All the different cultures that we experience in our lives have something in common: a love for food.
The ways we use ingredients, mix spices, and achieve amazing flavours tell a lot about the spirit of a country, values, traditions, and its love for food. Food encompasses many different things: identity, sense of community, connections, and much more.
Here, you can find some books that explore cooking styles in different countries, allowing you to travel the world through a variety of dishes and interesting recipes.
What better way to experience a new culture than by learning to cook one of its traditional dishes?
Breaking Bread: recipes and stories from immigrant kitchens
by Lynne Anderson is a collection of recipes from people who migrated to the United States. From Greek dolmades to Brazilian peixada, from Filipino adobo to Vietnamese pho, each protagonist recounts a story about resilience, identity and how cooking helped them preserve their culture and share their heritage with others.
Food is a powerful force that fosters connections among people regardless of where they come from.
The language of Baklava
by Diana Abu-Jaber, is a beautiful and funny memoir about Diana’s life from childhood to early adulthood. Daughter of a Jordanian father who immigrated to the United States and an American mother with German and Irish descent, Diana recounts the main moments of her life in a multicultural family, each event linked to a recipe. Food and cooking pervade a narrative that tells us a lot about family struggles, celebration and connections.
Karkalla at home: Native foods & everyday recipes for connecting to Country
is a book written by Mindy Wood, a Bunjalung woman from the Widjabul Wia-bul clan. The book is a collection of recipes that you can make using more than 40 Australian native ingredients. Every recipe is a story, the expression of the connection between the land, its products and First Nations culture. Karkalla is a native succulent plant found around the Australian coastline. Every part of the plant is edible, and we can call it a superfood.
Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art
by the culinary master Shizuo Tsuji is a classical work for whoever wants an introduction to Japanese cuisine. Written in the 1980s, it is still very popular and widely read. It includes 230 traditional recipes explained in a clear and simple way. For each recipe, Tsujii teaches how to make it, as well as provides interesting insights about Japanese culture and why a dish is made that way.
Yiayia: Time-perfected recipes from Greece’s grandmothers
is written by Anastasia Miari. Yiayia means ‘grandmother’ in Greek, and it is also associated with love and affection, especially if connected with love for food and family. So, the book presents a series of recipes from around Greece, from the well-known moussaka and tzatziki to the less renowned dishes. While talking about food, the author gives us an idea of the stories behind a dish and tells us a little bit more about the authentic grandmothers who helped shape the culinary landscape of the country that we all appreciate today.
I also invite you to explore this theme more by visiting Gastronomy in the World in Expatclic, where you can find many articles about food and cooking written by our members from all over the world.
Buon appetito!
Alessandra Giacchi
Photo by Rumman Amin on Unsplash