Gastropolis – A New Book About New York City Food

I was doing one of my typical morning searches for all things New York food related and stumbled across a new book titled Gastropolis: Food and New York City (Arts and Traditions of the Table: Perspectives on Culinary History).  This book provides a historical perspective on New York cuisine.   I can’t tell you how excited I was to see another book touching on this topic.  After all to date the only similar book I’m aware of is Arthur Schwartz’s book Arthur Schwartz's New York City Food: An Opinionated History and More Than 100 Legendary Recipes.  Anyway the book is currently available for pre-order from Amazon.com.  I ordered my copy today. 

Here is a little more detail about the book from the Columbia university Press website:

“.. An irresistible sampling of the city's rich food heritage, Gastropolis explores the personal and historical relationship between New Yorkers and food. Beginning with the origins of cuisine combinations, such as Mt. Olympus bagels and Puerto Rican lasagna, the book describes the nature of food and drink before the arrival of Europeans in 1624 and offers a history of early farming practices. Essays trace the function of place and memory in Asian cuisine, the rise of Jewish food icons, the evolution of food enterprises in Harlem, the relationship between restaurant dining and identity, and the role of peddlers and markets in guiding the ingredients of our meals. They share spice-scented recollections of Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx, and colorful vignettes of the avant-garde chefs, entrepreneurs, and patrons who continue to influence the way New Yorkers eat. …”

Fore a little more information check out the following Q&A session with the authors published in the New York Times.

• Answers About New York Food History: Part 1
• Answers About New York Food History: Part 2
• Answers About New York Food History: Part 3