by Amy Jo Browne

Created on: March 31, 2008

When Prohibition went into effect in America, on January 16, 1920, it did, what it was supposed to, which was it stopped the illegal sale of alcohol, but it also has this wonderful effect on our food industry. In addition, some of these effects from Prohibition are still with us today.

Because there was no alcohol to be bought legally with America's borders soft drink industry's boomed, and hundreds of restaurants and hotels when out of business, because they could no longer make the money than they had on the alcohol, Prohibition, had ended that.

Now the hotels tried to get back some of them money they had lost on alcohol by selling the soft drinks and other sweet treats, but it just did not work a lot of those hotels went out of business.

The hotels had to come up with new idea is to regain some of that money. Therefore, they began creating cafeterias and tearooms in an effort to make some much-needed cash to keep their doors open, so they would not have to go out of business during Prohibition. They began getting very creative in the food preparations in the kitchens, making difference types of food that would get people into the doors.

The first fruit cocktail cups were being developed at this time, and they often had marshmallows on them, and spoonful of powdered sugar. These fruit cocktails became an appetizer replacing the more expensive oysters on the half shell.

With Prohibition, the Italians opened thousands of speakeasies, which many Americans flocked to. Now it is the Americans are in the speakeasies, which often posed as restaurants Italian cooking was served and the Americans loved it. The men would be hidden in the cellar making the alcohol while the women would be in the kitchens preparing food for the guests. Italian cooking became one of the most popular foods to eat during prohibition and remains that way today.

We have to remember that a speakeasy was a popular term during probation to describe a restaurant or would be illegally selling you alcoholic beverages, along with food.

Do you know why these establishments were called speakeasies? That is because; you needed to walk up and speak quietly through a small opening in a back door and tell the person on the other side, which sent you. That was how you gained in terms to these places, is actually whispering. If the person on the other side of the door did know who sent you they would not allow you to come inside, prohibition was not a time to let strangers inside, as they could be the police.

The

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