Breaking Bread: Recipes and Stories from Immigrant Kitchens

California Studies in Food and Culture #29

by Lynne Christy Anderson, Lynne Christy Anderson

Through stories of hand-rolled pasta and homemade chutney, local markets and backyard gardens, and wild mushrooms and foraged grape leaves—this book recounts in loving detail the memories, recipes, and culinary traditions of people who have come to the United States from around the world. Chef and teacher Lynne Anderson has gone into immigrant kitchens and discovered the power of food to recall a lost world for those who have left much behind. The enticing, easy-to-prepare recipes feature specialties like Greek dolmades, Filipino adobo, Brazilian peixada, and Sudanese mulukhiyah. Together with Robin Radin’s beautiful photographs, these stories and recipes will inspire cooks of all levels to explore new traditions while perhaps rediscovering their own culinary roots.

Genres: Food, Cooking, School, Reference, Cookbooks, Nonfiction

304 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is no question that the strength of this book lies in the building of atmosphere of each dish, kitchen, home, and individual. Anderson’s skills in linguistics are exceedingly evident in how every chapter takes on a specific tone, feeling, sound, taste, and texture; each story transporting the reader in an authentic memory and world. From the perspective of anthropology, this strength emboldens the connection between culture and society through food and identity in a very digestible manner. Though lacking in anthropological theory or offering scientific explanations to the feelings shared, I believe that the approach of having the individual simply talk without interruption sets this book aside from others by being a raw narrative of people’s experiences that are set up to be relatable and honest reflections.

I believe this book made contributions to immigrant communities in America no matter what generation they may be. There were three main themes that almost every one of the stories touched: struggles with grappling with the difficulties of combining the culture of origin and the current culture they were living in, wanting to pass down their traditional culture to the next generation, and the stresses of hustle culture and individualism in America creating roadblocks to spending enough time prepping, cooking, and eating food in a lengthy manner with family and the community. Each of these themes eventually became repetitive, as each person said the same thing but in a different way. For example, Dmitra Khoury explains in chapter one that when she came to America from Lebanon she noticed, “Everybody’s so busy here. It’s weird. I’m not blaming them, but it’s something about American culture” (pg. 10). She then goes on to explain how in Lebanon, it was not uncommon for her mother to always be in the kitchen cooking for the family “from her heart” (pg. 11), extended family members, and constantly hosting people over. This sentiment is repeated throughout, having the closing chapter from the eyes of Ana Beatriz Chacón from Guatemala say, “I think in this country [United States of America] we are so busy doing so many things that we don’t spend time together” (pg. 278).

However, I appreciated the myriad of topics of global culture and society each person covered in relation to food. People connected cultural food to how it affects their daily lives. To achieve the flavors they remember in their dishes, they have to plan getting their groceries from limited international food markets and bring specific ingredients from home that harness an exclusive flavor, Soni Gupta from India saying, “I feel that certain spices, like cinnamon stick, mustard seeds, and bay leaves, are just better there. You can smell the difference” (pg. 129). There are many immigrants who feel as if American food lacks a freshness that their food had back home or there are simply foods that are too rare to find.

A final compliment I want to give is how Anderson connected food to her main goal of encouraging it as a gateway in understanding different cultures and people. Yasie Saadat from Iran put it beautifully saying, “I think food is a great icebreaker. Once you kind of see that, oh, these people have this food that tastes really nice, that looks good, and that has this wonderful smell, it kind of speaks for itself” (pg. 186). I believe that Anderson pitched each of these chapters as a way to “break the ice” among the diverse population of the Jamaican Plain and the United States in general as a way to humanize each other in recognizing themself in others’ traditions and connectivity through food. This book achieves its purpose in bringing people together to share meals as something that means more than simply providing sustenance, but as an avenue to pass down and create culture. As Xotchil Gaar from Venezuela put it, “So I don’t have to worry about teaching my kids about my culture, because in our house, we live the culture every day. When you cook arepas, maybe you don’t think you’re teaching them something, but you are” (pg. 74).

Conclusion
After reading this book, I feel as if I have learned the importance of intentionality of food and cooking as a way of passing and sharing one’s culture. Through the tediousness or the chaos of the cooking process, the dancing, the scavenging, and all of the mundane parts of life balancing the old and the new parts of one’s life to create a culturally rich present is found in all of these stories. This book is for experimenters in the kitchen who want to try new cuisines, as well as the culturally curious, and the empathetic hearts. I hope to read more of Anderson’s work connecting food and culture in perhaps a more scholarly and focused manner on some of the topics she glazed over in this book, such as food authenticity and mixed-culture cuisine and identity. Overall, I enjoyed my time and hope to make at least one recipe.

[Laurie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Longing to travel, to mingle with people of different cultures than my own, and loving food of all types, I expected to thoroughly devour this book. I love the idea of this book more than I actually enjoyed the book. Yes, there are glimpses into the everyday lives of folks from a variety of countries, and certainly, the descriptions of women going about the tasks of making their meals, "fingers working their way through the granules" or "tossing a handful of chopped yucca into the pot" draw one into their kitchens. Yet, I found a few too many generalizations about cooking, food, and American families in these pages.

I understand that food/cooking brings people together. I understand that many people, coming to the US for whatever their reasons, face a sense of loss and disassociation from their own culture. As one woman put it, "When you're somewhere in between the two cultures, like me, you lose what's happening in your country right now." She continues to talk about how food brings her back to that sense of place she so often lacks. As I read these accounts, though, I found myself thinking about US families and the ties to food that we maintain -- I do believe there are many. Throughout the book, the women interviewed comment on the Americans tendency to rely on canned goods, prepackaged foods, and "quick tastes" rather than savoring fresh, home-cooked meals with their families. Perhaps, I am atypical, but most of my favorite childhood memories include food -- and not just the traditional Christmas and Easter dinners. My mom is an excellent cook -- I can still see the crispy golden crust on her home-made macaroni and cheese -- a dish she served at least once every two weeks; that and her home-made lasagne and her German-chocolate bundt cakes from scratch and her vegetable stew made with fresh vegetables that she chopped herself. My husband also cooks -- oh what a gourmet -- on our first date, he cooked the Greek dish, Pastichio, for me. He still does all of the cooking -- and though he uses recipes, he always adds his own twist -- he's a master of choosing/using spices and flavors and blends.

Perhaps, the reason I didn't completely love this book is simply that I've lived with exceptional cooks who cooked foods from all cultures. I, during any given week, may eat Italian, Cuban, Greek, and Chinese dishes. Food is a travel ticket, I agree, providing views of people and places and cultural riches. I just wish the focus of the personal accounts had highlighted the riches with more details and clearer focus.

[K.M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was mostly interested in the story told by the immigrant from Italy, and I was not disappointed. The woman's words were very compelling to me. She talked about the difference between growing up in Italian culture, as she did, and growing up in American culture. She talks about American society as linear, and Italian society as more disorganized, messy. She concludes that this affects our neurological development. The example is shopping in supermarkets here that are laid out neatly in lines, and shopping for food in the Italian outdoor markets that are like noisy mazes. She feels that she, who grew up in Italy, has had a great benefit to her cognition that her son, who is growing up here, has not. She longs to take him to Italy. It made me long to go there too. This chapter alone made the book completely wonderful and worth reading for me. It essentially gave me a perspective on growth and development that I had never thought of before. Check this book out. Find YOUR chapter.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is in some ways a rather disheartening look at immigrants to the US (and no doubt, immigrants to Canada as well) and how alienated they continue to feel. The remarkable thing was that almost all who were profiled had virtually the same experience.

Eventually, the book began to feel like it was one voice rather than many.

Having said that, it was quite fascinating to read. I particularly enjoyed the section from the Iranian woman. And there are some very interesting recipes attached to each profile, many of which we have bookmarked.

(Note to self: look up "awsh" to find out how to make it. It sounds really good.)

[Lynne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a collection of light essays with the overriding theme that cooking and food are the way in which immigrants stay connected with their original culture. The essays/interviews are not very deep, but they made for an enjoyable read while I ate my dinners this week. As with any collection, some are better than others. Halfway through, I was going to give it four stars, but it became repetitive.

[Tanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Skipping around but of four stories I've read, each different, each electrifying!
I love that these are short, perfect for just before bed. Everyone of these people seem to have a wisdom about them from having had to bridge at least two different cultures and places. I very happy that so far every story I've read has something that keeps me interested. I've enjoy each one of the people.

[Tyra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. The stories of all of the Immigrants were interesting and many of the recipes looked great. Common theme from most of the people was that America wasn't a friendly place because we are all too busy.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

I reviewed this one on my blog: http://www.learningtoeatbook.com/2011...

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

In their own words and through their recipes, recent immigrants tell the stories of their food cultures and how they affect their new life in the United States.

[Joy]

Entertainment Weekly recommended...