The Coming to America Cookbook

August 1, 2005
Gr 4-7 -Eighteen countries, including Brazil, Ethiopia, Norway, and South Korea, are represented in this book that offers recipes as well as some background on how cooking and dining are affected by a nation's climate, geography, culture, and history. Also provided are a few details about the country's typical immigration patterns to the U.S. and how some dishes have been Americanized over time. While the simple black-and-white illustrations depict young people, the recipes are not necessarily for beginners: many require fairly specialized ingredients and/or complicated techniques. There is a good balance of main dishes, side dishes, vegetarian meals, and sweets. Safety rules, step-by-step instructions, preparation times, and lists of utensils needed are given, but nutritional information is not. Diane Simone Vezza's "Passport on a Plate" (S & S, 1997) is a more attractive book for those who are interested only in recipes from other countries. Mark H. Zanger's "The American Ethnic Cookbook for Students" (Oryx, 2001) focuses on immigration but is for older readers. Overall, D'Amico's title might be useful for larger collections, especially where the topic is frequently assigned." -Lauralyn Persson, Wilmette Public Library, IL"

Copyright 2005 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2005
Gr. 5-8. The authors of " The United States History Cookbook " (2000) provide information about American immigrants from 18 nations as well as recipes representing each group. After defining and illustrating utensils and cooking techniques, the introductory section offers safety tips for using appliances and knives. Accompanied by line drawings of ethnic families choosing, preparing, and eating food, subsequent chapters discuss each country's climate, history, major waves of emigration, and traditional foods. Typically, three recipes follow, such as Korean short ribs, sweet rice cakes, and dumpling soup. The choices sometimes seem ambitious, given the target audience. Still, teachers and students looking for recipes from American immigrant cultures will make good use of this handy resource, and home-schooling parents may appreciate its creative combination of social studies and culinary arts. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)