National Dish

Anya von Bremzen is the winner of three James Beard Awards for her books and journalism. She is the author of six acclaimed cookbooks and a memoir - <i>Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking -</i> which won the Guild of Food Writers 2014 Food Book of the Year in UK. She has written <i>for Food & Wine</i> <i>Travel+Leisure</i> <i>Saveur</i> the <i>New Yorker</i> and the <i>Guardian</i> among other publications. She was born in Russia to Ukrainian parents and emigrated to the USA as a child. When not on the road Anya divides her time between New York and Istanbul. <p>In <i>National Dish</i> acclaimed food writer Anya von Bremzen sets out to investigate the eternal cliché that we are what we eat. Travelling from Paris to Tokyo from Seville Oaxaca and Naples to Istanbul she investigates the rapid decline of France's pot-au-feu the misconstrued beginnings of pizza the meeting of indigenous and European lineages in mole and the complex legacy of multi-culturalism in a meze potluck.<br><br>Never have we been more cosmopolitan about what we eat - and yet more essentialist locavore and particularist. With a witty mix of anecdote and research Anya von Bremzen reassess the fascinating role that food can play in our cultural heritage and uncovers how as a nation's political and social identity are called into question so too is its palate.</p> <p>In National Dish award-winning food writer Anya von Bremzen sets out to investigate the eternal cliché that 'we are what we eat'. Her journey takes her from Paris to Tokyo from Seville Oaxaca and Naples to Istanbul. She probes the decline of France's pot-au-feu in the age of globalisation the stratospheric rise of ramen the legend of pizza the postcolonial paradoxes of Mexico's mole the community essence of tapas and the complex legacy of multiculturalism in a meze feast. Finally she returns to her home in Queens New York for a bowl of Ukrainian borsch - a dish which has never felt more loaded or more precious.<br><br>As each nation's social and political identity is explored so too is its palate. Rich in research colourful characters and lively wit National Dish peels back the layers of myth and misunderstanding around world cuisines reassessing the pivotal role of food in our cultural heritage and identity.</p>