Even though the first U.S. pasta factory opened in 1798, macaroni, spaghetti, and other staples of Italian culinary culture never really caught on nationwide until the end of World War I. With food prices rising after the war, pasta, like that from the Foulds Milling Co. pictured here at a 1921 food show in Washington, D.C., became an affordable alternative. Helped by food manufacturers such as the Campbell Soup Co. and H.J. Heinz Co. launching canned versions of macaroni, yearly per-capita consumption of pasta jumped from almost zero in 1920 to 3.75 pounds by the decade's conclusion.