NATIONAL DISH by Anya Von Bremzen – A Review

 

WHAT THE PUBLISHER SAYS

The acclaimed international food writer and award-winning author of Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking explores the history and future of six of the world's most fascinating and iconic food cultures – France, Italy, Japan, Spain, Mexico, and Turkey.

We all have an idea in our heads about what French food is – or Italian, or Japanese, or Mexican, or . . . But where did those ideas come from? Who decides what makes a national cuisine? Anya von Bremzen, award-winning international food writer, has written definitive cookbooks for Russian, Spanish and Latin American cuisine, and delved into the world's great food traditions as a three-time James-Beard-award-winning food journalist. Now, in National Dish, she embarks on a fascinating journey to the heart of six of the world's most storied food traditions, going high and low, from world-famous chefs to people on the street, in search of how cuisine became connected to place.

Paris is where the whole idea of a country's food as its national heritage was first invented, and so it is where Anya must begin. With an inquisitive eye and unmistakable wit, she ponders the invention of the restaurant, the codification of French food, and the tension between the cosmopolitan and locavore tendencies of the modern eater. From France, she moves quarters to Naples, where she comes face to face with the myth and reality of the pizza in the city where it all began, and takes on the Italian-ness of pasta in the bargain. Next is Tokyo, where Anya and her partner Barry explore the mystique of ramen, rice, and the distance between Japan's future and its past. From there they move to Seville, to search for the essence of Spain's tapas culture and sense of community, and then Oaxaca, where culture wars over the pretty dream and the complex reality of postcolonial cultural integration find expression in the form of maize, mole, and mezcal. In Istanbul, a traditional Ottoman potluck with friends becomes a lens on how a great multi-cultural empire defined its food heritage. Finally, they land back in their beloved home in the melting pot of Jackson Heights, Queens, for a Ukrainian dinner centred around borscht, a meal which has never felt more loaded, or more precious.

A book of astonishing range and connoisseurship, National Dish peels back the layers of myth, commercialisation, and fetishisation around these great world cuisines. In so doing, it brings us to a deep appreciation of how the country makes the food, and the food the country.


MY REVIEW

I was drawn to National Dish because I love food and I love travel memoirs and – with the exception of Mexico – I have spent time in all the countries Anya Von Bremzen writes about here – including Russia.

I was particularly interested in the Tokyo section – I’m an ardent Japanophile and a huge fan of udon and soba noodles – and the joys of konbini stores! – so I found much I could relate to in that chapter.

The whole book was fascinating, and although I already knew a little of the history of some of the dishes discussed and the myths surrounding them, I still found plenty to interest me. The personal travel aspect was equally immersive, and I found much to relate to there as well – reliving time spent in Tokyo and Istanbul in particular.

National Dish is a treat for foodies and those interested in food history, but it’s also much more. The writing is smart and often funny, and effortlessly combines personal experiences with cultural observations. We get to meet so many great characters throughout the book as well.

I have read some negative reviews from those who feel their country has been misrepresented in some way, or that there are too many obvious clichés running through the narrative. The latter may be true in places, but I cannot comment on the former as I simply don’t have enough knowledge of the issues raised. It isn’t a perfect book, but it answers a lot of interesting questions – and I enjoyed it.

 

(National Dish will be published in September 2023 by Pushkin Press. Thanks to Pushkin for the ARC.)