Food is an integral part of history, defining culture and sometimes playing a large role in the prosperity of certain regions, cities, or entire countries. Much of that history is taken for granted, and unique cuisine remains only locally known or its history is forgotten. But many dishes have connections to wider histories that illuminate the past and connect us to the people that came before us. Such is the history of the salt potatoes of Syracuse, New York.
Five of the seven US presidents to serve between 1869 and 1901 were veterans of the Civil War, and all were members of one of the most powerful lobbying organizations in the history of the republic.