Podlipodcast player Webplayer

The History of American Food

The History of American Food

179 Food in Paper, Food in Boxes

The History of American Food · Aug 19, 2026 · 25:54

0:0025:54

Listen in the Podli app 🎧

Follow your favourite podcasts, listen offline and in the car with CarPlay and Android Auto, and always pick up where you left off. Free to try.

An important element essential to modern American food didn't happen until the end of the 19th century.  But as with so many of the other elements that are underpinnings of American food - it is not a food at all. Instead it is paper made of trees rather than paper made of cloth that has reached the end of it's life.

And once wood pulp paper becomes part of the scene - how food is transported, labeled and sold will never be the same.

Think about a world before you put could wrap meat in Butcher's Paper, before crackers came in boxes - it looks almost unrecognizable.  But come along for the debut of cheap-er paper in American food - and how this changes everything.

Music Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor Turtle

Substack: https://thoafood.substack.com/
Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot com
Threads: @THoAFood
Instagram: @THoAFood
Show Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/
& some other socials... @THoAFood

Episodes: The History of American Food

PodliGet the free Podli app
↓ App