National Dish: Around the World in Search of Food, History, and the Meaning of Home

Name: National Dish: Around the World in Search of Food, History, and the Meaning of Home
Price: 19.39 USD
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Book Synopsis: In this engrossing and timely journey to the crossroads of food and identity, award-winning writer Anya von Bremzen explores six of the world’s most fascinating and iconic culinary cultures—France, Italy, Japan, Spain, Mexico, and Turkey—brilliantly weaving cuisine, history, and politics into a work of scintillating connoisseurship and charm.

We all have an idea in our heads about what French food is—or Italian, or Japanese, or Mexican, or . . . But where did those ideas come from? Who decides what makes a national food canon? Recipient of three James Beard awards, Anya von Bremzen has written definitive cookbooks on Russian, Spanish, and Latin American cuisines, as well as her internationally acclaimed memoir Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking. Now in National Dish, she sets out to investigate the truth behind the eternal cliché—“we are what we eat”—traveling to six storied food capitals, going high and low, from world-famous chefs to scholars to strangers in bars, in search of how cuisine became connected to place and identity.

Paris is where the whole idea of food as national heritage was first invented, and so it is where Anya must begin. With an inquisitive eye and unmistakable wit, she ponders the codification of French food and the current tension between locavorism and globalization. From France, she’s off to Naples, to probe the myth and reality of pizza, pasta, and Italian-ness. Next up, Tokyo, where Anya and her partner Barry explore ramen, rice, and the distance between Japan’s future and its past. From there they move to Seville, to search for the community-based essence of Spain’s tapas traditions, and then Oaxaca, where debates over postcolonial cultural integration find expression in maize and mole. In Istanbul, a traditional Ottoman potluck becomes a lens on how a former multicultural empire defines its food heritage. Finally, they land back in their beloved home in Queens, for a dinner centered on Ukrainian borsch, a meal that has never felt more loaded, or more precious and poignant.

A unique and magical cook’s tour of the world, National Dish brings us to a deep appreciation of how the country makes the food, and the food the country.

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Indulge in a culinary adventure like no other with National Dish: Around the World in Search of Food, History, and the Meaning of Home. Award-winning writer Anya von Bremzen takes you on a journey through six of the world's most captivating culinary cultures – France, Italy, Japan, Spain, Mexico, and Turkey. Immerse yourself in the rich tapestry of cuisine, history, and politics beautifully woven into this captivating exploration. Get ready to embark on a scintillating connoisseurship and charm-filled book that will leave you hungering for more.

Have you ever wondered where our ideas about French, Italian, Japanese, Mexican, or other cuisines come from? Unravel the mysteries behind national food canons with Anya von Bremzen, recipient of three James Beard awards, renowned for her definitive cookbooks on Russian, Spanish, and Latin American cuisines. National Dish delves into the eternal cliché of "we are what we eat" by traveling to six legendary food capitals. Join Anya as she engages with world-famous chefs, scholars, and locals in bars to uncover the connection between cuisine, place, and identity.

Paris, the birthplace of the concept of food as national heritage, beckons as the first stop on Anya's delicious odyssey. Through her eyes and infused with her unmistakable wit, delve into the codification of French food and the intriguing tension between locavorism and globalization. Naples awaits next, where you'll be immersed in the myth and reality of iconic Italian dishes such as pizza and pasta. Discover the secrets of Tokyo's famed ramen, rice, and the interplay between Japan's past and future. Prepare to tantalize your taste buds in Seville, uncovering the soul of Spain's tapas traditions. Experience Oaxaca, where cultural integration finds expression in the culinary world of maize and mole. And finally, Queens welcomes you home to a heartwarming Ukrainian borsch dinner filled with nostalgia and emotion.

A unique and magical culinary adventure, National Dish offers a captivating glimpse behind the scenes of how countries create their iconic dishes and how these dishes, in turn, shape their national identities. Prepare for a mesmerizing journey through food, history, and the meaning of home that will leave you with a newfound appreciation for the cultural heritage inherent in our favorite meals. Take the plunge and join Anya von Bremzen on this extraordinary quest by securing your copy of National Dish today.

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