Food defined social hierarchy in 1776. Here's what was on the table

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Food defined social hierarchy in 1776. Here's what was on the table

By Ava Berger

Sunday, June 28, 2026 • 5:00 AM EDT

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Arthur Gross has been the chef at Middleton Tavern in Annapolis, Md., for 50 years. That's a long time, even for a tavern that started serving food before the country's inception.<br>Sometimes, in between preparing food in the kitchen, "I wonder to myself what would it have been like?" Miller said of the early days at the 276-year-old tavern.<br>In 1776, seafood such as rockfish and crab dominated the diets of many early colonists in Maryland.<br>And now, when Gross orders food for the restaurant, it features some of the same staples: 100 pounds of rockfish, 6 pounds of crab claw meat, 10 pounds of calamari rings and tentacles, crackers and lemon juice.

Related Story: NPR<br>In Annapolis, where it's common for historical reenactors decked out in short gowns, petticoats, caps and leather-buckle shoes to lead tourists around the historic streets, it almost feels like 1776. (If you squint a little and ignore the cars.)<br>As America celebrates its 250th anniversary, it's hard not to imagine, along with Gross, how people's diets shaped everyday life then.<br>When we think about signs of wealth today, "we think about cars and handbags or real estate," said Dana Connett, the community programs coordinator at the nonprofit Historic Annapolis.<br>But in 1776, it was food. Two hundred and fifty years ago, social class defined the food that colonists and the enslaved ate.<br>Despite the revolution, a desperation to remain like England

Down the street from Middleton Tavern, the William Paca House & Garden offers an intricate view of the life of one of Maryland's four signers of the Declaration of Independence. Paca, who served as Maryland's governor in the late 18th century, lived with his family in the home from about 1765 to 1780.<br>The Founding Fathers and members of the gentry class relied heavily on recipes from France and England and even imported some of their food from Europe, food historians said. They were desperate to emulate the wealth and prestige of affluent Europeans.

Related Story: NPR<br>At a dinner table in the Paca House, a representation of a spring meal sits on the table with original monogrammed silver condiment shakers. On this day, the Pacas would have eaten turkey soup, fried shad, collards, ham and asparagus, oysters and roast chicken.<br>The type of meat the colonists ate was a status symbol, and beef was the most sought-after, said Joyce White, a local food historian who set up the food displays at the Paca House. Chicken would be eaten on special occasions — to sacrifice a good hen rather than use it for its eggs would be a delicacy.<br>"If it's your pig or cow coming from your plantation, you don't want to waste it," White said.<br>Food was served on small plates, not the huge portions we normally see today, according to Adrian Miller. He's the author of The President's Kitchen Cabinet, which tells the stories of the African Americans who served presidents.<br>The diets of the early colonists differed based on regional availability, but seafood dominated many plates as well. "There was just like this treasure trove of seafood that was fresh, and it wasn't polluted," Miller said. So many oysters were eaten that they were included in the construction of houses and roads, he said.<br>On the coast of Maryland, terrapin would have been a popular food plucked right from the Chesapeake Bay, he said.<br>The Founding Fathers rejected a monarchy but dined like kings

Thomas Jefferson, George Washington and a few others defined the food of the time period, food historians said.<br>"The Founding Fathers were considered very much trendsetters, and a lot of them are Francophiles," said Sarah Lohman, a food historian and author of Eight Flavors: The Untold Story of American Cuisine.<br>From Jefferson, recipes of macaroni and cheese and beef à la mode still exist, Lohman said. John Adams, on the other hand, was a "very simple man," and he "got super irritated" with Jefferson because of his French wine and decadent food.

Related Story: NPR<br>"Jefferson loved macaroni," said Ashley Rose Young, another food historian, who is an American history curator at the Library of Congress. Historical records show Jefferson toying around with the schematics for a macaroni-maker, she said. Jefferson was also eating black-eyed peas, turnip greens and ham.<br>The Washingtons were known for fabulous roasts at their dinner parties, said Rose Young. Unlike Jefferson, however, Washington was very concerned about his image and wanted to avoid conspicuous presentations of luxury, according to Miller. "He didn't want to come across as a monarch."<br>Jefferson saw food "as important to bring people together," Lohman said. She references "the meal that saved the republic," also known as "The Dinner Table Bargain," when in June 1790 Jefferson hosted a dinner party...