The Immigrant Cookbook - by Leyla Moushabeck (Hardcover)

About the Book

More than 42 million people living in the United States came here from other countries. Since its beginnings, America has been a haven for people seeking refuge from political or economic troubles, or simply those in search of adventure and prosperity in a land where opportunity is promised to all. Along with their hopes and dreams, they brought valuable gifts: recipes from their homelands that transformed the way America eats.

Book Synopsis

More than 42 million people living in the United States emigrated here from other countries. In the most idealized tales told about America, it is a safe haven for people seeking refuge or in search of adventure and prosperity in a land where opportunity is promised to all--promises that, in reality, are selectively applied and have been systematically denied to the communities on whose freedom and opportunities they are built.

Along with hopes and dreams, immigrants have brought valuable gifts: recipes and ancestral knowledge that has transformed the way America eats. Imagine an America without pizza or pad Thai, hummus or hot dogs, sushi or strudel--for most people, it wouldn't taste much like America at all.

In these times of troubling anti-immigrant rhetoric and vilification, The Immigrant Cookbook: Recipes that Make America Great offers a celebration of the many immigrant communities that have contributed to America's vibrant food culture, and uplifts the experiences of it's culinary innovators. This beautifully photographed cookbook features appetizers, entrees, and desserts--some familiar favorites, some likely to be new encounters--by renowned American chefs from Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and Europe.

Review Quotes

"This is a powerful, important, and delicious cookbook which everyone should own. Roots cooking at its finest."--Anthony Bourdain

In very few places will you, all at once, encounter so many James Beard Award-winning chefs and so many food professionals who are committed to making dreams come true. In this book, for which editor Moushabeck and the publisher are donating a portion of proceeds to the ACLU in support of immigrants' rights, more than 70 gourmet talents contribute 75 dishes from their native countries, covering a medley of cuisines from every continent but Antarctica. There are lots of recognizable names: Daniel Boulud (who contributes Lyonnaise salad with lardons), Australia's Curtis Stone (Pavlova with coconut cream and tropical fruits), Cronut inventor Dominique Ansel (mini-madeleines), and Jamaica's Ziggy Marley (coconut dream fish). Each profile-recipe features a straightforward bio and photo of the recipe's inventor, an in my own words" introduction about the dish and its origins, and an exquisite color photograph. Directions are written in narrative style, with ingredients posted on the side. A great collection that benefits from the incredible accomplishments of its contributors, and its excellent cause."

In her introduction, Moushabeck references 'these troubling times of anti-immigrant rhetoric' and counters that rhetoric by extolling the culinary gifts 42 million American immigrants have given the country, which are the inspiration for this excellent collection of recipes provided by immigrants and their descendants. Each recipe includes a personal, often touching headnote and brief bio. The diversity of recipes is staggering: Armenian yogurt soup, roasted whole fish from Senegal with a bracing spice rub, colorful Singapore stir-fry. Some are innovative twists on classics; others are tried-and-true favorites. Author and blogger Nadia Hassani combines her German and Tunisian heritage by braiding challah dough around a rhubarb filling. Chef Reem Assil discovered muhammara while visiting her father's family in Syria. Ivan Garcia's pozole is eaten in Mexico to celebrate Mother's Day, birthdays, and 'sometimes a divorce.' Moushabeck strikes a balance between big-name chefs (Michelin-starred chef and humanitarian Jose Andres checks in with his wife's gazpacho) and figures such as Tunde Wey, who emigrated from Nigeria at 16 and runs a dinner series exploring race. Wey's contribution is a recipe for smoky jollof rice, made with turmeric, coriander, and chili pepper. Affection for these dishes is palpable: writer Samantha Seneviratne says that her cashew semolina cake from Sri Lanka is so fragrant that it 'doubles as aromatherapy' while baking. This is an outstanding melting pot of recipes.

A gorgeous celebration of the delicious diversity of America-plate by plate.--David Lebovitz

Reading the recipes in this beautiful book, I felt like I was listening to a language that could help bridge every divide.--Alice Waters

Recipes tell two stories: the story of how to make a meal and the story of the people who have made it over time. Recipes, like people, come from somewhere. They bring this somewhere to their new home and, in so doing, create something new. The resulting meal, like the resulting country, is all the better for it. The Immigrant Cookbook is a vital reminder and celebration of these two stories.--Yotam Ottolenghi

The Immigrant Cookbook is exceptionally beautiful and important-the best story of America. It contains so much more than recipes and should be in every kitchen for Americans to show off and use with joy. It is a book that will have pride of place-and use-in my kitchen!--Deborah Madison