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.
Three classic episodes of The History Guy about how the Christmas season survives even tragedy.
The “Great Sedition Trial” uncovered shocking connections at the time with the German reich that we were fighting, and challenged the idea that the nation was of a single mind during the war. It also challenged exactly how far the national commitment to freedom of speech and opinion reached, especially in extraordinary times.