The Flavor of Wisconsin: An Informal History of Food and Eating in the Badger State

The Wisconsin Historical Society published Harva Hachten's The Flavor of Wisconsin in 1981. It immediately became an invaluable resource on Wisconsin foods and foodways. This updated and expanded edition explores the multitude of changes in the food culture since the 1980s. It will find new audiences while continuing to delight the book’s many fans. And it will stand as a legacy to author Harva Hachten, who was at work on the revised edition at the time of her death in April 2006.

While in many ways the first edition of The Flavor of Wisconsin has stood the test of time very well, food-related culture and business have changed immensely in the twenty-five years since its publication. Well-known regional food expert and author Terese Allen examines aspects of food, cooking, and eating that have changed or emerged since the first edition, including the explosion of farmers' markets; organic farming and sustainability; the "slow food" movement; artisanal breads, dairy, herb growers, and the like; and how relatively recent immigrants have contributed to Wisconsin's remarkably rich food scene.

Harva Hachten earned a master's degree in journalism from Columbia University and worked as a reporter, editor, and journalism proressor before joining the Wisconsin Historical Society as supervisor of publications in 1973. Along with The Flavor of Wisconsin, Hachten wrote Kitchen Safari, an African cookbook, which was rereleased in 1998 as Best of African Regional Cooking. In the 1980s she was a columnist for Madison Magazine and taught feature writing at the University of Wisconsin. Hachten lived in Madison; she passed away in April 2006.

Terese Allen, a Wisconsin native and former chef, writes about the pleasures and benefits of regional foods, seasonal cooking, and culinary folklore. She has written several books on Wisconsin's food traditions, including Wisconsin's Hometown Flavors (Trails Books, 2003), Fresh Market Wisconsin (Amherst Press, 1993), Wisconsin Food Festivals (Amherst Press, 1995), Cafe Wisconsin Cookbook (University of Wisconsin Press, 2007), and The Ovens of Brittany Cookbook (Amherst Press, 1991). A food columnist for Madison's Isthmus newspaper and a former contributing editor of Wisconsin Trails magazine, Terese is also food editor for Organic Valley, the country's largest organic farmers' cooperative. She chairs southern Wisconsin's groundbreaking REAP Food Group and is a founding member and past president of the Culinary History Enthusiasts of Wisconsin (CHEW).