Food Culture

The Midwest is the heart of the American people. It is from this region we draw our virtues of self-sufficiency, hard work, and efficiency. One key area where rural work impacts America is in food -- not just in what at we eat, but also how, when, and who with.

Images from the Library of Congress

Gathering Food and Folk

The first important part of food culture in rural Missouri was the actual act of obtaining the food. This happened primarily within the context of farming and in the raising of animals for slaughter. These activities were dominated by local family farms. These farms produced an astonishing variety of foods for the family, including corn, wheat, and potatoes. Beef and pork were popular animal products. What the farmers grew and raised was naturally supplemented by what the farmer could hunt. Until 1875 deer were plentiful in the area and were easily hunted, but a particularly hard winter and over hunting forced the local hunters to move to other game like wild turkey.

The people of Nodaway County have been gathering the way people have been for hundreds of years; in family units. Family dinner is an important image for rural America and was an important ritual for farm families. Every member of the family had to help out some how and family dinner was a way in which everyone could really see and participate in their labor.

Food and labor were connected not only among the family but also within the wider community. One example of this is in community barn raising, where neighbors gathered to help put up a barn. After the heavy work the families enjoyed a festive communal meal prepaird by the farm wives.

But of course there was more to life than work, the people of Nodaway County played as hard as they worked. The county played host to many fairs and festivals. The County Fair came to be out of the competition between farmers both within and without Nodaway County. Women of course were not excluded from competition as they competed for prizes with their best dishes.

Naturally religion played an important role in the lives of the people and an important role in food. From religious restrictions on what could be eaten to the church women providing dinner for the community, the congregation was certainly felt.