cookiesinheaven

The table is set with an elegant fusion of Southern comfort food and fine French cuisine. The beef and lamb are grass-fed; the artisan smoked hams are from locally raised pigs. The produce is locally grown and, of course, organic. All this local bounty is enhanced by fine imports: Italian Parmesan, French wine, and extra virgin olive oil. No, you’re not sitting down to eat with Michael Pollan; you’re at the table of Thomas Jefferson, statesman and gourmand extraordinaire. 
 Despite his service as legislator, the governor of Virginia, minister to France, secretary of state, and president of the United States, Jefferson likely believed his famous statement: “The greatest service which can be rendered any country is to add a useful plant to its culture.” In honor of the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, we explore the author’s lesser-known contribution to American culture: his influence on the country’s culinary tradition. - Salon