The American Ethnic Cookbook For Students: (Cookbooks for Students) [Paperback]

Mark H. Zanger (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1573563455 | ISBN-13: 978-1573563451 | Publication Date: January 30, 2001

The first cookbook to present the dishes of more than 120 ethnic groups now in America, The American Ethinic Cookbook for Students illustrates how those dishes have changed throughout the years. This cookbook contains more than 300 recies plus references to ethnography, food history, culture, and the history of American immigration. A bibliography at the end of each ethnic group section is included. Covering the cooking of Native American tribes, old-stock settlers, "old immigrants" from 1840-1920, and the "new immigrants," no other cookbook describes so many different ethnic groups or focuses on the American ethnic experience. Arranged alphabetically by ethnic group, each chapter consists of a brief introduction to the ethnic group, its food history and ethnogaphy, followed by recipes, with step-by-step instructions, techniques hints, and equipment information. Among the 120 ethnic groups included are: Amish-Mennonites, Arcadians, Cugans, Dutch, Cajuns, Eskimos, Hopi, Hungarians, Jamaicans, Jews, Palestinians, Serbs, Sioux, Turks, and Vietnamese.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 5 Up-A rich source of 400 recipes from 122 alphabetically arranged ethnic groups including 21 Native American tribes. However, these are not from the original culture, but rather are the American adaptations by people who remember another time and place. For each group there is a short informative history and a current estimate of population, followed by two to six recipes. The annotated bibliography includes Web sites that provide sources for more dishes. The family favorites range in difficulty, and a few line drawings illustrate complicated procedures. An instructional chapter on kitchen safety is useful for students as is the recipe index and an index by state. The appendix provides cross-cultural foods and their names in various countries. This book supplements Carole Lisa Albyn's Multicultural Cookbook for Students (1993) and Lois S. Webb's Holidays of the World Cookbook (1995, both Oryx). It includes groups that are difficult to find in other sources such as Carpatho-Rusyn-Americans, Hmong-Americans, and Slovene-Americans. Using these recipes will be a great motivation for students to learn about the varied heritage of our immigrant nation.-Sandra L. Doggett, Urbana High School, Ijamsville, MD

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Because of the continuing flow of immigrants into the U.S, almost nothing edible can any longer be considered foreign to these shores. Each immigrant group has brought its culture with its baggage, and culture usually means cooking habits. Mark Zanger has produced a comprehensive guide documenting each immigrant band's contributions to American cooking. Even some of the tiniest, least-known groups find a place at the table here: Estonians, Nigerians, Gypsies, and Macedonians, to name just a handful. For each immigrant group, Zanger gives a historical introduction and then a few sample recipes. Recipes strive to be authentic without resorting to ingredients unavailable in reasonably comprehensive supermarkets. This practical, useful reference book is a boon to any teacher seeking tasty ways to induce students to celebrate ethnic diversity, and Zanger's annotated bibliography adds still more value to his efforts. Mark Knoblauch
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Oryx Press (January 30, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1573563455
• ISBN-13: 978-1573563451
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #193,465 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I am a veteran writer and editor in Boston, recently specializing in culinary history. I have been a weekly restaurant critic for more than 30 years under the pen name "Robert Nadeau," currently in the Boston Phoenix. I am the author of The American History Cookbook (www.historycook.com), and The American Ethnic Cookbook for Students (www.ethnicook.com), as well as articles on food, music, politics, and business.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Author's Review, October 26, 2000

By 

Mark Zanger (Jamaica Plain, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The American Ethnic Cookbook For Students: (Cookbooks for Students) (Paperback)

I was born to write this book, was fortunate enough to get the contract, and now you can share the fun! It contains a short profile and 2-6 recipes for each of 122 ethnic groups in the United States. The recipes are almost entirely verbatim from church and community cookbooks, internet exchanges, and my files of almost 30 years as a food journalist. The publisher, Oryx Press, wanted a reference book for middle-school and high school students doing assignments in social studies, modern languages, local history, US history, multicultural studies, and those "Roots" assignments that are so popular these days. But I think this book will be delightful reading for anyone interested in roots and other peoples' roots. It's also a very good cookbook -- unlike the clever inventions of chefs, these are proven family recipes, and surprisingly healthful. The book sticks to supermarket ingredients, and the recipes have a range of difficulty. Some of the recipes with a lot of steps, such as

the stack cakes of Icelandic-Americans, Scotch-Irish-Americans, and Melungeons, make good class or group projects.

Speaking of Melungeons, the book contains some small and little known ethnic groups, including rare recipes from Gypsy-Americans, Vlach-Americans, and Garifuna; ethno-religious groups like the Mormons and the Black Muslims; groups that formed in the United States, such as the Pennsylvania Dutch and the New Mexico Hispanics; the ten largest Indian tribes (and 12 smaller Native groups); and almost all immigrant groups with more than 100,000 descendants on the 1990 Census Ancestry Survey.

From the Acadians (Cajuns) to the Zuni, from Amish Church Peanut Butter Spread to Zazich and Zgance, from breakfast dishes to midnight snacks, this is a wild anthology of the many delicious ways American cooks have held onto group identities while bringing traditional dishes into American lifestyles.

You have never read a cookbook like this before, and you may never see one another like it until I finish The American Historical Cookbook for Students next year. --Mark

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Fascinating, Funny and Friendly Book about Food, April 11, 2001

By 

Lynn Nadis (New Haven, CT and Cambridge, England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The American Ethnic Cookbook For Students: (Cookbooks for Students) (Paperback)

This is the first cookbook that I have stayed up reading in bed. I am not a student in chef school - this book is a gem for anyone interested in people. I loved finding out about other people's family history and heritage, and my own. The introductions to each ethnic group are short and informative. What makes this cookbook really special, though, is its style. The introduction is full of comments about good cooking practices that made me laugh out loud for their truth and wit. I also liked the sensetive comments and suggestions about food substitutions for people with religious and other dietary restrictions. Finally, the recipe directions are simple and clear, never omitting possible adjustments that sometimes are necessary, which experienced chefs would know, but that novices like myself would miss. There are clear illustrations and as always in this book, gentle humour that makes reading and cooking a joy. I look forward to the author's next book.

5.0 out of 5 stars Especially recommended to members of specialty dining clubs, June 8, 2001

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The American Ethnic Cookbook For Students: (Cookbooks for Students) (Paperback)

Superbly designed as a reference for school and professional cooking school curriculums, Mark Zanger's The American Ethnic Cookbook For Students is ideal for the home chef as well. Virtually every ethnic background represented in the American populace is represented with this impressive collection of culinary dishes that will pleasure the palate and satisfy the appetite. The hundreds of entries are arranged alphabetically by ethnicity and range from Acadian (Cajun) to Zuni. In addition to a wealth of culinary treasures, The American Ethnic Cookbook For Students is enhanced further with appendices on "How To Knead"; "The All Stuffed Cabbage"; "They All Fried Bean Cakes"; "They All Fried Dough"; an annotated bibliography, and index of recipes by states, and a general index. The American Ethnic Cookbook For Students is especially recommended to members of specialty dining clubs whose menus celebrate ethnic cuisines.