The Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink (Revised and updated edition)

American writer Henry Miller had no taste for the national diet, claiming that “Americans can eat garbage, provided you sprinkle it liberally with ketchup, mustard, chilli sauce, Tabasco sauce, cayenne pepper, or any other condiment which destroys the original flavour of the dish”. The Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink, first published in 1983 as a “dictionary” and now revised and updated for a fifth edition, is surely the proof of the pudding. Filled with entries from traditional ‘steak and potatoes’ dishes to the regional and sometimes unusual culinary delights to be found from California to New England, John...