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Food was plentiful in the colonies, although at times there was little variety. The forests were full of game and fowl, and seafood was abundantly available, especially in Virginia and Maryland. Cattle were imported from Europe at an early date. At first they were kept more for their hides and for breeding oxen than for food. The Dutch, however, used milk to make butter and cheese. Pigs were the most common meat animal.

When an animal was slaughtered, as much, fresh meat as possible was eaten at once, and the rest was preserved by salting or smoking it. Salt pork was the common meat of the poorer colonists. In the South, fresh cooked meat was sometimes kept in a crock sealed with fat.

Corn was the native grain used for food by the Indians, who taught the settlers how to grow it and eat it. It became the staple starch food of the English colonists. They ate corn as a fresh vegetable, as hominy, as boiled cereal, or as the main ingredient of bread, cake, and pudding. Wheat did not grow well in New England but was a successful crop in New Netherland. The Dutch were especially fond of fried cakes and waffles made of wheat flour.

Green vegetables were a seasonal item in New England, but available much of the year farther south. Root vegetables (but not including either sweet or white potatoes in the 17th century) were stored for winter use. Pumpkin could be stored, but was also dried. A popular type of bread was made of boiled, mashed pumpkin mixed with corn meal. Apple trees, imported from Europe, were widely grown to provide fruit for making cider.

Cider, usually fermented, and beer were the most popular drinks. The Dutch imported wine and brandy, and so did the prosperous planters. Everyone, including tiny children, drank alcoholic beverages. Water was considered dangerous, and because of ignorance about sanitation it often was. Milk was generally not used as a beverage. During the 17th century tea, coffee, and chocolate were introduced in Europe and became available in the colonies.

All cooking except baking was done in great open fireplaces. Some iron pots were hung over the fire; others had legs and long handles and were set on the hearth. Stews and porridges were the common food, although meat and game might be roasted before the open fire, turned on a spit by hand, generally by a child. Corn pone and pudding could be baked in a covered pot buried in embers, but a bake oven was required for raised bread. The oven was usually built into the side of the fireplace in Northern homes, but in the South it was often outdoors.

Food was eaten from wooden trenchers, two or more persons sharing a dish, with spoons and the fingers. Linen napkins were customarily provided for each meal. Table salt was imported at first, but maple sugar and honey were American products. The English did not spread their bread with butter; this custom was later learned from the Dutch.

Source > http://history.howstuffworks.com/american-history/american-colonial-life2.htm

pythonlover

Ooh yes potatoes and butter or, sour cream.