Hoboken Library Staff Picks

National Dish
by Anya Von Bremzen
National Dish is Anya Von Bremzen’s ambitious project to write about the origins of national dishes in nations including such diverse destinations as France, Italy, Mexico, Japan, Spain and Turkey. Von Bremzen is the winner of three James Beard Awards and her descriptions of the dishes are vivid and transporting, but this isn’t a book just for food history fans, those with an interest in travel writing will enjoy hearing about Von Bremzen’s journeys. She navigates the complexity of the chosen countries which are becoming progressively more diverse with new immigrants and increasing globalization of trends. She looks at not only how the recipes came to be, but also the cultural factors that shaped the feelings about the dishes. I thought it was interesting that with both pizza and ramen, their popularity elsewhere elevated them in their own homelands. An immigrant, herself, she also thinks about her own sense of home and the significance of dishes in her own life such as her Francophile mother’s attempts to create her own version of pot-au-feu. I found the personal aspects of the book enjoyable, but they do sometimes noticeably color her attitude towards places. It can always be a tricky balance when viewing other places, not to let one’s own biases create blind spots so I did appreciate that she does acknowledge at times the perspective she is coming from. Her last poignant dish is a Ukrainian Borsch prepared in Queens, which now has even more significance. National Dish was intriguing for me, in that it not only taught me about the interesting history of some of my favorite dishes, but also gave me a greater appreciation in living in such a multicultural area of how people around the world have shaped not only what we eat, but our understanding of who we are. I received an advanced copy of National Dish from Netgalley and the Publisher. Von Bremzen has several cookbooks including one about Cuban food, Paladares.

Tasting History
by Max Miller and Ann Volkwein
My family always enjoys watching Max Miller’s Tasting History Youtube videos, which he started during the Pandemic as a fun diversion and became a huge hit. Miller finds and researches recipes from all over the world and all throughout history. Each episode looks not only at the recipe itself, but the history and legends associated with it at that time and how it has changed through the years. I was excited to have some of the recipes he has talked about in past episodes in an easily accessible book format since as much as I enjoy cooking shows, it is much easier to create things from printed recipes. Tasting History: Explore the Past through 4,000 years of Recipes is broken up into sections including the Ancient World, British Isles, Continental Europe, Near & Far East, and the New World and then organized by date of the recipes. A glossary at the end is helpful for finding both recipe and historic information. My family tried three of the delicious Roman dishes, as well as the Rouen Duck with Shallots, Douce Ame (chicken in Milk and Honey) and Transylvanian beef with Harvester sauce and parsnips. The Harvester sauce was an egg, garlic, and vinegar sauce that was very delicious; the vinegar cut through the richness of the eggs with a great garlicky flavor and the Douce Ame was also good with a subtle sweetness and a unique flavor from the hyssop. The duck sauce was mild with the orange bringing a bit of brightness but not overpowering the duck itself. The book has several other dishes that I’m excited to try such as a Onion Soup with milk, an early form of French Onion Soup. Others like Parmesan ice cream and hardtack, I’m less likely to make, but still enjoyed hearing about the history of the recipe and the events occurring leading up to its creation. The original historic recipes are featured along with modernized versions with alternatives to hard to find ingredients. This work will be of interest both to adventurous foodies, looking to try something unusual, as well as history buffs. For those looking for more historic dishes you can check out my previous blog post for some suggestions.

Written by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services Manager

Tags: Ann Vokwein, Anya Von Bremzen, cooking, Max Miller, recipes, Tasting History