Mac and cheese traces its origins back to Italy, where a 13th-century Italian cookbook called "Liber de Coquina" featured a recipe that is considered the earliest form of macaroni and cheese. This recipe used sheet pasta and grated cheese, likely Parmesan. Over time, variations of macaroni and cheese spread across Europe, including England and France. In the American context, Thomas Jefferson helped popularize mac and cheese in the United States, but he did not invent it. The recipe was actually perfected and introduced to America by James Hemings, Jefferson's enslaved chef, who had trained in French cooking while accompanying Jefferson in Europe. Hemings brought the recipe for "macaroni pie" back to Virginia and served it at state dinners, helping establish mac and cheese in American culinary tradition. Later, Mary Randolph included a macaroni and cheese recipe in her 1824 cookbook "The Virginia Housewife," which helped popularize the dish in Southern cuisine. Kraft Foods popularized boxed mac and cheese nationwide in 1937 by creating a fast, affordable version with processed cheese powder, making it widely accessible. So, in summary:
- Mac and cheese originated in Italy in the 13th century.
- The dish evolved in Europe and was brought to and popularized in America by James Hemings, an enslaved chef of Thomas Jefferson.
- Thomas Jefferson helped popularize it but did not invent it.
- Mary Randolph helped cement its popularity in American Southern cuisine.
- Kraft developed the widely known boxed version in 1937.
