Anya von Bremzen is the winner of three James Beard Awards for her books and journalism. She is the author of six acclaimed cookbooks and a memoir-Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking-which won the Guild of Food Writers 2014 Food Book of the Year. She has written for Food & Wine, Travel+Leisure, Saveur, the New Yorker, and the Guardian among other publications. She was born in Russia and emigrated to the USA as a child. When not on the road, Anya divides her time between New York and Istanbul.
'A fast-paced, entertaining travelogue, peppered with compact history lessons that reveal the surprising ways dishes become iconic' - New York Times 'This voyage into culinary myth-making and identity is essential reading. Its breadth of scope and scholarship is conveyed with such engaging wit. I couldn't love it more' - Nigella Lawson 'This dazzlingly intelligent examination of how foods become national symbols . . . so enlightening - as well as so much fun to read . . . Von Bremzen is a superb describer of flavours and textures - but she also understands that food is never just about food' - Bee Wilson 'For all its dry wit and vivid descriptions of puttanesca and tortillas, this is a serious book - a skilful blend of academic research and lived experience. It's a sparklingly intelligent examination of, and a meditation on, the interplay of cooking and identity' - Spectator 'A playful, erudite and mouthwatering exploration of ideas around food and identity. With the help of a diverse cast of characters and dishes, Anya von Bremzen highlights the intricacies and the contradictions of our relationship with what we eat' - Fuschia Dunlop