Inventions that led to changes in the American diet

Before the mid-nineteeth century , people in the United States ate most foods only in season . Drying , smoking and salting could preserve meat for a short time , but the avaliability of fresh meat , like that of fresh milk , was very limited ; there was no way to prevent spoilage . But in 1810 a French inventor named Nicolas Appert developed the cooking-and-sealing process of canning . And in the 1850′s an American named Gail Borden developed a means of condensing and preserving milk . Canned goods and condensed milk became more common during the 1860′s , but supply remained low because cans had to be made by hand . By 1880 , however , inventors had fashioned stamping and soldering machines that mass-produced cans from tinplate . Suddenly all kinds of food could be preserved and bought at all times of the year .

Other trends and inventions had also helped make it possible for Americans to vary their daily diets . Growing Urban populations created demand that encouraged fruit and vegetable farmers to raise more produce . Railroad refrigerator cars enabled growers and meat packers to ship perishables great distances and to preserve them for longer periods . Thus , by the 1890′s , northern city dwellers could enjoy southern and western strawberries , grapes , and tomatoes , previously avaliable for a month at most , for up to six months of the year . In addition , increased use of iceboxes enabled families to store perishables . An easy means of producing ice commercially had been invented in the 1870′s and by 1900 the nation had more than two thousand commercial ice plants , most of which made home deliveries . The icebox became a fixture in most homes and remained so until the mechanized refrigerator replaced it in the 1920′s and 1930′s .

Almost everyone now had a more diversified diet . Some people continued to eat mainly foods that were heavy in starches or carbohydrates , take advantage of previously unavailable fruits , vegetables and diary products to achieve more varied fare .