Yankee Doodle’s Macaroni: Spoiler Alert…It’s Not About Pasta

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Cover of Yankee Doodle children's book, published by McLoughlin Bros., portrays the Uncle Sam character, New York, NY, 1880. Source: (Photo by Transcendental Graphics/Getty Images)

This Fourth of July holiday, you might be tempted to sing a litany of patriotic tunes to help you celebrate America’s Independence Day. You might enjoy “The Star-Spangled Banner”, “God Bless the USA”, or even “Yankee Doodle”. If you are like most of us, you have probably paused once or twice to wonder, why does Yankee Doodle stick a feather in his hat and then refer to it a macaroni? What does that little, elbow-shaped noodle, best friend of cheese, have to do with feathers and the American Revolutionary War? Let’s find out.