The History Behind America's Most Iconic Picnic Traditions

The classic American picnic has a much richer history than you'd think.

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The picnic is as American as apple pie, a tradition we love and share with many cultures worldwide-dining alfresco is hardly our ain invention. The word "picnic" started showing up mid-18th century, drawing its origins from the French pique-nique-a social gathering where people would bring their own food and vino. (Though, dorsum then they probably didn't have options every bit succulent as these.) In fact, many of our country's most-loved picnic traditions take long-forgotten pasts. Read on to larn the secret history hidden inside your picnic basket.

one. The Fourth of July Picnic

It's often i of the highlights of the summertime, the annual Fourth of July picnic when we assemble friends and family round to kick dorsum, watch the fireworks, and devour plenty of fantastic food. From coast-to-coast, your typical Independence Day cookout involves burgers, hoagies, and enough of beer. But back in the 18th century, you'd observe turtle soup and poached salmon with egg sauce, and dove on the table. Our tastes have certainly evolved over the by 200 years!

2. Staple Dish: The Hot Canis familiaris

With German roots, the frankfurter made it to American shores onetime in the 19th century when we rechristened information technology the hot dog and rapidly adopted it as our own. Delicious and easy to swallow, information technology quickly became a fixture at baseball games, street side nutrient carts, and somewhen picnics. And when FDR hosted a picnic at his country home, the president served the U.K.'south Rex George VI his first hot domestic dog ever.

There are a few ways to ready hot dogs, but this is our favorite.

3. The Southern Picnic

Feast might exist a more advisable word when information technology comes to the southern take on outdoor eating. Down in the South, come summer it's time to break out the grill. Barbecuing is an antebellum tradition that grew out of the booming southern pork manufacture in the days earlier the Ceremonious War. As time went on, it became the thing to do for every church party, political rally, or social gathering. Fried craven, ribs, buttermilk biscuits, sweet white potato pie and corn bread…the list goes on. Because southern cooking is only so rima oris-wateringly proficient, many staples have been adopted at picnics tables around the U.S.

Accept you fabricated any of these archetype southern recipes?

four. Staple Dish: Deviled Eggs

I don't know about you lot, merely I've never been to a picnic that didn't accept deviled eggs. Believe it or non, the history of this dish dates back to ancient Rome. Back and so, deviled eggs were served to the wealthy every bit the first course of the repast. The class became then popular that the Romans coined a proverb, "ab ova usque advertizing mala:" from eggs to apples (or from beginning to cease of the repast). We're still munching on these timeless favorites, with a few improvements like smoked salmon, bacon–and jalapenos, of grade.

5. Picnic Predecessor: The Potluck

One of the older picnic traditions that continues to this solar day, the potluck is the direct antecedent of the picnic with roots that go all the way back to medieval Europe. The potluck every bit nosotros know it offset came nigh during the Swell Depression of the 1930s. With everyone pinching pennies where they could, it was an unbeatable way to share the cost of a meal while feeding many mouths. Each guest brings a dish to contribute to the spread–afterward all, nosotros can't have the hostess doing all the work! Many a picnic is function potluck. Some of our preferred provisions are casseroles, pies, and dips, plus the next dish on this list.

half-dozen. Staple Dish: Macaroni Salad

This cold pasta salad is an essential of Picnicking 101. Like shooting fish in a barrel to transport and oh so succulent, information technology's well-nigh impossible to accept just one helping of this American archetype. Compared with many of the other items featured hither, macaroni salad is a more contempo add-on to the American culinary playbook. Versions of the macaroni or pasta salad began appearing in cookbooks around the plow of the 20th century. The modern solar day incarnation first cropped upward around the 1960s and took off in a big way during the '80s every bit office of the Nouvelle Cuisine movement. Don't fancy pasta? Potato salad or coleslaw are good substitutes.

Notice the best pasta salad recipes in the country, here.

seven. An Water ice Common cold I

No picnic would exist complete without something to launder downwardly all that delectable food. Beer has been a picnic staple practically since day one. Enjoying a common cold ane in the dominicus may seem second-nature, just its origins can be traced back to early 19th century Bavaria, Germany, where brewers would place benches and tables on the grass outside their beer storage cellars. The trend took off to become the e'er-popular beer garden, which can be found all over Europe and America today. If you're not inclined towards crushing a few cans, in that location are plenty of ultra tasty nonalcoholic drinkable options you tin prebatch and popular in your hamper.

Feeling inspired? We've got 30 Beer Garden Copycat Recipes, hither.

eight. Who Needs a Grill?

Non every picnic can be a southern-fashion cookout. Fortunately, in that location are plenty of common cold dishes to whip up for your picnicking pleasure. We've talked about macaroni salads, but cold cuts, sandwiches, common cold chicken, and more are go-to's for many of united states when the grill is left at dwelling. These cold options are closer in spirit to the Victorian picnics of yore that featured cold meat pies, cheese sandwiches, and canned foods.

At that place'south a lot to still learn about picnics past, but there's ane affair we know for certain today: a picnic is a swell manner to spend a mean solar day relaxing with friends and family unit. Equally Walter Levy says in his excellent book The Picnic: A History, "information technology's a cardinal belief with every man, woman, and child that a picnic includes pretty virtually the most perfect form of human enjoyment." We couldn't concord more.

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Source: https://www.tasteofhome.com/article/the-history-behind-americas-most-iconic-picnic-traditions/

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