Comfort foods often have a rich (heh) culinary history, and our beloved mac ‘n’ cheese is no different. Go back to school with Food52‘s Food History 101 series, and learn how the dish came to be.
Pasta and cheese casseroles are far from new — recipes for early versions have been found in various 14th century cookbooks including the anonymously written Italian medieval tome Liber de Coquina (Book of Cooking), and the French Forme of Cury, which lists a dish called “makerouns,” combining thin pastry dough, cheese and butter. Thanks to these recipes, pasta and cheese casseroles gained popularity all around Europe, particularly in France, Italy and England.
Rebecca Haley-Park
Rebecca Haley-Park is culture's former editor and resident stinky cheese cheerleader. A native New Englander, she holds a BFA in creative writing from University of Maine at Farmington.
