The idea of America as a place of abundance is enshrined in our culture, from Jefferson’s agrarian democracy to the immensity of our supermarkets. The Great Depression, which left a quarter of all Americans out of work and undernourished, tested our belief in this land’s unlimited bounty, and in the process changed the way America eats.

In 1933, after four years of deprivation and national debate, President Roosevelt reversed long-standing biases toward government-sponsored “food charity” and assumed responsibility for feeding the hungry. Championed by Eleanor Roosevelt, “home economists,” who had long fought to bring science into the kitchen, rose to national stature. Through the Bureau of Home Economics, these women led a sweeping campaign to impose their vision of a sturdy, utilitarian cuisine and instill nutritional recommendations, the forerunners of today’s Dietary Guidelines for Americans. At the same time, expanding conglomerates introduced packaged and processed foods, which led to a new American cuisine based on speed and convenience. This movement toward a homogenized national diet sparked a revival of American regional cooking that continues to this day.

A Square Meal examines how economic contraction and environmental disaster shaped the way Americans ate during the Great Depression, and shares the lessons and insights we may learn from those experiences today.