It never ceases to amaze me, how you can learn a host of different things, probably trace history, on something as basic and random as a recipe of baked beans. Very interesting read!

This is a fascinating nonfiction piece about baked beans, a topic I would never thought I would be reading about seriously. If you’re into food writing or food history or even just non-fiction pieces in general this would be an excellent book for you. I love the nuanced past and history that this book gives and how much I learned about baked beans in general from this book.

*This book was received from NetGalley as an advanced readers copy

In the myth-busting tradition of popular history, Meg Muckenhoupt slashes away at the hoary myths of New England cuisine. I wish someone had given "The Truth about Baked Beans" to the catering manager at the Cambridge, Massachusetts, hotel that hosted a work conference I attended last summer, where the reception appetizers included fried cod on top of a bowl of super sweet baked beans. As Muckenhoupt established, there's no reason to subject diners to this combo in the name of some imaginary historical tradition. I feel liberated from ever having to pretend I like the taste of molasses mixed with beans again

I enjoyed this book because the author made a point of acknowledging the contribution that both minority groups and ethnic groups made to the New England palate, rather than concentrating on the classic "New England foods" we have been aware of, like succotash, jonnycakes, pumpkin pie, Indian pudding, the inevitable "Thanksgiving turkey," etc. I grew up in a mostly Italian neighborhood where Italian food as well as Portuguese food was also thought of as typical "New England food," and knew that other ethnic and racial groups also had their special dishes.

However, she seems to want to ignore what we think of as "New England food," which struck me as odd, as I was concurrently reading AMERICA'S FOUNDING FOOD, which goes into quite a bit of depth about the dishes she dismisses in favor of the ethnic dishes. I think, read together, both these books will give you an idea of the history of New England food, both "classic" and "the real story."

This was a great history to the culture, geography, and politics that influence what we ate and what we think our ancestors ate (but spoiler alert, they often didn't). It turns out that food and food sources are a fascinating aspect of our history, as each wave of immigration brought both new ideas and challenges, and the retelling of culinary history is just as embellished as other forms.

There is a recipe section in the latter half of the book, but they are historical recipes--it might be fun to make one of the simpler ones with your class, but somehow I don't think too many people will find their new Thanksgiving staple. Unless of course you want a more historical T-day with oysters and clams instead of turkey.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a temporary digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

This book is exactly what it claims to be- a history of food in New England. I learned a lot, but there's a limit to how interesting the topic can be. Recommended if you want to learn about New England's culinary history and have the patience for a very low-key history.

This book wasn't for me. It's obviously very well researched, but overall the book felt flat to me and I lost interest.

I received a free electronic copy of this cooking history on May 17, 2021, from Netgalley, author Meg Muckenhoupt, and NYU Press. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read The Truth About Baked Beans of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work. I am pleased to recommend Meg Muchkenhoupt to friends and family. She did a TON of research preparing this work - 25 percent of the length of the volume is the bibliography - and it has lots of trivia and laughs in places that can make your day.

I ask for this from Netgalley because I had some dear friends in Florida in the late 1960s who were transplants from Yankee land, and they argued often about Clam Chowder recipes. Mike from Gloster insisted that milk was an essential ingredient, and Jan from NYC felt it had no place in chowder at all. Or was it vice-versa? They were funny and often tickled me with their accents and down-home humor.

Meg Muckenhoupt will keep you chuckling as well, and she has all sorts of things to share. There are recipes, of course, of classic Eastern dishes, but her descriptions of the path she took through those miles of research as thoroughly entertaining. I'm sending a copy of this to Jan and Mike. I think you should read it, as well.

“The Truth about Baked Beans” is a fascinating story! We all know the tradition of the Pilgrims and the Indians, and Thanksgiving Day, with its traditional foods like turkey, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie, but, is that what the early settlers really ate? And what foods are associated with a particular region, for example, New England? The author explores and explains the food facts and fallacies of the New England states. It will change the way you perceive very common and well known foods that some Americans consider All American as Apple Pie! Her discoveries will surprise you! Bon Appetit!

Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

3 stars

"Corn, or maize, was declared a legal currency in Massachusetss in 1631, and in 1635 th Massachusetts General Court declared that taxes could be paid in corn." -From The Truth about Baked Beans

Being in Boston, I was pretty excited to read this book. It hurt me that it read more like a badly edited research paper. It could very well be my ARC copy where it is the problem- where a word will start on one line, then continue much further down- but it made it additionally hard to read. It is short and sweet with my favorite part being the fourth chapter mainly for the name (Corn and Prejudice) which had the fact I quoted, which made me wonder if I can't currenly still pay my taxes in corn. It is really well researched- part of why I felt like a TA again grading a paper, so if you like that sort of thing; this book might be for you. I was looking for a little bit more of an accessible, fun read.

Great history of New England cooking! So much information packed into this book. Recommend this for anyone who enjoys food history.

I grew up just outside of New England, and have been fascinated by that region and its place in American history since a little girl. I was intrigued by the premise of this book--an investigation of the history and cultural impact of 'New England food.' The author begins by dispelling notions about food we typically think of as representing New England. She summarizes historical demographic data to identify which ethnic groups resided in New England at different points in time, and what their cuisine was. This archaeologist found a few glosses that are slightly misleading (she is correct in that honeybees are not native to the New World, but bumblebees are, and no, they don't produce enough nectar to make honey, so she is right, they didn't contribute any sweet element to native foods; her understanding of the trinity in Christianity is incorrect: "rejecting the trinity for a single God" is wrong; the divine mystery is that these are three representations of a single god, but many theologians and philosophers have also had trouble with that concept), but her wry sense of humor makes up for them ("The fishes' thoughts on the matter are not recorded."). She also doesn't hew to her own criteria for identifying typical cuisine of the area, which includes that they are eaten every day, not only on holidays, by deciding that the best food that fits all her criteria is Marshmallow Fluff. I can assure her that New Englanders do not eat Marshmallow Fluff every day and it's eaten by people here in Tucson, which is pretty far from New England. If you're interested in regional or national history and happen to be a foodie, too, you'll find the book interesting and well written, with a sly sense of humor that suddenly appears when you least expect it.

I received this as a NetGalley digital galley.

Glad to have historical evidence that New England food sucks.

Muckenhoupt has a fabulous way of weaving together history, geography and gastronomy in an enticing and insightful way. On numerous occasions I was pleasantly confronted with the reality that we live in a world that has reclined into all manner of myths about society and the way "things came to be." This book challenged me and helped me understand New England historicity in a new, essential way. Many thanks for the recipes and the devotion that went into making this book a home-run.

I wanted to read this book to end a debate with my New England friend. Are whoopie pies from Maine or PA? It is a very friendly debate.

I was also intrigued to learn about more about that region and food - clam chowder, baked beans, brown bread, boiled dinner, and cheese. Can't forget all the seafood.

This book has been researched and gives you the research to back up what is writting. I found that a bit too much at times. I felt this could have been said in less words and still had the same meaning.

I did find it interesting in how much books and advertising have influenced what we think of as New England. Just seeing the large immigrants into that region and the food that they bring with them.

If you like history of food and a bit of the background story, this is an excellent book.

In the end acording to this book, whoopie pies are from Maine. Now I need to read a book about Pennsylvania Dutch food to find out what they have to say.

Thanks to netgalley for a copy of the book to review. The opinions in the review are all my own.

Although I grew up in Southern California, I went to college in Connecticut. I remember going into the dining hall and seeing a large tray with this brown bread looking thing that was labeled “Indian pudding”. I had never heard of such a dish before, but it quickly became a favorite because to me it always smelled like Christmas.

My memory of this dish is what led me to this book, which I found quite interesting. My academic background is the study of how everyday items reflect the history of their time period, and I enjoyed the author’s discussion of how New England’s classic foods were influenced by historical and societal changes and beliefs.

It was engagingly written and an enjoyable read; however, I am disappointed that it did not include a recipe for Indian pudding.

Thanks to the NYU Press for providing me with an advanced reading copy via NetGalley.

This was such a weird book. I thoroughly enjoyed how the author portrayed her research throughout the book. She inserted witty comments throughout, which was also fun. I liked the recipes, both the original versions and the current adaptations. However, I still felt that it was super dry and at times, boring.

Unfortunately, I was unable to access this book to review, as the publisher appears to have withdrawn it from the site.

I found this one to be quite an interesting read. I love food history, and the author does a good job of laying out the information in a witty, engaging, easy to read and delightful way. Definitely recommend it for foodies!

This is a heavily dense and informative book on the history of cuisine from America circa 1600-1900. If you enjoy the history of the different cultures that came here I recommend this book. It is not just about "baked beans" as the title implies. This is not a book for me, I would have would to slog through this as this is not a book for me but I think it it is well researched and compiled.
Thank you to Net Galley for the opportunity to view this AR# in exchange for an honest review.