The Feast of Wisconsin: Tracing the Roots of Food and Culinary Tradition in Wisconsin

Abstract

This paper examines the history and ethnicity of food in Wisconsin beginning from the first settlement in the region. Special attention is directed at the ethnicity of Wisconsinites and the different foods eaten and influenced by ethnic roots. Many Wisconsinites find at least part of their heritage as coming from Germany, England, Sweden, Norway, or Poland, so these heritages and other notable immigration patterns are highlighted. The paper will cover the overall diet, agriculture, origins of foods, as well as new variations and changes in diet and agriculture upon coming to Wisconsin. Furthermore, all of these aspects relate to how these foods formed a new way of eating, living, and prospering in Wisconsin, uniting tradition with new customs through interaction and adaptation to conditions and tastes. Wisconsin's foods can be seen as a part of the social roles that foods in general play in society, and is of regional and national importance as America shifts its food focus back toward its domestic roots.