Tastes like chicken A history of America's favorite bird

In this largely bland culinary history, food writer Rude plucks the bird clean to the bone as she traces the rise of America's culinary love of the chicken from the 15th century, through and Colonial times, and up to the early 21st century. In 2015, the average American ate more than 90 pounds of chicken, or 23 birds a person, which adds up to 8.6 million chickens being consumed over the course of a year. According to Rude, the chicken wasn't always quite so popular: in the early 20th century, roasted chicken might have been the centerpiece of Sunday dinner, but Americans ate only about 10 pounds of chicken each year. As she examines these changes, she provides recipes for various chicken dishes that illustrate diverse ways of preparing the fowl at various times and circumstances in American history: for example, chicken salad grew in popularity in the 19th century era among wealthy Americans, who drank champagne as an accompaniment. The kosher chicken business became contentious in early-20th-century New York. Chicken consumption soared in the 1940s, thanks to John Tyson and Jesse Jewell, among others, who found ways to industrialize the process of raising chickens. Rude concludes that no matter the issues surrounding the raising of chickens in the 21st century-free-range versus caged, antibiotic and hormone-free versus not-Americans now consume chicken more than ever. Agent: Peter Steinberg, Foundry Literary + Media. (Aug.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Americans are the most prolific eaters of chicken, consuming an average of 90 pounds per person in 2015. But our taste for chicken is a relatively new phenomenon. Journalist Rude traces the factors that contributed to this rise in popularity, beginning with chickens' domestication in Asia over 10,000 years ago up to today's modern, sprawling industry. Until the early 1900s, beef was king of the American plate. When slaves made fried chicken and sold it to passing soldiers during the Civil War, the trend increased, but its high price kept it out of reach for most. The 1920s saw the awakening of calorie consciousness and dieting, which led to a growth in fowl as a lower calorie option. After the first commercial chicken hatchery and the emergence of the broiler industry, prices dropped drastically, making it more affordable. As chicken became the favored meat, practices became standardized, creating social, environmental and ethical issues that continue to trouble the marketplace. VERDICT Readers of food histories such as Mark -Kurlansky's Cod will appreciate this engaging, well-researched, and thorough history of America's changing food preferences.-Melissa Stoeger, Deerfield P.L., IL © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.