The History Of Mac And Cheese

Young people might be forgiven for thinking that Kraft invented macaroni and cheese. Thomas Jefferson enjoyed it on a diplomatic mission to France- so much that he championed its adoption in America. But even before that, macaroni and cheese was an old and established European dish. How far back does it go?

The Liber de Coquina, or Book of Cooking, was published around the beginning of the 1300s. That’s roughly the same time William Wallace was marauding around Britain and killing English. Liber de Coquina includes recipes for baked pasta dishes with parmesan and other cheese sauces. Basically your average mac and cheese casseroles. If you can read Latin, the cookbooks are available online. They’re a fascinating snapshot into our shared culinary past.

The development of the ubiquitous and comforting macaroni and cheese from its earliest documentation until today is chronicled at Uproxx.

(Image credit: Ralph Ordaz)