Macaroni and cheese

{{Infobox food

| name = Macaroni and cheese

| image = Original_Mac_n_Cheese_.jpg

| caption =

| alternate_name = Mac and cheese
Macaroni cheese

| country = England{{Cite book|last=Raffald|first=Elizabeth|title=The experienced English housekeeper|publisher=Manchester : J. Harrop for the author, etc.|year=1769|pages=261}}

| region = Widespread across the United Kingdom, United States, Canada

| course = Main or side dish

| served = Hot or warm

| main_ingredient = Macaroni, cheese, milk, butter

| variations =

| similar_dish =

| cookbook = Macaroni and Cheese

| other =

}}

Macaroni and cheese (also known as mac and cheese in Canada and the United States and macaroni cheese in the United Kingdom{{Cite web |title=Macaroni cheese recipe |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/macaronicheese_83521 |access-date=2023-12-16 |website=BBC Food |language=en |archive-date=2023-03-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230308003237/https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/macaronicheese_83521 |url-status=live }}) is a pasta dish of macaroni covered in cheese sauce, most commonly cheddar sauce.{{cite news|first=Julia|last=Moskin|title=Macaroni and Lots of Cheese|date=4 January 2006|access-date=30 January 2009|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/04/dining/04wint.html|archive-date=20 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160520133134/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/04/dining/04wint.html|url-status=live}}{{cite journal|title=Perfect Macaroni and Cheese|journal=Martha Stewart Living|volume=66|issue=February 1999|url=http://www.marthastewart.com/271998/perfect-macaroni-and-cheese|access-date=September 22, 2012|archive-date=July 20, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190720163805/https://www.marthastewart.com/271998/perfect-macaroni-and-cheese|url-status=live}} Its origins trace back to cheese and pasta casseroles in medieval England.{{cite book |last=Dickson Wright |first=Clarissa |author-link=Clarissa Dickson Wright |date=2011 |title=A History of English Food |publisher=Random House |isbn=978-1-905211-85-2|title-link=A History of English Food}} The traditional macaroni and cheese is put in a casserole dish and baked in the oven; however, it may be prepared in a sauce pan on top of the stove, sometimes using a packaged mix such as became popular in the mid-20th century. The cheese is often included as a Mornay sauce added to the pasta. It has been described as "comfort food".{{cite news|url=http://travel.cnn.com/explorations/eat/best-usa-travel/top-50-american-foods-513946|title=American food: the 50 greatest dishes|first=Dana|last=Joseph|date=10 May 2012|publisher=CNN Travel|access-date=12 June 2014|archive-date=21 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130521031011/http://travel.cnn.com/explorations/eat/best-usa-travel/top-50-american-foods-513946|url-status=live}}{{cite news|url=http://forkit.com/blog/mac-and-cheese/|title=What is Macaroni and Cheese (Mac and Cheese)?|first=Liam|last=Clark|date=27 July 2016|publisher=Forkit|access-date=27 July 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160810122434/http://forkit.com/blog/mac-and-cheese/|archive-date=10 August 2016|url-status=dead}}

History

A recipe for macaroni and cheese was included in Elizabeth Raffald's 1769 book, The Experienced English Housekeeper. Raffald's recipe is for a Béchamel sauce with cheddar cheese—a Mornay sauce in French cooking—which is mixed with macaroni, sprinkled with Parmesan, and baked until bubbly and golden.

{{blockquote |To dress Macaroni with Permasent Cheese. Boil four Ounces of Macaroni ’till it be quite tender, and lay it on a Sieve to drain, then put it in a Tolling Pan, with about a Gill of good Cream, a Lump of Butter rolled in Flour, boil it five Minutes, pour it on a Plate, lay all over it Permasent Cheese toasted; send it to the Table on a Water Plate, for it soon goes cold.}}

Eliza Acton's 1845 Modern Cookery in All Its Branches has a recipe "Macaroni a la Reine", which directs the cook to "dissolve gently ten ounces of any rich, well-flavoured white cheese in full three quarters of a pint of good cream" with salt, Cayenne pepper, mace, and butter.{{cite web |url=https://history-in-the-making.com/2020/06/27/macaroni-a-la-reine/ |title=Macaroni a la Reine |website=History in the Making |date=2020-06-27 |access-date=2023-06-01 |archive-date=2023-06-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230601015215/https://history-in-the-making.com/2020/06/27/macaroni-a-la-reine/ |url-status=live }} The 1861 edition of Mrs. Beeton's Book of Household Management included two instances of "Macaroni, as usually served with the Cheese Course".{{cite book |last=Beeton |first1=Mrs (Isabella Mary) |title=The book of household management |date=1861 |publisher=London : S.O. Beeton |url=https://archive.org/details/b20392758/page/820/mode/2up |access-date=20 February 2024}}

In the United Kingdom in the 21st century, the dish has risen in popularity, becoming widespread as a meal and as a side order in both fast food and upmarket restaurants.{{cite news |author=Samuel Muston |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/features/how-did-macaroni-and-cheese-become-elevated-to-the-new-soughtafter-side-dish-8601537.html |title=How did macaroni and cheese become elevated to the new sought-after side dish? |work=The Independent |date=2013-05-02 |access-date=2014-02-27 |archive-date=2015-09-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925040921/http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/features/how-did-macaroni-and-cheese-become-elevated-to-the-new-soughtafter-side-dish-8601537.html |url-status=live }}

= United States =

One theory is that James Hemings brought the recipe to the United States,{{cite news |last=Medrano |first=Kastalia |title=Kitchen of Thomas Jefferson's Slave Discovered |url=https://www.newsweek.com/kitchen-thomas-jeffersons-slave-chef-james-hemings-macaroni-and-cheese-america-777425 |access-date=31 March 2023 |work=Newsweek |date=11 January 2018 |language=en |archive-date=31 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230331100044/https://www.newsweek.com/kitchen-thomas-jeffersons-slave-chef-james-hemings-macaroni-and-cheese-america-777425 |url-status=live }} prompted by Thomas Jefferson who was interested in extruded pasta.{{cite book |last=McLaughlin |first=Jack |title=Jefferson and Monticello: The Biography of a builder |page=229}} In 1802, Jefferson served "a pie called macaroni" at a state dinner. The menu of the dinner was reported by Reverend Manasseh Cutler, who apparently was not fond of the cheesy macaroni casserole.{{cite book |last= Cutler |first= William Parker, Julia Perkins Cutler, Ephraim Cutler Dawes, Peter Force |title= Life, Journal, and Correspondence of Manasseh Cutler, Volume 2 |publisher= R. Clarke & Co. |date= 1888 |pages= [https://archive.org/details/lifejournalsand00forcgoog/page/n78 71]–72 |url= https://archive.org/details/lifejournalsand00forcgoog}}

File:8.28.12CheeseburgerMacByLuigiNovi1.jpg

A recipe called "macaroni and cheese" appeared in the 1824 cookbook The Virginia House-Wife written by Mary Randolph. Randolph's recipe had three ingredients: macaroni, cheese, and butter, layered together and baked in a hot oven.{{Cite web |url=http://www.gutenberg.org/files/12519/12519-h/12519-h.htm#MACARONI |title=The Project Gutenberg eBook of the Virginia Housewife, by Mary Randolph |access-date=2015-03-10 |archive-date=2015-07-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150724003943/http://www.gutenberg.org/files/12519/12519-h/12519-h.htm#MACARONI |url-status=live}} The cookbook was the most influential cookbook of the 19th century, according to culinary historian Karen Hess.{{cite book |last=Randolph |first=Mary |title=The Virginia House-wife |date=1984 |publisher=University of South Carolina Press |editor-last=Hess |editor-first=Karen |edition=Facsimile First |location=Columbia, SC |page=ix}} Similar recipes for macaroni and cheese occur in the 1852 Hand-book of Useful Arts, and the 1861 Godey's Lady's Book. By the mid-1880s, cookbooks as far west as Kansas and Festus, Missouri, included recipes for macaroni and cheese casseroles. Factory production of the main ingredients made the dish affordable, and recipes made it accessible, but not notably popular. As it became accessible to a broader section of society, macaroni and cheese lost its upper-class appeal.{{cite journal |last=Kummer |first=Corby |title=Pasta |journal=The Atlantic |date=July 1986 |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1986/07/pasta/306226/2/ |access-date=21 November 2012 |archive-date=5 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140305153213/http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1986/07/pasta/306226/2 |url-status=live}}

= Canada =

Macaroni and cheese was brought to Canada by British immigrants, coming from other parts of the British Empire. Macaroni and cheese recipes have been attested in Canada since at least Modern Practical Cookery in 1845, which suggests a puff pastry lining (suggesting upper-class refinement); a sauce of cream, egg yolks, mace, and mustard; and grated Parmesan or Cheshire cheese on top. Canadian Cheddar cheese was also becoming popularized at this time and was likely also used during that era.{{cite news |last=Chapman |first=Sasha |title=Manufacturing Taste |url=http://walrusmagazine.com/printerFriendly.php?ref=2012.09-food-manufacturing-taste |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130105114605/http://walrusmagazine.com/printerFriendly.php?ref=2012.09-food-manufacturing-taste |url-status=dead |archive-date=2013-01-05 |work=The Walrus |date=September 2012 |access-date=September 1, 2012}}

Macaroni and cheese is very popular in contemporary Canada. Kraft Dinner is the most popular brand of packaged macaroni and cheese. Sasha Chapman, writing in The Walrus, considered it to be Canada's national dish, ahead of poutine. In fact, Canadians purchase nearly 25% of the 7 million boxes of Kraft Dinner sold worldwide each week.{{Cite web |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/2084556/5-odd-facts-about-canada/ |title=5 odd facts about Canada | Globalnews.ca |access-date=2020-04-08 |archive-date=2020-04-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200425044106/https://globalnews.ca/news/2084556/5-odd-facts-about-canada/ |url-status=live}}

Variations

While cheddar cheese is most commonly used for macaroni and cheese, other cheeses may also be used — usually sharp in flavour — and two or more cheeses can be combined. Other cheeses can be used such as Gruyère, Gouda, Havarti, and Jarlsberg cheese.{{cite magazine |title=Jarlsberg Mac and Cheese with Jalapeño and Crispy Pork Belly |magazine=culture: the word on cheese |url=https://culturecheesemag.com/sponsored/jarlsberg-mac-and-cheese-with-jalapeno-and-crispy-pork-belly-2/ |access-date=2021-04-25 |archive-date=2021-04-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210425214315/https://culturecheesemag.com/sponsored/jarlsberg-mac-and-cheese-with-jalapeno-and-crispy-pork-belly-2/ |url-status=live }}

Macaroni and cheese can be made by simply layering slices of cheese and pasta (often with butter or evaporated milk) then baking in a casserole, rather than preparing as a cheese sauce.

File:Cicis-Mac&Cheese-Pizza.jpg]]

One novelty presentation is deep-fried macaroni and cheese found at fairs and food carts.{{cite web|url=http://www.goodfood.com.au/good-food/cook/deep-fried-mac-and-cheese-a-hipster-hit-20140602-zrptr.html|title=Deep fried mac and cheese: A hipster hit|author=Bryan Martin|date=May 27, 2014|access-date=June 12, 2014|archive-date=June 6, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140606192954/http://www.goodfood.com.au/good-food/cook/deep-fried-mac-and-cheese-a-hipster-hit-20140602-zrptr.html|url-status=live}}

=Regional variations and analogues=

In Scotland, macaroni and cheese can often be found in pies, known as a macaroni pie.{{cite web|url=https://www.eater.com/2017/1/23/14333216/macaroni-pie-scotland|title=Macaroni Pie Is the Scottish Mash-up Dreams Are Made Of|author=Harry Harris|date=Jan 23, 2017|access-date=April 1, 2023|archive-date=April 1, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230401214347/https://www.eater.com/2017/1/23/14333216/macaroni-pie-scotland|url-status=live}}

In 1731, the monastery of Disentis in Switzerland purchased a macaroni machine. Monasteries in the country were also known for cheesemaking.{{Cite news |title=Wer hat die Älplermagronen erfunden? |url=https://www.blick.ch/life/essen/die-urner-die-obwaldner-oder-gar-die-italiener-wer-hat-die-aelplermagronen-erfunden-id17577518.html}} Though it is unknown when exactly it was invented, around the 19th century, the traditional dish in Switzerland called Älplermagronen (Alpine herder's macaroni) became popular. Älplermagronen are made of macaroni, cream, cheese, roasted onions, and in some recipes, potatoes. In the Canton of Uri, the potatoes are traditionally omitted, and in some regions, bacon or ham is added. The cheese is often Emmental cheese or Appenzeller cheese. It is usually accompanied by apple sauce.{{Cite web |last=Genossenschaft |first=Schweizer Milchproduzenten SMP |title=Älplermagronen mit Apfelmus - Rezept |url=https://www.swissmilk.ch/de/rezepte-kochideen/rezepte/LM200309_57_A/aelplermagronen-mit-apfelmus/ |access-date=2024-02-08 |website=Swissmilk |language=de}}

Prepared and packaged mixes

File:Flickr qmnonic 123431456--Kraft Dinner and veggie dogs.jpg, served with tomato and sausage]]

The earliest known iteration of boxed macaroni and cheese came from a salesman in St. Louis, Missouri named Grant Leslie.{{Cite web |title=Yum, Mac 'N' Cheese! Chemistry Article for Students {{!}} Scholastic Science World Magazine |url=https://scienceworld.scholastic.com/pages/promotion/083120/yum-mac-n-cheese.html |access-date=2024-01-12 |website=scienceworld.scholastic.com |language=en}} Leslie used rubber bands to attach processed cheese produced by Kraft Foods to boxes of pasta in an attempt to increase pasta sales.{{Cite web |date=2017-02-22 |title=Manufacturing Taste · thewalrus.ca |url=https://thewalrus.ca/manufacturing-taste/?utm_source=walrusmagazine.com&utm_medium=redirect&utm_campaign=move+old+website |access-date=2024-01-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170222194705/https://thewalrus.ca/manufacturing-taste/?utm_source=walrusmagazine.com&utm_medium=redirect&utm_campaign=move+old+website |archive-date=2017-02-22 }} Kraft hired Leslie and began to produce Kraft Macaroni & Cheese (known as Kraft Dinner or KD in Canada) in 1937 with the slogan "make a meal for four in nine minutes". It was an immediate success in the US and Canada amidst the economic hardships of the Depression. During the Second World War, rationing led to increased popularity for the product, of which two boxes could be obtained for one food rationing stamp, or one box for 19 cents.{{Cite web |date=2010-08-14 |title=Kraft Macaroni & Cheese: A History |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-xpm-2010-08-14-ct-biz-0815-mac-side2-20100814-story.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231212045649/https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-xpm-2010-08-14-ct-biz-0815-mac-side2-20100814-story.html |archive-date=2023-12-12 |access-date=2023-12-16 |website=Chicago Tribune}}

Packaged macaroni and cheese are now available in frozen form or as boxed ingredients for simplified preparation. Boston Market, Michelina's, Kraft Foods, Cracker Barrel, and Stouffer's are some of the more recognizable brands of prepared and frozen macaroni and cheese available in the United States. Macaroni and Cheese is also available canned and in microwavable containers. "Macaroni and cheese loaf", a deli meat which contains both macaroni and processed cheese bits, can be found in some stores.{{cite web |last=Ellis-Christensen |first=Tricia |title=What is Macaroni and Cheese Loaf? |url=http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-macaroni-and-cheese-loaf.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111124035301/http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-macaroni-and-cheese-loaf.htm |archive-date=24 November 2011 |access-date=15 August 2011 |work=wiseGEEK}} A variety of packaged mixes that are prepared in a sauce pan on the stove or in a microwave oven are available. Some different products on the market use this basic formulation with minor variations in ingredients.{{Cite web |title=Macaroni and Cheese Ratings & Reviews {{!}} Best & Worst Products {{!}} GoodGuide |url=http://www.goodguide.com/categories/256023-macaroni-and-cheese |access-date=2023-08-10 |archive-date=2014-07-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140717080503/http://www.goodguide.com/categories/256023-macaroni-and-cheese |url-status=dead }}

Although high in carbohydrates, calories, fat, and salt, macaroni and cheese is a source of protein and certain variations of the dish can decrease the negative health aspects.{{Cite web|url=https://www.verywellfit.com/macaroni-and-cheese-nutrition-facts-calories-and-health-benefits-4111294|title=The Healthiest Macaroni and Cheese Brands|access-date=2020-05-12|archive-date=2020-02-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200201024056/https://www.verywellfit.com/macaroni-and-cheese-nutrition-facts-calories-and-health-benefits-4111294|url-status=live}}

References

External links

[https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6455615 A brief history of mac and cheese], commentary on National Public Radio
Steingarten, Jeffrey (1997). The Man Who Ate Everything. New York: Vintage. {{ISBN|0-375-70202-4}}. The chapter, "Back of the Box", was first published in 1992. :)

Category:English cuisine

Category:Scottish cuisine

Category:American cuisine

Category:Canadian cuisine

Category:Haitian cuisine

Category:Bahamian cuisine

Category:Macaroni dishes

Category:Casserole dishes

Category:Convenience foods

Category:National dishes

Category:American pasta dishes

Category:Milk dishes