Food journalist Michael Krondl worked with New York Public Library librarians to trace the origins and early recipes for all-American favorites like ice cream, chili, and macaroni and cheese. Also included is the first known recipe for fried chicken with gravy, taken from The Virginia Housewife written by Mary Randolph and published in 1824. Around The American Table presents a culinary time machine, redolent with hints of European influence, ethnic spices and traditions, and seasonal bounty. It serves to document American culinary heritage, in its endless varieties. One chapter traces Native American foodways and the arrival of European colonists.
Later chapters examine specific American genres and defining meals.
African American foods from the late 19th century include Harriet Tubman's favorite recipe for cornbread. The influence of the Pennsylvania Dutch, known for their delicious baking, is documented with 19th-century recipes for Aunt Sarah's Walnut Gingerbread and a bounty of breads, cookies, and coffee cakes. American culinary past is brought to life in the plantation fare of the Founding Mothers, a farm breakfast on the prairie, a Texas ranch of the 1920s and more. There are recipes for holidays, for entertaining, and for everyday pleasures. Around The American Table also examines non-traditional American foods, and includes dishes that tell something about a specific place and time.