Feast or Famine : Food and Drink in American Westward Expansion

This first comprehensive account of food and drink in the winning of the West describes the sustenance of successive generations of western pioneers. Drawing on settlersrs" and travelersrs" journals, Horsman records food preparation techniques as well as components of their diets. Not only were buffalo, deer, and wild turkey plentiful, pioneers also gathered greens such as purslane, dandelion, and pigweed-as well as wild fruits, berries, and nuts. Horsman also reveals the willingness of Indians to convey their knowledge of food. He covers regional frontiers, as well as the cuisines of groups such as fur traders, soldiers, miners, and Mormons, and discusses food shortages that resulted from poor preparation, temporary scarcity of game, marginal soil, or simply bad luck.

Reginald Horsman is Distinguished Professor of History Emeritus at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.