  | Traveling taco : the amazing & surprising journey of many of your favorite foods Author: Wenjen, Mia | |
| Price: $23.28 | ||
Summary:
From pizza to pasta, and ice cream to French fries, some of our favorite foods have a surprising history, and many of them have traveled far from where they originated!
| Illustrator: | Clinthorne-Wong, Kimberlie |
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (03/15/25)
Booklist (05/01/25)
Full Text Reviews:
Booklist - 05/01/2025 In buoyant prose that occasionally breaks into rhyme, Wenjen dishes up savory profiles of a dozen popular foods that have traveled, including the al pastor taco, a descendant of shawarma, brought to Mexico by Lebanese immigrants; cheesecake, apparently known to the ancient Greeks; and British fish and chips, described by Thomas Jefferson as “fish in the Jewish fashion.” An assertion that the founder of London’s first fish-and-chip shop in 1863 was fleeing the Portuguese Inquisition seems half-baked, but Wenjen does rightly acknowledge that, when it comes to food origins, there are conflicting claims: “Between France and Belgium, French fries cause tension. / Both think that fries are their country’s invention.” The author gives as much attention to preparation and distinctive ingredients as she does to history, so budding chefs will come away, for instance, with a sense of what’s in jerk marinade as well as knowing that it was invented by the Caribbean Taíno. Clinthorne-Wong’s stylized montages of fresh ingredients, finished dishes, and small figures in period dress add further lively flavor to this cross-cultural culinary cruise. - Copyright 2025 Booklist.
