NPR

The Far Out History Of How Hippie Food Spread Across America

Finding granola, hummus, organic produce and whole grains is easy now, but it wasn't always. Jonathan Kauffman's new book, Hippie Food, explores the people and places that expanded America's palate.
Despite the disbanding of communes and the persistence of capitalism, culinary contributions from hippies have not only endured, but helped set the framework for the way we eat today.

Frustrated with the Vietnam War, The Man, and the general state of the nation, hippies set out to do everything differently. They founded rural communes, dabbled in psychedelics, and cultivated a laissez-faire approach to personal hygiene. But, like everyone else in the world, they had to eat.

Mainstream fare — Wonderbread and frozen vegetables — clashed with their politics. So they explored and invented new foods, then enthusiastically shared their creations. And despite the disbanding of communes and the persistence of capitalism, many of those culinary contributions were long lasting. Jonathan Kauffman's new book, follows the people and places throughout the

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