Two new books about the US-American cuisine reached me in the last few days. As if New York hadn’t been at the top of my personal travel list for a long time, one title is devoted primarily to recipes from the restaurants and diners of the metropolis. The other book explores more the fundamental question: What does America actually taste like?
The Taste of America
Just in time for the classic American holidays, Halloween and Thanksgiving, Coleman Andrews has assembled The Taste of America, a collection of the 250 most extraordinary and delicious foods from across the United States. From Maine lobster to Heinz Tomato Ketchup, beef jerky to popcorn, and key lime pie to red velvet cake, the range of products is as diverse as the states themselves.
Taste of America is not a cookbook, but rather culinary literature to devour. At least that’s how I felt when reading through the different products and their history. Which, of course, is also due to the pleasant and very entertaining style of Andrews, who, by the way, is also anything but a blank slate. He also penned Reinventing Food Ferran Adrià: The Man Who Changed The Way We Eat for Phaedon, co-founded Saveur Magazine, writes for Gourmet Magazine, and edits the blog TheDailyMeal.
A great book to browse and, of course, deepen your product knowledge across all 50 states of the USA.
New York: The cult recipes
Coffee to go in Times Square, cheesecake with a view of the Brooklyn Bridge and then a BLT sandwich in downtown Manhattan or a quick trip to Chinatown – a guided culinary journey across New York. This is more or less the concept behind Marc Grossmann‘s book, which was published in France last year (New York – Les Recettes Culte) and has now been translated into German.
A nice concept and many interesting recipes that are indeed typical and authentic, but in part also provoke a slight snort from the author of these lines, at the latest when a recipe for Asian sesame noodles incorporates plenty of peanut butter. But that’s what makes much of the appeal of this title, the New York take on international dishes supplemented by typical local classics, often enriched with a bit of history and story.
New York – The cult recipes
- Grossman, Marc (Author)
The Taste of America
- Andrews, Colman (Author)
