From the Bookshelves: The Immigrant Cookbook: Recipes That Make America Great by Leyla Moushabeck
The Immigrant Cookbook: Recipes That Make America Great by Leyla Moushabeck (released December 2015)
More than 42 million people living in the United States came here from other countries. Since its beginnings, America has been a haven for people seeking refuge from political or economic troubles, or simply those in search of adventure and prosperity in a land where opportunity is promised to all. These émigrés, from every corner of the world, helped make America great long before the 2016 election.
Along with their hopes and dreams, they brought valuable gifts: recipes from their homelands that transformed the way America eats. What would the Southwest be without its piquant green chili pepper sauces and stews, New York City without its iconic Jewish delis, Dearborn without its Arab eateries, or Louisiana without the Creole and Cajun flavors of its signature gumbos and jambalayas? Imagine an America without pizza or pad Thai, hummus or hot dogs, sushi or strudel for most people, it wouldn t taste much like America at all.
In these times of troubling anti-immigrant rhetoric, THE IMMIGRANT COOKBOOK: RECIPES THAT MAKE AMERICA GREAT offers a culinary celebration of the many ethnic groups that have contributed to America s vibrant food culture. This beautifully photographed cookbook features appetizers, entrees, and desserts some familiar favorites, some likely to be new encounters by renowned chefs from Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and Europe.
In reviewing the book, Noor Brara in Vogue writes:
“Moushabeck reached out to culinary talent across different realms, from celebrity chefs and owners of Michelin-star restaurants to beloved local neighborhood institutions, writers and experts of food history, hoping they would be willing to join forces. Seventy recipes later, The Immigrant Cookbook: Recipes That Make America Great was born. Featuring appetizers, entrees, and desserts that feel both familiar and new, each contributor introduces their dish by discussing its significance in both America and their culture’s place of origin.
Among them, Ziggy Marley shares his Jamaican Dream Fish recipe, a gentle, coconutty favorite from his college days, while James Beard–winner and restaurateur April Bloomfield reveals her secret to the perfect banoffee pie. Nigerian chef Tunde Wey, who has become known for his series of pop-up dinners around the country, over which guests enjoy great food while discussing uncomfortable issues around immigration and race relations, presents his signature jollof rice, while Lauryn Chun, owner of Mother-in-Law’s Kimchi, demystifies the Korean staple that she calls “the backbone of the Korean community.” Cronut creator Dominique Ansel tells the story of his family’s five-minute madeleine, and food bloggers Nadia Hubbi and Deana Kabakibi share a Syrian cheese pastry, baked for an American millennial generation in, naturally, cupcake forms (using queso fresco, which is easier to find than traditional Syrian cheeses). Lina Fat looks to her Immigrant’s Beef to pay homage to the Chinese Californians of the Gold Rush era, while Ana Sofia Pelaez works with harina, a humble Cuban cornmeal—“what you had when you had nothing else”—rediscovering the ingredient with newfound meaning.”
KJ