Exploring the Intersection of Food, Culture and Identity

Lobster Roll at America Eats Tavern

Though you’d never think of it now, New York was once the oyster capital of the world, with carts on every corner, the dirty water hot dog of the 19^th century.

America Eats Tavern in Washington, DC pays tribute to this legacy with a half-dozen incarnations of the bivalve taken from historical reports and cookbooks. Buttered oysters honor oysterman Thomas Downing, a free African American who stored his shellfish in his basement, which doubled as a haven for slaves escaping on the Underground Railroad. Pickled oysters – a favorite bar snack in George Washington’s time – go down smooth with an American craft beer and Oysters Rockefeller captures the young country’s fascination with “the richest man in the world.”

And who better than Jose Andres to offer America its history on a plate? An eloquent and passionate ambassador of food, culture and identity in all its forms, Andres created the non-profit pop-up restaurant in conjunction with the National Archives exhibit “What’s Cooking Uncle Sam,” which runs until January 3. All profits go to the Archives.

Crunchy, corny hush puppies salted with American caviar offer a perfect follow to the oysters. A buttery brioche bun filled with sweet lobster makes an elegant lunch. But AET’s menu begs for multiple visits, with Kentucky burgoo of rabbit, squab and lamb, an 1845 recipe for mutton shoulder and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich (with foie gras!!) just waiting for a taste.

And coming soon? Pawpaws, aka: American custard apples.

In someone else’s hands, the restaurant would have been a gimmick. But Andres’ passion and the competence of his staff come through in every bite. It’s like eating a little piece of history.

For more insight on the foodways of early America, look to “Food of Younger Land,” author Mark Kurlansky’s extraordinary curation of writings done by icons like Eudora Welty and Zora Neale Hurston as part of a 1930s WPA project.

Crunchy hush puppies get salted with American caviar

photo by Renee Comet

Sittau’s kibbe saniyeh is my Indian husband’s favorite meal: two layers of kibbe stuffed with lamb, onions and pine nuts. But I’ve never thought of it as “meatloaf.” Apparently, the world thinks different, and that’s fine with me. The more kibbe in the world, the better!

Thought these two stories — about Middle Eastern “Meatloaf” and the particularities of Sephardic Rosh Hashanah dishes — made nice bookends.

New flavored quinoa from Roland Foods

A new line of flavored quinoa takes the ancient Andean grain to the next level, that is: easy weeknight meal with cultural cred. Flavors like Roasted Garlic, Garden Vegetable, Black Bean, Toasted Sesame Ginger and Mediterranean come from natural sources like carrots, tomatoes and aromatics. My favorite suggestion? Roasted garlic quinoa with wilted greens and a fried egg. Yum.