Why We Eat What We Eat Author:Raymond Sokolov This is the first printing 1991 — The full title of the book is: Why we eat what we eat: How the encounter between the New World and the Old changed the way everyone on the Planet eats. — This delightful discourse by a well-known food writer shows how the world's culinary traditions were radically transformed after 1492. Columbus's introduction o... more »f New World foodstuffs to the Old World and vice versa led to the establishment of national or ethnic cuisines. Sokolov discusses in some detail the evolution of these New and Old World cuisines--Mexican, Philippine, French, and Chinese, to name a few--and describes the ingredients responsible for reshaping the cooking of these countries. He explains how America's traditional cuisine is the result of many separate collusions between immigrant groups applying what they knew from the old country to what they found in the new. And, finally, Sokolov explores the world of nouvelle cuisine, illustrating how it subtly combines exotic ingredients from the East and the West. This thoroughly researched, thoughtfully presented history should be purchased by all libraries with active food/cooking collections.« less