Why Are Sprouts and Yogurt Part of Our Diet?

Hippie Food: How Back-to-the-Landers, Longhairs,
and Revolutionaries Changed the Way We Eat
by Jonathan Kauffman
(William Morrow, 2018)  

 

There was a time in the U.S. when dishes prepared with ingredients like tofu, whole grains, alfalfa sprouts, lentils, wheat germ, and even yogurt might have been described as “hippie food.” It was because they were thought to be foods enjoyed only by “counter culture” types with nontraditional tastes. But as time went by, appetites for hippie foods gave rise to health food stores, co-ops, food “conspiracies,” and organic agriculture. Those appetites also contributed to what later came to be known as California cuisine and a whole movement promoting fresh, seasonal, flavorful dishes prepared with minimal ingredients.
    A former chef, Jonathan Kauffman is currently a food writer for the San Francisco Chronicle and a variety of other local publications. His new book examines the 1960s and ’70s to trace the colorful origins of once-unconventional foods and the various elements that converged to contribute to the evolution of a new American cuisine. The book includes history and anecdotes from all over the United States, but as Northern California is something of a crucible for the movement, it is not surprising that many of Kauffman’s stories are set in this region. Well-researched and carefully detailed with dozens of interviews, the book is a helpful contribution to the history of American food culture in the second half of the 20^th century.

 

Edible East Bay’s book editor Kristina Sepetys is eager to share her ideas and book recommendations
with our readers.