Reviews - National Dish: Around the World in Search of Food, History, and the Meaning of Home

168 reviews for:

National Dish: Around the World in Search of Food, History, and the Meaning of Home

Anya von Bremzen

3.51 AVERAGE

My favorite part of Anya Von Bremzen’s National Dish?

Really, it’s a tie between the intro and the Oaxaca chapter.

Even if you’re not familiar with Von Bremzen’s previous work (please read Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking!), you’ll catch on right away. She’s a master traveler, a culinary professional, and a lyrical writer. The way she describes food rivals that of Bourdain and other media-forward food writers-slash-chefs. She’s conversational but definitely an expert in her field. A joy to read, really.

A passage that stood out to me, showcasing this expertise:

“So why then would someone like me set out the explore national food cultures? Because with the rise and domination of globalization, nations and nationalism somehow seem both more obsolete and more vital and relevant than ever. There’s hardly a better prism through which to see this than food…
… Such full-flood globalization, you’d think, would have wiped away local and national cravings. But no: The global and local nourish each other. Never have we been more cosmopolitan about what we eat—and yet never more essentialist, locavore, and particulars.
As the world becomes ever more liquid, we argue about culinary appropriation and cultural ownership, seeking anchor and comfort in the mantras of authenticity, terror, heritage. We have a compulsion to tie food to place, to forage for genius loci on our pilgrimages to the birthplace of ramen, the cradle of pizza, the bouillabaisse bastion.”

And of course, I loved the Oaxaca chapter because I got married there earlier this year and it already feels nostalgic. I would point out a sentence to my husband—for example, “Olga would be waiting on the upper terrace kitchen of her current restaurant, Tierra del Sol”—with a “we went there!” every time.

It’s a great read that you can pick up at your leisure. The perfect summer vacation book, that’s for sure. Get educated (and get hungry) with National Dish.

Thank you to Penguin Press for the advance copy!

Read more of my book, movie, television, and podcast reviews at contentconsumed.medium.com!

paulinshek's review

3.0

Whilst I found this an enjoyable read, I feel that the title of the book is too broad for Anya to be able to cover successfully. If I think of it as Anya's food travelogue whilst reflecting on what makes a nation, then I would give this more stars.

Regardless, this was an interesting read, whilst made me reflect on what unites a country, as well as learn about the history of the countries covered in this book.