning jars and winemaking equipment. More than 1,000 objects recently came to the Museum when author and cooking show host Julia Child donated her entire kitchen, from appliances to cookbooks.

Advertising and business records of several food companies—such as Hills Brothers Coffee, Pepsi Cola, and Campbell's Soup—represent the commercial side of the subject

Chocolate-Making Conch

The chocolate-making conche was named for the resemblance of initial designs to the shell of the conch, a sea-dwelling invertebrate. Invented in 1879 by Rudolph Lindt, the conche is outfitted with large stone rollers that are used to mix and aerate the liquid chocolate.
Description
The chocolate-making conche was named for the resemblance of initial designs to the shell of the conch, a sea-dwelling invertebrate. Invented in 1879 by Rudolph Lindt, the conche is outfitted with large stone rollers that are used to mix and aerate the liquid chocolate. An ad for the "Longitudinal Refining Machine" offered by J.M. Lehmann in an 1899 catalog describes the function of the unit: "In working Chocolate by this machine the highly prized melting character of the chocolate is obtained and besides the taste is considerably improved...No other machine will obtain similar favorable results...[a]s Chocolate handled by this machine becomes very fluid, obviating an excessive addition of Cocoa Butter. . ."
The process of conching is one of the last stages in the production of milk chocolate. It develops the chocolate flavor, darkens the chocolate's color, stabilizes the viscous properties of the chocolate mass by covering all aspects with cocoa butter, and generally lowers the moisture content of the mass. Manufacturing processes vary; some producers add milk, sugar, and flavorings to the chocolate mass or liquor (a semi-liquid ground cocoa bean mixture), before the mixture is refined and conched. Others contend that the heat involved in conching destroys volatile flavor compounds, so flavors are added later. Conching can last from one to four days, and once it is finished, the mixture is melted, deposited into bar molds, and allowed to cool.
The conche was part of a donation by the Hershey Foods Corporation of three machines representing major steps in the chocolate making process: the grinding of "nibs" (the roasted core of the cocoa bean) in the chocolate liquor mill is one of the first steps, the conche performs important mixing and heating functions in the middle of the process, and the depositor ejects milk chocolate that hardens into the final candy bar form. This conche was manufactured in approximately 1920, and was in use at the Hershey chocolate Company.
Milton Snavely Hershey was a candymaker long before he became a significant figure in the American chocolate industry. After failed business ventures in Philadelphia, Denver, and New York, Hershey was finally able to establish a successful trade in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, making caramel candies. He traveled to the World's Columbian Exposition (1893), and visited many of the agricultural and food-related exhibitions there. The J.M. Lehmann Company had a fully functional chocolate bar production line on display in the Machinery Building, and before the close of the Exposition on October 30, 1893, Hershey had arranged to buy the machines that had been in the display. By New Year's Day 1894, Hershey was making cocoa products. He began offering solid chocolate candies in 1896, and, in 1900, the first Hershey's Milk Chocolate bars were offered for sale in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1920
ID Number
1980.0021.02
accession number
1980.0021
catalog number
1980.0021.02

Corned Beef Shipping Crate

This shipping crate side contained Derby Brand Corned Beef that was packed by Derby Foods Incorporated during the early 20th century. This corned beef is a product of Argentina, and Argentina is one of the world’s largest beef producers.
Description (Brief)
This shipping crate side contained Derby Brand Corned Beef that was packed by Derby Foods Incorporated during the early 20th century. This corned beef is a product of Argentina, and Argentina is one of the world’s largest beef producers. The crate contained 24 12-ounce cans of corned beef.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Derby Foods Inc., U.S.A.
ID Number
1979.0441.219
catalog number
1979.0441.219
accession number
1979.0441

Milk Shipping Crate

This is an end panel of a Borden’s Milk shipping crate. Gail Borden Jr. patented his method for producing condensed milk by vacuum in 1856 and established the New York Condensed Milk Company in 1857.
Description (Brief)
This is an end panel of a Borden’s Milk shipping crate. Gail Borden Jr. patented his method for producing condensed milk by vacuum in 1856 and established the New York Condensed Milk Company in 1857. Borden is also renowned for establishing the “Dairyman’s Ten Commandments,” which were health and cleanliness standards that dairy farms had to adhere to in order to supply Borden with milk.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Borden Company
ID Number
1979.0441.367
catalog number
1979.0441.367
accession number
1979.0441

Tupperware Bowl and Cover

Few products are more symbolic of household life in post-World War II America than Tupperware.
Description
Few products are more symbolic of household life in post-World War II America than Tupperware. Made of plastic, intended for service in the suburban kitchen, and with clean and modern design, Tupperware represented "tomorrow's designs with tomorrow's substances." The Museum's collections include over 100 pieces of Tupperware, dating from 1946 through 1999. This bowl and cover were made by Tupperware Corporation, Woonsocket, R.I. (bowl), and Farnumsville, Mass. (lid), 1946–1958 and donated by Glenn O. Tupper.
Beginning in the 1930s, chemist Earl S. Tupper (1907–1983) experimented with polyethylene slag, a smelly, black waste product of oil refining processes, to develop uses for it. He devised translucent and opaque colored containers that he first marketed in 1942 as "Welcome Ware," then added lids with a patented seal later in the decade.
Modeled after the lid of a paint can, the lid to a Tupperware container was to be closed with a "burp," to create a partial vacuum and make the seal tight. The product was designed to appeal to the growing number of housewives who worked in suburban kitchens with modern appliances, including large refrigerators that allowed once-a-week trips for grocery shopping at the supermarket. These women formed a market for new and effective methods of food storage. Tupperware's water-tight, airtight seal promised preservation of freshness and limited spills or spoilage.
Yet the capabilities of the new product were not obvious to consumers at first, and Tupper's containers did not sell well in retail stores. A Michigan woman named Brownie Wise thought of marketing Tupperware through the home-sales method. Wise developed the system of Tupperware parties, at which a demonstrator could show the uses and advantages of Tupperware. As Tupperware became a staple of many American kitchens, some women found job opportunities in Tupperware sales.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1949
manufacturer
Tupperware
ID Number
1992.0605.022
catalog number
1992.0605.022A,B
accession number
1992.0605

Apple Crate Label

Labels are an important marketing device.
Description (Brief)
Labels are an important marketing device. They often go beyond merely identifying contents and are designed to help establish brand distinction and generate customer loyalty for a largely interchangeable product.
This Enpee brand apple crate label was used by the North Pacific Sales Company of Seattle, Washington during the early 20th century. The lithographed label has a blue background with the letters “N.P.” in the center, filled with triangles of a variety of colors.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
North Pacific Sales Co.
ID Number
1979.0441.124
accession number
1979.0441
catalog number
1979.0441.124

Logo Cup

A white cup with the first generation AFC Corporation logo on the front. The logo consists of a red outlined oval with the letters “AFC” and an image of two pieces of nigiri sushi. On this cup, “SUSHI” is printed in green right above the logo.
Description
A white cup with the first generation AFC Corporation logo on the front. The logo consists of a red outlined oval with the letters “AFC” and an image of two pieces of nigiri sushi. On this cup, “SUSHI” is printed in green right above the logo. The back of the cup includes a drawing of a mountain, fields, a blue sky, three travelers, and Japanese inscriptions. It is an illustration of the landscape of the Japanese countryside.
Along with other AFC paraphernalia, this was given to AFC employees as a seasonal gift.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1980s - 1990s
maker
unknown
ID Number
2012.3099.28
catalog number
2012.3099.28
nonaccession number
2012.3099

Teaspoon

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1830 or later
1815
ID Number
1977.0918.58A
accession number
1977.0918
catalog number
1977.0918.58A

Coffee Cup Lid

This is a peel and lock type coffee cup lid bearing item number TK10TL.
Description
This is a peel and lock type coffee cup lid bearing item number TK10TL. Peel and lock type lids give the drinker a place to snap the peeled back lid part into itself, preventing the need to tear off or throw away a little triangle of plastic.
Architects and collectors Louise Harpman and Scott Specht donated 56 plastic cup lids to the National Museum of American History in 2012. Their donation is a sample from their much larger collection of “independently patented drink-through plastic cup lids,” which they began in 1984 and discussed in a 2005 essay, “Inventory / Peel, Pucker, Pinch, Puncture,” in Cabinet Magazine: http://www.cabinetmagazine.org/issues/19/harpman.php. The collectors’ categorization scheme reflects the primary way the lid design functions, which helps differentiate between the varieties and styles of lids.
Plastic, disposable coffee cup lids and other single-use food packages reinforce the social acceptability of eating and drinking on the go in the United States and reflect increasing expectation for convenience products. Cup lids are also examples of how humble, and even disposable, objects are sometimes the result of meticulous engineering. Patents for lid innovations describe peel-back tabs and the pucker-type shapes that make room for mouths and noses, and describe the nuances of “heat retention,” “mouth comfort,” “splash reduction,” “friction fit,” and “one-handed activation.”
ID Number
2012.3047.09
catalog number
2012.3047.09
nonaccession number
2012.3047

Chrysalis Winery Flip Chart

Often used during presentations, planning meetings, and other activities involving group brainstorming, flip charts—large pads of paper typically supported on an easel—are like portable blackboards.
Description
Often used during presentations, planning meetings, and other activities involving group brainstorming, flip charts—large pads of paper typically supported on an easel—are like portable blackboards. This flip chart records the substance of a conversation between Jennifer McCloud, the owner of Chrysalis Vineyards in Middleburg, Virginia, and winemaker Alan Kinne, as they were discussing the future of the vineyard in the late 1990s. Committed to working with the particular soil, climate, and topography of her Virginia vineyard (the terroir), McCloud was interested in experimenting with lesser-known grapes at Chrysalis and this flip chart helped track those discussions.
This page reveals part of McCloud and Kinne’s conversation about Viognier, a white varietal from the French region of Condrieu in the northern Rhône Valley. At the time, Viognier had gained attention as a promising varietal for Virginia’s challenging environment, where summer’s heat and humidity can lead to mildew and rot. Dennis Horton, of Horton Vineyards in Orange, Virginia, had been producing Viognier for several years and other winemakers in the state were taking notice. Kinne and McCloud discussed Viognier’s texture, flavor, and bouquet, recording their observations on this page of the flip chart:
Texture: oily, unctuous, viscous, Sake, slight bitterness, nuts (old), mineral (old). Flavor: Peaches, ripe cantaloupe, honeydew, white peaches, mango, coconut;
Bouquet: White blossoms, tropical, under-ripe pear, lychee nuts, orange blossom, tangerine, mandarin [orange], honeysuckle, fennel.
They recorded viticulture issues on another page, including vine age, low vigor, spacing, hardening of shoots, pruning, training, trellising, harvest parameters, and yields. McCloud began producing a small amount of Viognier with grapes sourced from other growers and planted 7.5 acres of her own, which came into production in the early 2000s.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
2013.3002.01
catalog number
2013.3002.01
nonaccession number
2013.3002

Small Molinillo

A molinillo is a whisk that was first produced by Spanish colonists in Mexico. They used the molinillo to stir and froth their chocolate drinks. Prior to Van Houten’s invention of the hydraulic press, chocolate contained a large amount of fat that was not soluble in water.
Description
A molinillo is a whisk that was first produced by Spanish colonists in Mexico. They used the molinillo to stir and froth their chocolate drinks. Prior to Van Houten’s invention of the hydraulic press, chocolate contained a large amount of fat that was not soluble in water. A chocolate drink had to be continuously stirred in order to stay mixed. A small molinillo, such as this, would have been used with an individual serving size cup.
Chocolate had been known and treasured by Native Americans in Central and South America for thousands of years prior to the arrival of the first Spanish explorers in the late 1400s and early 1500s. Cacao beans were so highly prized by Mayans and Aztecs that they were used as currency in many areas of the Americas. When first taken back to Europe by the Spanish, the chocolate drink continued to be produced exclusively for the enjoyment of royalty or the extremely wealthy. As the cacao bean gradually made its presence known throughout Europe, it still remained trapped in this exclusive section of society well into the 19th century.
The chocolate trade to North America began more than 300 years ago, primarily centered in or near major port cities of the time, such as New York City, Boston, Philadelphia and Newport, RI. Due to lower transportation costs, chocolate was often less expensive in the Americas than in Europe and therefore had a broader consumer base. The Industrial Revolution radically changed chocolate production and helped propel it into the hearts and stomachs of the working class. Instead of being a labor intensive product, it became entirely machine made reducing costs even further in the late 19th and early 20th century. During this time, chocolate went from being something a person drank to being something to eat, finally becoming a treat for the masses.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
AG.76-FT-04.0009A [dup24]
catalog number
76-FT-04.0009A
accession number
315132

Apple Crate Label

Labels are an important marketing device.
Description (Brief)
Labels are an important marketing device. They often go beyond merely identifying contents and are designed to help establish brand distinction and generate customer loyalty for a largely interchangeable product.
This Buddy brand apple crate label was used by the Andrews Brothers, Detroit, Michigan during the early 20th century. The label was lithographed by the Schmidt Lithography Company of Fresno, California. The label has a blue background with a green rim, and an illustration of a red apple and a golden apple next to the face of a smiling baby. Apple advertising would often stress the health benefits of eating apples for young children.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
1979.0441.108
accession number
1979.0441
catalog number
1979.0441.108

Tobacco Shipping Crate

This is a side panel of a R.A. Patterson seal cut plug tobacco shipping crate. The shipping crate was probably used between 1856 and 1900. R.A. Patterson Tobacco Company was founded in 1856 in Richmond, Virginia.
Description (Brief)
This is a side panel of a R.A. Patterson seal cut plug tobacco shipping crate. The shipping crate was probably used between 1856 and 1900. R.A. Patterson Tobacco Company was founded in 1856 in Richmond, Virginia. Patterson is famous for introducing the Lucky Strike brand plug (chewing) tobacco, and continued the brand as the popular Lucky Strike cigarettes. The Patterson Tobacco Company was purchased by the American Tobacco Company in 1905, but the Lucky Strike brand persists to this day.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
R. A. Patterson Tobacco Co.
ID Number
1979.0441.310
catalog number
1979.0441.310
accession number
1979.0441

Prunes Shipping Crate

This shipping crate side originally contained Reliance brand prunes from Santa Clara, California during the early part of the 20th century.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
This shipping crate side originally contained Reliance brand prunes from Santa Clara, California during the early part of the 20th century.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
National Grocery Co.
ID Number
1979.0441.336
catalog number
1979.0441.336
accession number
1979.0441

Picnic Gathering in Town Square

Stereo view by H.A. Doerr in San Antonio, Texas of a large group of men sitting on benches at long tables and eating in front of four buildings in a town, including wine and beer sales. Handwritten in ink on verso, "Mex. Breakfast." Printed or stamped on verso," H. A.
Description (Brief)
Stereo view by H.A. Doerr in San Antonio, Texas of a large group of men sitting on benches at long tables and eating in front of four buildings in a town, including wine and beer sales. Handwritten in ink on verso, "Mex. Breakfast." Printed or stamped on verso," H. A. Doerr, / Photographer / San Antonio, Tex." and NIC. TENGG, / Books / Stationery / & Newspapers. / San Antonio, Texas."
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Doerr, Henry A.
ID Number
2012.3033.0015
nonaccession number
2012.3033
catalog number
2012.3033.0015

Bottle of Sushi Rice/Salad Seasoning with Vinegar

Advanced Fresh Concepts Corporation (AFC), known for their prepackaged sushi prepared and sold in supermarkets, extended their product line to include sushi related products.
Description
Advanced Fresh Concepts Corporation (AFC), known for their prepackaged sushi prepared and sold in supermarkets, extended their product line to include sushi related products. This bottle of AFC’s first generation sushi rice/salad seasoning with vinegar is covered by green plastic, and the body is wrapped around by a printed label that includes the word “Natural,” the original AFC logo, the title "Sushi Rice/ Salad Seasoning with Vinegar" in black lettering, and a picture of three pieces of maki sushi on a bamboo mat and a picture of salad below. The images suggest that this product can be used to season rice to recreate the same taste as the rice used at sushi bars, and can be used as a substitute for vinegar in salad dressings as well. Underneath the images reads NET 12.7 FL OZ (375mL) in black lettering, and the directions are written to the left. To the right of the front cover, there is a list of ingredients and the nutrition facts.
The vinegar seasoning shows AFC’s attempt to popularize sushi making in American households. It’s versatility in being a substitute for salad dressing is also intended for the product to appeal to a wider market, and not exclusively to those interested in making sushi at home.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1980s
maker
Advanced Fresh Concepts Franchise Corp.
ID Number
2012.3099.11
catalog number
2012.3099.11
nonaccession number
2012.3099

Kay Kay Richmond Toffee Assortment

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
AG.77-FT-15.0116
catalog number
77-FT-15.0116
accession number
283681

Apple Crate Label

Labels are an important marketing device. They often go beyond merely identifying contents and are designed to help establish brand distinction and generate customer loyalty for a largely interchangeable product.This Dainty Maid brand apple crate label was used by H.S.
Description (Brief)
Labels are an important marketing device. They often go beyond merely identifying contents and are designed to help establish brand distinction and generate customer loyalty for a largely interchangeable product.
This Dainty Maid brand apple crate label was used by H.S. Denison & Company of Wenatchee, Washington during the early 20th century. The lithographed label has a red background and a central illustration of a pretty young girl with ruddy cheeks. Fruit labels often used depict images of healthy young children to promote the health benefits of apples.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
H. S. Denison & Co.
ID Number
1979.0441.061
accession number
1979.0441
catalog number
1979.0441.061

jar, fruit

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
AG.76-FT-01.0914
catalog number
76-FT-01.0914
accession number
322793
collector/donor number
1066

Apple Crate Label

Labels are an important marketing device. They often go beyond merely identifying contents and are designed to help establish brand distinction and generate customer loyalty for a largely interchangeable product.This Kile brand apple crate label was in use by the W.B.
Description (Brief)
Labels are an important marketing device. They often go beyond merely identifying contents and are designed to help establish brand distinction and generate customer loyalty for a largely interchangeable product.
This Kile brand apple crate label was in use by the W.B. Kile Company of Yakima, Washington during the early 20th century. The lithographed label has a blue background with an illustration of two red apples on a branch, with the brand KILE above it in large letters. Yakima was part of the Wenatchee Valley apple producing region, which claimed to be the “Apple Capital of the World.”
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
W. B. Kile Company
ID Number
1979.0441.022
accession number
1979.0441
catalog number
1979.0441.022

Apple Crate Label

Labels are an important marketing device.
Description (Brief)
Labels are an important marketing device. They often go beyond merely identifying contents and are designed to help establish brand distinction and generate customer loyalty for a largely interchangeable product.
This Luxor brand apple crate label was used by the Fruit Growers Service Company of Wenatchee, Washington during the early 20th century. The label was lithographed by the Ridgway Lithograph Company of Seattle, Washington. The label has a blue background with a blue and yellow geometric stripe across the middle with a large red cross in the center.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Fruit Growers Service Co.
ID Number
1979.0441.114
accession number
1979.0441
catalog number
1979.0441.114

Colgan's Violet Chips Tin

This small, red, round container with gold lettering was used to store and market Colgan's violet gum.John Colgan of Louisville, Kentucky, was a pharmaceutical store owner in the late 1800s when he noticed young children chewing on tree sap.
Description
This small, red, round container with gold lettering was used to store and market Colgan's violet gum.
John Colgan of Louisville, Kentucky, was a pharmaceutical store owner in the late 1800s when he noticed young children chewing on tree sap. He made a type of gum he named Taffy Tolu which quickly gained popularity in the Louisville area. Colgan has also been credited with inventing the process of adding flavor that lasts while chewing. During the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago, he sold his Taffy Tolu and created quite a buzz at the Fair. It was also here where William Wrigley, Jr., came across John Colgan’s chewing gum and while Wrigley’s Gum took off, John Colgan faded into history.
Sweet treats have been a part of the human diet nearly since the beginning of human existence. The type of treat has changed over time, but human desire for sweetness has not. Candy can be hard or chewy, may or may not contain chocolate and can be sweet or sour. Sugar cane was introduced to Europeans when crusaders brought the substance back from the Middle East, and it was with these Europeans that sugar gained its highly prized status as an art form and a gift to be given away on special occasions. A status that persists to this day when a suitor gives their beloved chocolate for Valentine’s Day. Early pharmacists also often used sugar to mask the bitter tastes of their medical concoctions or prescribed sugar as a cure for an ailment itself.
At one time, small family owned confectionary shops dominated the American landscape. Opening a candy making business was a relatively low cost investment, all one needed was a kitchen and a basket to sell their treats from on the street. As demand grew, they could grow their business. Today, many of these small businesses have been absorbed into large corporations who command a much greater market power. Breath mints gained popularity because of how they felt cool and refreshing in the mouth while also freshening one’s breath. Peppermint was also considered a digestive aid, and mint leaves and breath mints were often chewed after a meal.
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Colgan Gum Company
ID Number
ZZ.RSN80525Z62

Carving Fork

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1900
ID Number
DL.66.0564B
catalog number
66.0564B
accession number
265238

Mandarin Restaurant Menu

Beige lunch menu from The Mandarin. Printed in green ink. Bi-fold, no additional pages. The cover is titled "the mandarin" at the top-center. A line of potted flowers runs along the bottom of the page along with a horizontal table featuring multiple dishes.
Description
Beige lunch menu from The Mandarin. Printed in green ink. Bi-fold, no additional pages. The cover is titled "the mandarin" at the top-center. A line of potted flowers runs along the bottom of the page along with a horizontal table featuring multiple dishes. The very bottom of the page says "SAN FRANCISCO. BEVERLY HILLS" featured in the center margin. The inside of the menu is bilingual.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
2011.0115.18
catalog number
2011.0115.18
accession number
2011.0115

Cranberries Shipping Crate

This shipping crate side contained Eatmor brand cranberries sold by the American Cranberry Exchange of New Jersey during the early 20th century.
Description (Brief)
This shipping crate side contained Eatmor brand cranberries sold by the American Cranberry Exchange of New Jersey during the early 20th century. The ACE was formed by a merger of the Grower's Cranberry Company with the National Fruit Exchange in 1907, and sold cranberries from Wisconsin, New Jersey, and Massachusetts under the Eatmor brand.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
American Cranberry Exchange
ID Number
1979.0441.366
catalog number
1979.0441.366
accession number
1979.0441

Our collection database is a work in progress. We may update this record based on further research and review. Learn more about our approach to sharing our collection online.

If you would like to know how you can use content on this page, see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use. If you need to request an image for publication or other use, please visit Rights and Reproductions.