The Remarkable People and Incredible Stories behind America’s Favorite Dishes
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What is American cuisine? What national menu do we share? What dishes have we chosen, how did they become “American,” and how are they likely to evolve from here? In Food Americana, David Page answers all these questions and more.
Food Americana, engaging, insightful, and often humorous. The inside story of how Americans have formed a national cuisine from a world of flavors. Sushi, pizza, tacos, bagels, barbecue, dim sum―even fried chicken, burgers, ice cream, and many more―were born elsewhere and transformed into a unique American cuisine.
Food Americana is a riveting ride into every aspect of what we eat and why. From a lobster boat off the coast of Maine to the Memphis in May barbecue competition. From the century-old Russ & Daughters lox and bagels shop in lower Manhattan to the Buffalo Chicken Wing Festival. From a thousand-dollar Chinese meal in San Francisco to birria tacos from a food truck in South Philly.
Meet incredibly engaging characters and legends including:
The owner of a great sushi bar in an Oklahoma gas station
The New Englander introducing Utah to lobster rolls
Alice Waters
Daniel Boulud
Jerry Greenfield of Ben & Jerry’s
Mel Brooks
Reviews with the most likes.
David Page takes a deep dive into the history and development of America's favorite foods including pizza, chicken, Chinese food, Mexican food, hamburgers, and ice cream.
Each section is full of fascinating stories, and Page takes time to visit places that are considered the best at preparing each dish.
There's a recipe after each section, though none of the recipes look doable for an amateur cook like me.