This voyage into culinary mythmaking is essential reading... I couldn't love it more! ' Nigella Lawson'Enchanting, fascinating and humorous' Claudia Roden'Reads like an engrossing unputdownable novel about the perpetual soup of humanity. And it made me think so much! ' Olia Hercules In National Dish, awardwinning food writer Anya von Bremzen sets out to investigate the eternal cliche 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 potaufeu 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 borscht a dish which has never felt more loaded, or more precious. 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. Featuring an epilogue on Ukrainian borscht, recently granted World Heritage status by UNESCO FURTHER PRAISE FOR NATIONAL DISH'Anya is your perfect guide to the profound subjects of nationalism, food and identity. And she's often funny as hell' Rene Redzepi, chef and coowner of NOMA'Will seduce the gastronomic curiosity of any world traveller' Lawrence Osborne, author of The Forgiven a... See more

This voyage into culinary mythmaking is essential reading... I couldn't love it more! ' Nigella Lawson'Enchanting, fascinating and humorous' Claudia Roden'Reads like an engrossing unputdownable novel about the perpetual soup of humanity. And it made me think so much! ' Olia Hercules In National Dish, awardwinning food writer Anya von Bremzen sets out to investigate the eternal cliche 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 potaufeu 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 borscht a dish which has never felt more loaded, or more precious. 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. Featuring an epilogue on Ukrainian borscht, recently granted World Heritage status by UNESCO FURTHER PRAISE FOR NATIONAL DISH'Anya is your perfect guide to the profound subjects of nationalism, food and identity. And she's often funny as hell' Rene Redzepi, chef and coowner of NOMA'Will seduce the gastronomic curiosity of any world traveller' Lawrence Osborne, author of The Forgiven and On Java Road'A legend of food writing... a mustread of all those who believe in building longer tables where food is what brings us all together' Jose Andres'Revealing and richly detailed... Fans of food and travel writing will want to sink their teeth into this' Publishers Weekly'In this piquant platter of a book, von Bremzen tackles questions of culture, history, and the meaning of a good meal... Her vivid narrative is packed with intriguing characters' Kirkus Reviews AN ENTERTAINING AND STYLISH EXPLORATION OF FOOD AND NATIONALITY, FROM AWARDWINNING WRITER ANYA VON BREMZEN'This voyage into culinary mythmaking is essential reading... I couldn't love it more! 'Nigella Lawson'A truly captivating and evocative book. National Dish takes you on a food journey written with real warmth, wit and perception' Dan Saladino'A sparklingly intelligent examination of, and a meditation on, the interplay of cooking and identity'Spectator In National Dish, awardwinning food writer Anya von Bremzen sets out to investigate the eternal cliche 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 potaufeu 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 borscht a dish which has never felt more loaded, or more precious. 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. Featuring an epilogue on Ukrainian borscht, recently granted World Heritage status by UNESCO FURTHER PRAISE FOR NATIONAL DISH'So enlightening as well as well so much fun to read... Von Bremzen is a superb describer of flavours and textures' Bee Wilson Financial Times A fastpaced, entertaining travelogue, peppered with compact history lessons that reveal the surprising ways dishes become iconic''New York Times''Enchanting, fascinating, thought provoking and humorous'Claudia Roden'A playful, erudite and mouthwatering exploration of ideas around food and identity. With the help of a diverse group of characters and dishes, Anya von Bremzen highlights the intricacies and contradictions of our relationship with what we eat' Fuschia Dunlop'Anya von Bremzen's new book reads like an engrossing unputdownable novel about the perpetual soup of humanity' Oli Hercules'An evocative, gorgeously layered exercise in placemaking and cultural exploration... ' Boston Globe'Von Bremzen's knowledge is staggering and her writing witty, urgent and personal. I couldn't put it down' Diana Henry