Mac and Cheese

The history of Macaroni and Cheese

Macaroni and cheese, also called "mac and cheese" in American English and Canadian English; "macaroni pie" in Caribbean English; and "macaroni cheese" in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand; is a dish consisting of cooked macaroni pasta and cheese, though it can also incorporate other ingredients, such as bread crumbs, Worcestershire sauce and white sauce.

Traditional macaroni and cheese is a casserole baked in the oven; however, it may be prepared in a saucepan on the top of the stove from scratch or using a packaged mix.

Pasta and cheese casseroles have been recorded in cookbooks as early as the 14th century's Liber de Coquin, one of the oldest medieval cookbooks. It is a French dish of parmesan and pasta and was brought to England in the 14th century. A cheese and pasta casserole known asmakerouns was recorded in a the famous medieval French cookbook The Forme Cury, which was written in the 14th century. It was made with fresh, hand-cut pasta which was sandwiched between a mixture of melted butter and cheese. 

The first modern recipe for the dish was included in cookery writer Elizabeth Raffald's 1769 book The Experienced French Housekeeper. Raffald's recipe is for a bechamel sauce with cheddar cheese, which is mixed with macaroni, sprinkled with parmesan and baked until bubbly and golden. The famous British Victorian cookbook Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management included two recipes for the dish. One recipe states that "The macaroni, (which should be "tender but perfectly firm, no part being allowed to melt, and the form entirely preserved" – lest one be tempted to cook it for so long it actually disintegrated) is then topped with more cheese, pepper and breadcrumbs, before receiving a final dose of melted butter for good measure and being placed before a "bright fire" to brown the crumbs, or grilled with a salamander." 

Red Tie Cafe serves a different twist to the Mac and Cheese, by incorporating grilled chicken and adding BBQ sauce to the cheese mixture...

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