Macaroni and cheese

Macaroni and cheese
A side dish of macaroni and cheese
Alternative names	Mac and cheese (U.S.)
Course	Main or side dish
Place of origin	United Kingdom
Region or state	Widespread throughout United Kingdom, United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand
Serving temperature	Hot
Main ingredients	Macaroni, cheddar sauce (or a mix of bechamel sauce cheddar or parmesan cheese), milk, butter, flour
Food energy (per serving)	400 (Kraft) kcal
Cookbook:Macaroni and cheese  Macaroni and cheese

Macaroni cheese—also called "mac and cheese" in American English; "macaroni pie" in Caribbean English;^[1] and "macaroni cheese" in the United Kingdom, Australia,^[2] Canada, and New Zealand^[3]—is a dish of English origin, consisting of cooked macaroni pasta and cheese, most commonly Cheddar cheese, though it can also incorporate other ingredients, such as bread crumbs, meat and vegetables.^[4][5]

Traditional macaroni and cheese is a casserole baked in the oven; however, it may be prepared in a sauce pan on top of the stove or using a packaged mix.^[5] It is considered an American comfort food.^[6]

History

Pasta and cheese casseroles have been recorded in cookbooks as early as the 14th century's Liber de Coquina, one of the oldest medieval cookbooks. It is an Italian dish of parmesan and pasta but known in England in the 14th century, where a cheese and pasta casserole known as makerouns was recorded in the famous medieval English cookbook, the Forme of Cury, which was written in the 14th century.^[7] It was made with fresh, hand-cut pasta which was sandwiched between a mixture of melted butter and cheese. The recipe given (in Middle English) was "Take and make a thynne foyle of dowh. and kerve it on peces, and cast hem on boillyng water & seeþ it wele. take chese and grate it and butter cast bynethen and above as losyns. and serue forth." ("Make a thin foil of dough and cut it in pieces. Put them in boiling in water and seethe them well. Grate cheese and add it with butter beneath and above as with losyns [a dish similar to lasagne], and serve.")^[8]

The first modern recipe for the dish was included in cookery writer Elizabeth Raffald's 1769 book The Experienced English Housekeeper. Raffald's recipe is for a Béchamel sauce with cheddar cheese—a Mornay sauce in French cooking—which is mixed with macaroni, sprinkled with Parmesan and baked until bubbly and golden. The famous British Victorian cookbook Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management included two recipes for the dish. One recipe states that "The macaroni, (which should be "tender but perfectly firm, no part being allowed to melt, and the form entirely preserved" – lest one be tempted to cook it for so long it actually disintegrated) is then topped with more cheese, pepper and breadcrumbs, before receiving a final dose of melted butter for good measure and being placed before a "bright fire" to brown the crumbs, or grilled with a salamander broiler.^[9]

In the UK in the 2010s it has seen a surge in popularity, becoming widespread as a meal and as a side order in both fast food and upmarket restaurants.^[10]

American history

An order of "Cheeseburger" macaroni and cheese, which includes ground beef and bread crumbs, one of 14 variations of the dish on the menu of an eatery in Hoboken, New Jersey.

The future American president Thomas Jefferson encountered macaroni both in Paris and in northern Italy. He drew a sketch of the pasta and wrote detailed notes on the extrusion process. In 1793, he commissioned American ambassador to Paris William Short to purchase a machine for making it. Evidently, the machine was not suitable, as Jefferson later imported both macaroni and Parmesan cheese for his use at Monticello.^[11] In 1802, Jefferson served "a pie called macaroni" at a state dinner. The menu of the dinner was reported by Reverend Mannasseh Cutler, who apparently was not fond of the cheesy macaroni dish.^[12] Nevertheless, since that time, baked macaroni and cheese has remained popular in the United States.

A recipe called "macaroni and cheese" appeared in the 1824 cookbook The Virginia Housewife written by Mary Randolph. Randolph's recipe had three ingredients: macaroni, cheese, and butter, layered together and baked in a hot oven.^[13] The cookbook was the most influential cookbook of the 19th century, according to culinary historian Karen Hess. Similar recipes for macaroni and cheese occur in the 1852 Hand-book of Useful Arts, and the 1861 Godey's Lady's Book. By the mid-1880s, cookbooks as far west as Kansas included recipes for macaroni and cheese casseroles. Factory production of the main ingredients made the dish affordable, and recipes made it accessible, but not notably popular. As it became accessible to a broader section of society, macaroni and cheese lost its upper class appeal.^[14]

In the United States, July 14 has been branded as "National Macaroni and Cheese Day".^[15]

Canadian history

Macaroni and Cheese was brought to Canada by British immigrants, coming from other parts of the British Empire. Macaroni and cheese recipes have been attested in Canada since at least Modern Practical Cookery in 1845, which suggests a puff pastry lining (suggesting upper-class refinement) and a sauce of cream, egg yolks, mace, and mustard, and grated Parmesan or Cheshire cheese on top. Canadian Cheddar cheese was also becoming popularized at this time and was likely also used during that era.^[16]

Macaroni and cheese is very popular in modern-day Canada, as it is in the rest of the Commonwealth. Kraft Dinner is the most-popular brand of packaged macaroni and cheese, it is considered by some to be Canada's national dish. Due to Canada formerly being part of the British Empire, and currently part of the Commonwealth; the dish may be called macaroni cheese. And due to Canada's proximity to the United States, it may be called macaroni and cheese.

Regional variations

Pasta other than macaroni noodles are often used: most any short-cut extruded pasta and many of the decorative cut pasta will do, particularly those with folds and pockets to hold the cheese. The dish may still be referred to as "macaroni and cheese" when made with a different pasta; while "shells and cheese" is sometimes used when it is made with Conchiglie.

While Cheddar cheese is most common in macaroni and cheese, other cheeses may be used—typically sharp in flavor—and two or more cheeses can be blended. Popular recipes include using Gruyere, Gouda, and Parmesan cheese.

Macaroni and cheese can be made by simply layering slices of cheese and pasta (often with butter and/or evaporated milk) then baking in a casserole, rather than preparing as a cheese sauce.^[4]

One novelty presentation is deep-fried macaroni and cheese found at fairs and food carts.^[17]

A similar traditional dish in Switzerland is called Älplermagronen (Alpine herder's macaroni), which is also available in boxed versions. Älplermagronen are made of macaroni, cream, cheese, roasted onions, and in some recipes, potatoes. In the Canton of Uri, the potatoes are traditionally omitted, and in some regions, bacon or ham is added. The cheese is often Emmental cheese or Appenzeller cheese. It is usually accompanied by apple sauce.

Macaroni and cheese pizza

In Scotland, the dish is often presented in a pastry shell as macaroni cheese pie. In the US macaroni and cheese pizza can be found on restaurant menus and recipe web sites.

Extra ingredients sometimes incorporated into the dish include tomatoes, onions, Tabasco sauce, sautéed mushrooms, cooked ground beef, sliced hot dogs, Spam, hamburger meat, fried bacon, lobster, canned tuna or salmon, jalapeños, peas and broccoli.

Prepared and packaged mixes

Packaged macaroni and cheese is available in frozen form or as boxed ingredients for simplified preparation. Boston Market, Michelina's, Kraft, and Stouffer's are some of the more recognizable brands of prepared and frozen macaroni and cheese available in the United States. "Macaroni and cheese loaf" can be found in some stores.^[18]

A variety of packaged mixes which are prepared in a sauce pan on the stove or in a microwave oven are available. They are usually modeled on Kraft Macaroni & Cheese (known as Kraft Dinner in Canada), which was introduced in 1937 with the slogan "make a meal for four in nine minutes." It was an immediate success in the US and Canada amidst the economic hardships of the Depression. During the Second World War, rationing led to increased popularity for the product which could be obtained two boxes for one food rationing stamp.^[19] The 1953 Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook includes a recipe for the dish with Velveeta, which had been reformulated in that year. The boxed Kraft product is immensely popular in Canada, where it is the most-purchased grocery item in the country.^[16]

Boxed mixes consist of uncooked pasta and either a liquid cheese sauce or powdered ingredients to prepare it. The powdered cheese sauce is mixed with either milk or water, and margarine, butter, or olive oil and added to the cooked noodles. Some mixes prepared in a microwave cook the pasta in the sauce.

Another popular variant is jarred macaroni cheese sauce, which is especially popular in the UK and US; available under the Dolmio and Ragü brands; among others. With this variant, one must purchase the macaroni or pasta of choice separately, boil the pasta, heat the jarred sauce, and mix it together.

Also, powdered cheese sauce is also sold, this product is very similar to the type of powdered cheese sauce that is found in a sachet inside a box of macaroni and cheese. This product is produced by several companies, most notably Bisto, Cabot, and Kraft It is prepared in the same manner as a boxed mac and cheese.

A number of different products on the market use this basic formulation with minor variations in ingredients.^[20] Often, packaged macaroni and cheese mixes contain ingredients that are not certified as kosher. This is because many cheese products include rennet, an extract containing the enzyme rennine, which is procured from a non-kosher animal. When packaged macaroni and cheese became more popular, there was a need to create a kosher version.

See also

• Baked ziti
• List of cheese dishes
• Macaroni casserole
• Cheddar sauce

References

External links

Wikibooks Cookbook has a recipe/module on Macaroni & Cheese

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Macaroni and cheese.

• A brief history of mac and cheese, commentary on National Public Radio
• Steingarten, Jeffrey (1997). The Man Who Ate Everything. New York: Vintage. ISBN 0-375-70202-4. The chapter, "Back of the Box", was first published in 1992. :)