Overview

'This voyage into culinary myth-making is essential reading... I couldn't love it more!' - Nigella Lawson 'Enchanting, fascinating and humorous' - Claudia Roden 'Reads like an engrossing unputdownable novel about the perpetual soup of humanity. And it made me think so much!' - Olia Hercules In National Dish, award-winning food writer Anya von Bremzen sets out to investigate the eternal cliche that ""we are what we eat"". Her journey takes her from Paris to Tokyo, from Seville, Oaxaca and Naples to Istanbul. She probes the decline of France's pot-au-feu in the age of globalisation, the stratospheric rise of ramen, the legend of pizza, the postcolonial paradoxes of Mexico's mole, the community essence of tapas, and the complex legacy of multiculturalism in a meze feast. Finally she returns to her home in Queens, New York, for a bowl of Ukrainian borscht -a dish which has never felt more loaded, or more precious. As each nation's social and political identity is explored, so too is its palate. Rich in research, colourful? characters and lively wit, National Dish peels back the layers of myth and misunderstanding around world cuisines, reassessing the pivotal role of food in our cultural heritage and identity. Featuring an epilogue on Ukrainian borscht, recently granted World Heritage status by UNESCO FURTHER PRAISE FOR NATIONAL DISH 'Anya is your perfect guide to the profound subjects of nationalism, food and identity. And she's often funny as hell' - Rene Redzepi, chef and co-owner of NOMA 'Will seduce the gastronomic curiosity of any world traveller' - Lawrence Osborne, author of The Forgiven and On Java Road 'A legend of food writing... a must-read of all those who believe in building longer tables where food is what brings us all together' - Jose Andres 'Revealing and richly detailed... Fans of food and travel writing will want to sink their teeth into this' - Publishers Weekly 'In this piquant platter of a book, von Bremzen tackles questions of culture, history, and the meaning of a good meal... Her vivid narrative is packed with intriguing characters' - Kirkus Reviews

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9781911590880

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Reviews

"'A fast-paced, entertaining travelogue, peppered with compact history lessons that reveal the surprising ways dishes become iconic' - New York Times 'This voyage into culinary myth-making and identity is essential reading. Its breadth of scope and scholarship is conveyed with such engaging wit. I couldn't love it more' - Nigella Lawson 'Enchanting, fascinating, thought provoking and humorous' - Claudia Roden 'Anya von Bremzen's new book reads like an engrossing unputdownable novel about the perpetual soup of humanity. And it made me think so much!' - Olia Hercules 'A quest to get to the heart of culinary identity and myth-making, von Bremzem's knowledge is staggering and her writing witty, urgent and personal. I couldn't put it down' - Diana Henry 'Entertaining' -Independent 'In this lively blend of travelogue, food writing and cultural critique, Anya von Bremzen explores the idea of the ""national dish"" ... [and] calls for food preparation, writing - and of course eating - to be treated with greater political significance than we typically give it' -New Statesman 'New and compelling... For all its dry wit and vivid descriptions of puttanesca and tortillas, this is a serious book - a skilful blend of academic research and lived experience. It's a sparklingly intelligent examination of, and a meditation on, the interplay of cooking and identity' - Spectator 'This dazzlingly intelligent examination of how foods become national symbols . . . so enlightening - as well as so much fun to read . . . Von Bremzen is a superb describer of flavours and textures - but she also understands that food is never just about food' -Bee Wilson, Financial Times"

'A fast-paced, entertaining travelogue, peppered with compact history lessons that reveal the surprising ways dishes become iconic' - New York Times 'This voyage into culinary myth-making and identity is essential reading. Its breadth of scope and scholarship is conveyed with such engaging wit. I couldn't love it more' - Nigella Lawson 'Enchanting, fascinating, thought provoking and humorous' - Claudia Roden 'Anya von Bremzen's new book reads like an engrossing unputdownable novel about the perpetual soup of humanity. And it made me think so much!' - Olia Hercules 'A quest to get to the heart of culinary identity and myth-making, von Bremzem's knowledge is staggering and her writing witty, urgent and personal. I couldn't put it down' - Diana Henry

Author Information

Anya von Bremzen is the winner of three James Beard Awards for her books and journalism. She is the author of six acclaimed cookbooks and a memoir-Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking-which won the Guild of Food Writers 2014 Food Book of the Year in UK. She has written for Food & Wine, Travel+Leisure, Saveur, the New Yorker, and the Guardian among other publications. She was born in Russia and emigrated to the USA as a child. When not on the road Anya divides her time between New York and Istanbul.

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