The other day we attended a cooking demo with Chef Marcus Samuelsson. The menu was an inspiring blend of multicultural influences, such as the green curry prawns and coconut basmati Samuelsson served at the first White House State Dinner, and the celebrity chef was exceptionally approachable. Afterward, we asked whether he had any advice for Kitchn readers. Samuelsson recently debuted a line of BlueStar ranges, and we expected him to say something about recommended equipment or cooking techniques. But what he shared was actually far more meaningful…
"Cook through your own history," he suggested. "Study your heritage, learn from your parents and grandparents, revisit the flavors from your childhood and then make them your own. Cooking is a form of storytelling."
Samuelsson is intimately familiar with this concept. Born in Ethiopia, raised by adoptive parents in Sweden, and now calling New York City home, the chef learned to cook from his Swedish grandmother and later wrote about rediscovering his African roots in his second cookbook, The Soul of a New Cuisine. His latest cookbook, New American Table, explores the vibrant ethnic influences in American food. Samuelsson says that whether your background can be traced to one culture or many, your history can be a valuable resource for learning how to cook, gaining confidence, and finding inspiration while experimenting in the kitchen.
Many of us here at The Kitchn wholeheartedly agree. We continually learn from and are inspired by childhood memories, family members' recipes, and centuries-old culinary traditions like Homemade Sauerkraut, Houska (Czech Easter Bread), and Vegetarian Phở (Vietnamese Noodle Soup), to name just a few. We also love learning about others' culinary histories and how they have made family recipes their own, such as in the case of Marking's Bibingka. And, just yesterday, Dana's Weekend Meditation focused on life stories from the point of view of food.
What about you? Have you "cooked through your own history"?
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I just cooked a huge pot of chicken soup, since I'm stuck at home with a cold! It's my mom's recipe -- Jewish penicillin at its finest.
http://operagirlcooks.com
I'm pretty sure that this would be illegal in Arizona.
HA!!!
Food is storytelling! What an elegant way to present it. My personal stories include entire traditional meals -- Good Friday is always boiled eggs, baked potatoes, and rolls -- the menu from my mother's stint in the convent. My husband always makes turkey and sausage gumbo the weekend after Thanksgiving -- learning how was his high school graduation request from the Cajun who lived down the street when he was growing up. I could go on, and on...
And am I the only one who gets the "Soul of a New Machine" reference in his cookbooks title? Awesome!
So THAT'S why I'm so fascinated with simple, American, farmhouse food. :) My great-grandparents on my mom's side were both farmers and I got to see my great-grandmothers many times before they died, experiences that almost always revolved around food.
I've always felt a little inadequate because Asian, Southeast Asian, Mediterranean, and Latin foods were difficult for me to replicate well, but now I know better - I didn't grow up with them, so I have no frame of taste reference. And the food I make best? The homemade, from-scratch, comfort-foods of rural america - chock full of vegetables and dairy and bread. :)
I make some mean homemade Swedish pancakes with lingonberries. My mormor's recipe. =)
Unfortunately my grandmother is British--Bland cooked meat, boiled/baked potatoes and over-cooked vegetables. But when I was growing up my mom was experimenting with international food all the time--this was the mid-70s in a small town in northern Canada. I was so shocked when, as a teenager, I learned that not everyone's mother made sweet and sour boneless pork from scratch or that home-made cabbage rolls weren't a common menu item. And my friends were surprised that I'd never eaten a tuna casserole in my life! So I guess my food history is the adventurous spirit in the kitchen that my mother passed on to me and my sister.
Too bad my parents and grandparents loathe cooking and as such can't really cook anything besides overcooked vegetables, mushy potatoes and a piece of dried out meat.
So I have always taken the other route, going around and discovering all the tastes that are there and then trying to combine them, which generally end badly, but the times it goes well, it tends to go extremely well!
lakegeneva3 - I'd like some of that, please. :) My grandparents are Swedish and Norwegian, and their pancakes lingon...to die for. Not to mention they get fresh (not jarred!!) lingon from the grocery stores.
I love the idea of cooking through my history. While my parents both grew up eating pretty bland, boring, beige foods, though, I've kind of swung a lot in the other direction - focusing on color, spice, and new ingredients. Any further back than my parents and there's lots of very traditional Scandinavian stuff...some of which is amazing, some of which will never be replicated in my home (blood sausage anyone?).
I cook a variation on coq au vin that blends a bunch of different influences -- French, for the city I live in; Portuguese, for the neighbourhood I live in; and Chinese, for my ethnic heritage. My mom does a Christmas turkey basted with soy sauce and sesame oil, with a Chinese sticky rice stuffing.