-
I Hate Borsch uses vivid illustrations to recount the story of a Ukrainian girl who grew up disliking her home country's national dish. When she left Ukraine for America, every grandmother in Kiev gave her their secret borsch recipes as a farewell gift, and the experience of being far from home surprisingly led her to appreciate borsch in a new way. Naturally, the book concludes with a recipe for borsch!
-
In this book, Elizabeth Ehrlich explores her complex relationship with her Jewish heritage by cooking with her mother-in-law, Miriam. As a Holocaust survivor, Miriam's poignant life stories and commitment to maintaining Jewish traditions through kosher meals deeply inspire Ehrlich, leading her to gradually accept the heritage she once rejected.
-
Ann Flesor Beck, a third-generation Greek confectioner, co-owns Flesor's Candy Kitchen in Tuscola, Illinois, situated 20 miles south of Urbana-Champaign. Based on her dissertation completed at UIUC, Sweet Greeks narrates the journey of Gus Flesor, Beck’s grandfather, from Greece to Tuscola, where he learned the confectioner's trade and started a candy business in the early 20th century. The book also sheds light on the Midwest immigrant experience, encompassing aspects like chain migration, immigrant networking, the challenges immigrant entrepreneurs face, as well as how Greeks have shaped the candy industry in America.
-
Kitchen Arabic is both a memoir and a cookbook by Joseph Geha, a Professor Emeritus of Creative Writing at Iowa State University. The book captures Geha's early life as an immigrant in the Little Syria neighborhood of Toledo, Ohio, and his family's struggle to adapt to a new environment. Additionally, it is a collection of traditional Syro-Lebanese recipes, a treasured part of Geha's mother's heritage that remained constant despite changes in time and location. Geha emphasizes the vital role food plays in maintaining a connection to heritage, providing comfort, joy, and love, and transcending the need for spoken communication.
-
Practicing traditional Iranian methods of yogurt making passed down through her family, Homa Dashtaki runs the White Moustache Yogurt Company and continues to revitalize ancient yogurt dishes. This book features a hundred recipes that utilize yogurt and whey, a byproduct of yogurt making, in both traditional and innovative ways.
-
"Maman's Homesick Pie" is a captivating and emotionally rich memoir by Iranian American chef Donia Bijan, centering on her family's transition from Iran to California in 1978. Bijan uses food as a language to navigate her journey from her Persian roots to her American life, her culinary education in Paris, and her successful career as a bistro owner in San Francisco. The memoir features thirty inspired recipes that mix her Persian heritage with her expertise in French cooking. It also stands as a tribute to the women, especially her mother, who motivate us to fulfill our potential.
-
Reem Assil, the daughter of a Palestinian mother and Syrian father, shares meticulously written recipes for the dishes her family brought with them and those they created in their new homes. This cookbook serves as a cultural bridge for Arab families, especially those displaced and experiencing prejudice, using food as a healing link to their traditions. Assil often infuses her recipes with a blend of tradition and innovation, introducing unique twists to conventional dishes, such as incorporating cocoa nibs into Egyptian dukkah or adding hazelnut praline to baklava rolls.
-
This book uniquely combines memoir, political commentary, and recipes. Madhushree Ghosh's narrative begins with her early life as an Eastern Bengali refugee in New Delhi and culminates in her current role as a scientist and vice president of a global biotech firm in San Diego. Viewing food as a powerful memory trigger that "makes us believe we’re still part of the land we left", Ghosh masterfully interweaves culinary descriptions with an intriguing exploration of culture, identity, and personal trials.
-
"Biting through the Skin" is a memoir and cookbook that presents a first-generation immigrant's view on growing up in America. Moving from Bengal, India, to Pittsburg, Kansas in 1964, Nina Mukerjee Furstenau’s family maintained their cultural and spiritual values, primarily through Bengali cooking, while also embracing American culture. Sharing the back-pocket recipes of her family, Furstenau invites readers to consider the role of food in preserving cultural heritage, fostering community, and creating a sense of belonging.
-
The term "amboy" refers to a Filipino raised in America. Alvin Cailan, who was brought up in an immigrant family in East Los Angeles, has risen to become a professional chef and a significant figure in the Filipino food movement in America. This unique cookbook presents his life's journey through enticing recipes and intriguing stories.
-
Love Japan is a collection of cherished family recipes from chefs Sawako Okochi and Aaron Israel, the married owners of Brooklyn's Shalom Japan. These dishes, steeped in the Japanese flavors and techniques Sawako learned from her mother, are fused with influences from Aaron's Jewish heritage, as well as modern interpretations and evolutions.
-
Eric Kim's debut cookbook, Korean American, is a collection of recipes and essays exploring his Korean-American identity. Growing up as the son of Korean immigrants in Atlanta, food played a pivotal role in Kim’s life. The book features recipes from Korean barbecue to innovative Korean-American fusion dishes, alongside essays on subjects like leaving home and the significance of Thanksgiving to a first-generation family. Kim's aim is to give readers a deep understanding of Korean culinary culture and how it intertwines with his American upbringing, ultimately illustrating how through food and cooking, he found acceptance and the confidence to own his story.
-
Nikkei cuisine embodies the culinary traditions of the Japanese diaspora. In this captivating cookbook, Brazilian Japanese chef and author Luiz Hara explores the blend of Japanese and South American cuisines. He presents an array of recipes ranging from everyday dishes from his childhood to creations from Michelin-starred Nikkei chefs. Each chapter highlights a group of fundamental Japanese ingredients and their uses in traditional Japanese cooking, followed by innovative recipes designed for global kitchens.
-
The Hakka, an ethnic group originating from Northern China, has dispersed and established communities throughout Asia and the world in a series of migrations spanning a thousand years. Linda Lau Anusasananan embarks on a journey from her family kitchen in California to the Hakka homelands in China, gathering over 140 Hakka recipes from around the world, including Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Canada, Peru, and more. She considers Hakka cooking a form of "soul food," reflecting a "shared history of hardship and oppression."
-
Koshersoul delves into the intersection of two unique culinary traditions: the global Jewish diaspora and African Atlantic food cultures. View in the the creation of African-Jewish cooking as "a conversation of migrations and a dialogue of diasporas offering a rich background for inventive recipes and the people who create them," Michael W. Twitty celebrates the journeys and cultural expressions of Jews of Color.
-
"Resilient Kitchens: American Immigrant Cooking in a Time of Crisis" is a collection of essays exploring the experiences of immigrants in the U.S. through the lens of culinary practices and food system, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. It combines personal narratives and investigative journalism, and includes recipes that allow readers to engage with the stories in their own kitchens.
-
Cape Verdean Katxupa, Italian Fettuccini, Russian Mushroom Casserole, Brazilian Peixada, Moroccan Couscous, Indian Lamb Biriyani, Vietnamese Goi Cuon, and Tuong Ngot--each dish tells the stories of individuals and families who have left their homelands but retained memories of home through their cooking. Breaking Bread encapsulates Chef Lynne Anderson's exploration of immigrant kitchens in the United States, demonstrating how food can evoke memories of a lost world for those who have left much behind.
