Forget America: Mac and Cheese dates back to Boccaccio’s Decameron

In the land of Bengodi—the mythical utopia of indulgence imagined by Giovanni Boccaccio—people were already eating a progenitor of mac and cheese. Or at least something strikingly similar. In the Decameron, the 14th-century Florentine wirter’s best known work, Boccaccio describes a mountain of grated cheese where macaroni and ravioli are cooked and then sent rolling the slope for anyone to gather and eat to their heart’s content. A medieval obsession It remains one of the most crave-worthy images in Italian literature, as well as proof that as early as the 1300s, pasta tossed with cheese was synonymous with luxury and abundance. This culinary pairing was destined to cross both the centuries and the Atlantic, ultimately transforming into one of America’s quintessential comfort foods: macaroni and cheese. Yet despite its deeply American identity, its roots are undeniably Italian. This evolution is retraced by Karima Moyer-Nocchi—an American culinary historian who has lived in Italy for thirty-five years—in her book The Epic History of Macaroni and Cheese: From Ancient Rome to Modern America. Her research traces the dish from the recipe manuscripts of ancient Rome to the American colonies, dismantling several persistent myths along the way. The first revelation lies in the terminology itself. "Mac" is short for macaroni, a word that for centuries did not denote a specific tubular elbow shape, but rather pasta in general—including lasagna, gnocchi, and tagliatelle. Cheese was one of its main accompaniments. As food historian Massimo Montanari notes in The Myth of Origins, medieval cookbooks like the famous Liber de Coquina routinely instructed cooks to finish lasagna and corzetti with a magna quantitas casei gratati—a generous heap of grated cheese. This medieval staple eventually made its way to the banqueting tables of Renaissance popes and cardinals, often elevated with precious spices. "Makerouns" and Macaronis Before long, cheese-laden pasta took to the road. In The Forme of Cury, an English recipe manuscript from the late 14th century, a dish called makerouns appears, calling for cooked pasta layered with grated cheese and butter. By the 18th century, macaroni had become such a craze in England that eccentric, fashion-obsessed young aristocrats returning from the European Grand Tour with continental tastes were famously dubbed "macaronis." Through these cross-cultural exchanges, pasta with cheese crossed the Atlantic into Britain’s North American colonies. Exported by Thomas Jefferson? It is here that history collides with one of American gastronomy’s most enduring myths. Popular lore has long held that mac and cheese was introduced to America by Founding Father and third U.S. President Thomas Jefferson—or perhaps by James Hemings, his enslaved African American chef who was sent to France to learn the trade. That Jefferson was obsessed with the dish is well-documented. During his diplomatic tenure in France between 1784 and 1789, he developed a passion for Italian pasta, ordering substantial shipments of it to Monticello and Washington in the years that followed. It is entirely plausible that macaroni and cheese was a frequent fixture on the White House menu during his presidency. A soul food staple However, Moyer-Nocchi demonstrates that macaroni with cheese was circulating in the American colonies long before Jefferson and Hemings entered the scene. Neither man can legitimately claim to have invented the dish, nor can they take sole credit for introducing or popularizing it in the United States. With the presidential myth debunked, a larger question remains: how did cheesy pasta become one of America’s most beloved staples? Much of the credit, Moyer-Nocchi argues, belongs in the kitchens of the American South. There, African American women cooks helped turn the dish first into a popular trend and then into a soul food classic. Decades passed, and in 1937—amid the grip of the Great Depression—Kraft launched its famous four-serving box of macaroni with powdered cheese for just 19 cents. It was a runaway commercial success that turned the homemade dish into one of the most recognizable processed food products in American history. Living two parallel lives Today, mac and cheese leads a double life: on one hand, a quick, often solitary dinner made from a box; on the other, the homemade, oven-baked version, prepared in large dishes and topped with a golden crust that remains a staple of Thanksgiving tables. And what about back in Italy? Here, the marriage of pasta and cheese has never gone out of style. From the simplest pasta in bianco with butter and Parmigiano to decadent quattro formaggi and Rome’s iconic cacio e pepe, it remains a timeless pairing that continues to satisfy. The recipe Classic baked Mac and Cheese Ingredients (Serves 6): 350 g (12 oz / ~3 cups) elbow macaroni (or mezze maniche / ditalini rigati) 500 ml (2 cups) whole milk 30 g (2 tbsp) unsalted butter 15 g (approx. 2 tbsp) all-purpose flour 300 g (10.5 oz / ~3 cups) aged sharp Cheddar, grated Salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste A pinch of cayenne pepper or chili powder (optional) Method: Cook the Pasta: bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta until just al dente, drain, and set aside. Warm the Milk: in a small saucepan, heat the milk until warm (do not let it come to a boil). Make the Roux and Béchamel: In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for about 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually pour in the warm milk, whisking continuously to prevent lumps from forming. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring until the sauce is smooth and slightly thickened. Build the Sauce: remove the saucepan from the heat. Fold in half of the grated Cheddar and stir until completely melted and velvety. Season to taste with salt, black pepper, and optional cayenne pepper. Assemble: add the cooked pasta directly to the cheese sauce and toss to coat thoroughly. Transfer the mixture to a lightly greased baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining Cheddar evenly across the top. Bake: bake in a preheated oven at 200°C (400°F) for about 20 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbling, melted, and forms a light golden crust on top. Serve: Let it rest for a few minutes before serving. This article was reviewed by an external translation partner