A Square Meal: A Culinary History of the Great Depression (Paperback)

This history of American food during the Great Depression makes it compellingly clear just how our contemporary food choices are still shaped by decisions made and attitudes formed during the long economic malaise that began in 1929.

Ziegelman and Coe, who each have strong previous food histories to their credit, point out that it was not simply a shortage of money that afflicted the country. High levels of unemployment in the cities highlighted the population’s shift from rural to urban areas and away from the ability to produce its own food. But the question of whether the government had a role to play in feeding people—and in telling them what was good to eat—was still an open question as the Depression began, one that would be given an emphatic answer very soon. Eye-opening.

Black-and-white photographs throughout. Paperback,