Key Takeaway
Around the time the United States was founded, Americans' diets included Parmesan ice cream and terrapin. But what you ate depended on your social status.
Published June 28, 2026 · Category: News
Overview

Around the time the United States was founded, Americans' diets included Parmesan ice cream and terrapin. But what you ate depended on your social status.
Details
(Image credit: Anna Rose Layden for NPR)
Source
Originally published at www.npr.org.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is "Food defined social hierarchy in 1776. Here's what was on the table" about?+
Around the time the United States was founded, Americans' diets included Parmesan ice cream and terrapin. But what you ate depended on your social status.
Who reported this story?+
This story was reported by NPR News.