Presented by
Anupy Singla
author and teacher
Join Indian cookbook author, Anupy Singla, for a discussion on deconstructing curry. Anupy will discuss the differences between curry powder and what South Asians term ‘curry’ — essentially any dish with a gravy. Most in the West are shocked to learn that curry powder is rarely used by South Asian cooks. Continue reading
Post-Modern Myth and Medieval Reality
Presented by
Dr. Anthony F. Buccini
Author, Scholar
Pasta, now a near-ubiquitous food throughout the world, has achieved global status after a long, complex history, involving multiple points of origin and several periods of rapid expansion of its popularity regionally. In the West one such period occurred in the late Middle Ages in the western Mediterranean. Given the paucity of early evidence for pasta consumption, many questions arise concerning where this food first became important in local diets and exactly who diffused it. Continue reading
An intimate perspective from a Dixie culinary queen
Presented by
Nathalie Dupree
TV host, chef, author, and teacher
Podcast courtesy of WBEZ’s Chicago Amplified
According to Southern cooking icon Nathalie Dupree, Southerners lie awake at night and remember their grandmother’s biscuits, their Aunt Sue’s mashed potatoes and gravy, the grits from the mill down the road, and the boiled peanuts their grandfather taught them to cook in a large, well-used old can over a fire in the backyard. “We crave our food and dream about it,” Nathalie says. Continue reading
The Way of Eating During the Islamic Holy Month of Fasting
Presented by
Yvonne Maffei
Author of MyHalalKitchen.com
Podcast courtesy of WBEZ’s Chicago Amplified
Ramadan is the Islamic month of fasting for Muslims around the globe. Contrary to popular belief, there is so much wonderful food to enjoy between sunset and sunrise. As varied as the Muslims themselves, so is their food. With cuisine spanning from Asia to the Mediterranean, Europe and the Americas, this program will demonstrate a variety of dishes that provide a sampling of the sweet, savory and everything in between as well as how the ritual of fasting and eating is performed throughout the month. Come to learn more about the traditional and modern food rituals of this very tasty month and enjoy some samples of halal food, too. Continue reading
Presented by
Rachel Finn,
Founder, Roots Cuisine
Podcast courtesy of WBEZ’s Chicago Amplified
When Rachel Finn was living in Paris several years ago, she tasted Algerian pastries for the first time; her life was changed forever. “It was, without question, love at first bite,” she recalled. “An obsession was born. I visited pastry shops throughout Paris, sampling pastries including m’khebez, rzimette, maqrout, skandriate, and my very favorites d’ziriate. After moving back to the States Rachel soon returned to France to do a short apprentissage at her favorite bakery, La Bague de Kenza, which taught her as much about Algerian culture, cooking, and Islam as it did about baking.
Please join us as Rachel gives a brief overview of the history, culinary influences, and cultural significance of Algerian pastries, which are often linked to very specific holidays, or family celebrations such as marriages and births. She will touch on their immense popularity in France, where northern African food has become part of modern French culinary heritage. It is a situation that has much in common with the other Afro-diasporic cuisines around the world that continue to transform culinary and cultural landscapes.
BIO
Rachel Finn is a freelance writer, editor, researcher, and the founder of Roots Cuisine (http://rootscuisine.org), a nonprofit created to promote the foodways of African Diaspora around the globe. Her work has appeared in print and electronic publications including Gastronomica, Chicago Sun-Times, Seattle Weekly, and The Root. She has also written encyclopedia entries on the foodways of Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone for ABC-CLIO’s Food Cultures of the World. She is currently working on a book on the food history and recipes of the global African Diaspora. Her personal website is http://rachelfinn.net.
Program hosted at Kendall College.