TRENTON, NJ - As one of the most diverse and densely populated states in the country, New Jersey's recipes, menus and etiquette are shaped by our country's rich immigration experience, innovation in food preparation technology and the ever-changing availability of key ingredients. The New Jersey State Museum is proud to host the Key Ingredients: America by Food exhibition through March 15, 2009.

Key Ingredients: America by Food explores the connections between Americans and the foods they produce, prepare, preserve, and present at the table - a provocative and in-depth look at the historical, regional and social traditions that merge in everyday meals and celebrations.

Organized by the New Jersey Council for the Humanities, the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES), and the New Jersey State Museum, Key Ingredients features a vast array of activities and events that reflect the diverse food traditions, both past and present, of Trenton and New Jersey. For more information about the exhibit, visit www.njch.org/keyingredients.

Key Ingredients: America by Food is located in the Galleries at 225 West State Street in Trenton, open Monday through Saturday, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm. The Galleries are closed Sundays and all state holidays and admission is FREE. Free parking is also available on weekends in lots adjacent to and behind the building.

The exhibition and web site (www.keyingredients.org <http://www.keyingredients.org/> ) are part of Museum on Main Street, a collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution & the Federation of State Humanities Councils. Support for Museum on Main Street has been provided by the United States Congress. Key Ingredients: America by Food has been made possible by the New Jersey Council for the Humanities. Key Ingredients in New Jersey has also been supported by Campbell's Soup, Ocean Spray Cranberries, Jerseyporkroll.com and Edible Jersey magazine. Additional support for the exhibition at the State Museum has been provided by the Friends of the New Jersey State Museum and the New Jersey Restaurant Association.

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