Prohibition was an interesting time in American history.
Lawlessness was rampant throughout major cities like Chicago and New York, yet
culture was undergoing a dramatic change. Women had just gained the right to
vote, and the US was a dry nation. Against that backdrop, a new breed of
American cuisine was taking shape.
Immediate Effects
Immediately, bars and the like were shut down. That gave way
for the growth of cafés and tea houses. This led to an explosive growth in
coffee, but a quick decline in fine dining. Gone were America’s old hotel
dining rooms, replaced instead with restaurants serving sweeter dishes and soda
pop.
Home Brewing
The wine industry experienced a huge shift. Suddenly, its
grapes were worthless as wine makers. Entire fields were quickly switched over
to juice producing grapes, but only a small percentage were ever used for grape
juice. Most were sold as grapes for home brew wine making.
Italian Food
Wine and prohibition in general may have played a role in
American love for Italian food. Today, it seems nearly unthinkable not to have
wine with pasta thanks to Italian-American speakeasies. The cooking was far
from Sicilian fare, but Americans had a taste for protein and the Italians were
all too happy to oblige their rich tastes.
The revolution wasn’t happening in politics, it was happening in the restaurants and back alley eateries all across America. It was happening in our farming and our tastes. America’s thirst for liquor became a craving for sweet, and when alcohol returned, we never lost the taste for either.
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