4. The emergence of ethnic neighborhoods
In America’s cities, ethnic neighborhoods grew, with communities of Germans immigrants in midwestern cities, Chinese in California, and Mexicans in the southwest. They brought with them tastes for foods from the old country, and shops featuring imported products appeared. They were joined by street vendors and restaurants featuring their own cuisines, such as shark fin in Chinese shops, olive oil and pasta in Italian shops, German sauerkraut and sausages. American general stores and food shops did not feature such ethnic products, nor did most urban Americans dine in ethnic restaurants during the 19th century.
The needs of the ethnic shops and restaurants created the first large-scale shipments of food from Europe to America, which once had been limited to mostly wine, and some specialty meats. German immigrants, thirsty for the beers of their homeland to wash down their sausages, created the American brewing industry, with nearly all American cities developing regional beers, such as Anheuser-Busch in St. Louis, Pabst in Milwaukee, Genesee in Rochester, New York, and Cincinnati’s Christian Moerlein, which was exported to London and cities in the German states. For the most part, as they did with their food, Americans drank beer produced locally, rather than relying on a shipping and distribution system.
Read More: 10 Unexpected Innovations in History that Change the Way You Eat.