Whether it's homemade, from a box or fried into amazing little balls, the creamy delicacy known as macaroni and cheese is almost as American as peanut butter -- but how did it get that way?
As seen below in Epicurious' investigation animation, "The Secret History of Mac and Cheese in 109 Seconds," references to cheese and pasta combinations date as far back as 500 years. But it was Thomas Jefferson who brought it over to the New World after encountering the elbow-shaped macaroni at the French-Italian border in the late 1700s.
The rest is cheesy history. See the full video below, as well as our favorite recipes to make it for yourself:
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