Important Pages:

Mac: An Acronym or Short for Macaroni?

 
Subject: mac and cheese
From: Timm
Date: 10/9/2018 3:51 PM
To: phaedrus@hungrybrowser.com>

On 10/9/2018 12:37 PM, Timm wrote:

 Hey Phaed:


Is macaroni and cheese called “mac” because it is short for macaroni or is it 
because “mac” is an acronym for macaroni and cheese?

 Timm in Oregon

Hi Timm,

There was a big discussion about this on Twitter.  See: Bustle

Some said "mac" was an acronym for m-acaroni a-nd c-heese, and others argued that it was just short for "macaroni."

There's no documentation of the first time that "macaroni and cheese" was called "mac and cheese" or why.

Personally, I think the mac is just short for "macaroni." I've never heard anyone call it just "mac" without the "and cheese." I've never seen it in print or on a menu as just "mac." If it was an acronym and you said "mac and cheese", you'd be saying "macaroni and cheese and cheese."  If someone asked most people whether they wanted "mac" for dinner, many would be puzzled. It's just not a widespread way of referring to macaroni and cheese, even if a few people do use it like that.

I can envision someone making a grocery list years ago and, impatient with writing out "macaroni", they just wrote "mac and cheese." Simple. Occam's Razor.

Phaed