By saying Yankee Doodle "stuck a feather in his cap and called it macaroni," the British were suggesting Americans were so unsophisticated and "un-worldly" that they believed a single feather could make them as fashionable as a high-society European "macaroni".
In the context of the classic American song "Yankee Doodle," the phrase refers to an 18th-century British fashion trend rather than the pasta. The Origins of "Macaroni" 1. Call It Macaroni
During the Revolutionary War, American troops famously reclaimed the song and turned it into an anthem of national pride and defiance against the British. Why Did Yankee Doodle Call a Feather “Macaroni”? By saying Yankee Doodle "stuck a feather in
Towering, heavily powdered wigs that were sometimes topped with a tiny hat. Why Did Yankee Doodle Call a Feather “Macaroni”
They were known for fastidious eating—specifically a penchant for Italian macaroni, which gave the subculture its name—and using an affected, sometimes gender-ambiguous manner of speaking. The Meaning in the Song