The Key Ingredients: America by Food Exhibit

Sponsors: Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) and the Federation of State Humanities Councils; Exhibit design and fabrication: SurroundArt; Curator: Charles Camp

If media portrayals are any indication, food weighs heavily on the minds of Americans. While much of that attention relates to the negative realities of health issues, dieting, and eating disorders, a traveling exhibit now making its way across the country takes a look at the sunnier side of America's evolving relationship with food.

Key Ingredients: America By Food is a product of the Museum on Main Street program, which is sponsored jointly by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) and state humanities organizations. Spanning America's history from native hunting and gathering to modern fast food, the exhibit delves into the multifaceted connection between the country's foodways and its culturally diverse heritage. Complementing the exhibit is an interactive website that invites people to share family recipes and food stories, learn about other food traditions, and post information on favorite restaurants off the beaten path.

The exhibit includes a series of panels containing five themed sections including "Land of Plenty," "Local Flavors," "Dynamic Delivery," "Festival of Feasts," and "Home Cooking." Together, these topics demonstrate how traditions originating from a survival mechanism can grow into traditions that reveal unique details about cultures throughout the world, especially when those cultures are concentrated into one land and one people.