In National Dish, award-winning food writer Anya von Bremzen sets out to investigate the eternal cliché that 'we are what we eat'. Her journey takes her from Paris to Tokyo, from Seville, Oaxaca and Naples to Istanbul. She probes the decline of France's pot-au-feu in the age of globalisation, the stratospheric rise of ramen, the legend of pizza, the postcolonial paradoxes of Mexico's mole, the community essence of tapas, and the complex legacy of multiculturalism in a meze feast. Finally she returns to her home in Queens, New York, for a bowl of Ukrainian borsch - a dish which has never felt more loaded, or more precious. As each nation's social and political identity is explored, so too is its palate. Rich in research, colourful characters and lively wit, National Dish peels back the layers of myth and misunderstanding around world cuisines, reassessing the pivotal role of food in our cultural heritage and identity.

"A fast-paced, entertaining travelogue, peppered with compact history lessons that reveal the surprising ways dishes become iconic" - New York Times

"This dazzlingly intelligent examination of how foods become national symbols . . . so enlightening - as well as so much fun to read . . . Von Bremzen is a superb describer of flavours and textures - but she also understands that food is never just about food" - Financial Times

"For all its dry wit and vivid descriptions of puttanesca and tortillas, this is a serious book - a skilful blend of academic research and lived experience. It's a sparklingly intelligent examination of, and a meditation on, the interplay of cooking and identity" - Spectator

"'In this lively blend of travelogue, food writing and cultural critique, Anya von Bremzen explores the idea of the "national dish" ... [and] calls for food preparation, writing - and of course eating - to be treated with greater political significance than we typically give it'" - New Statesman

"Entertaining" - Independent

"Revealing and richly detailed exploration of six national cuisines . . . Fans of food and travel writing will want to sink their teeth into this" - Publishers Weekly

"Journalists relish the fraught politics of food. Von Bremzen's book is more interesting than this, considering not just food as propaganda but also the flighty, fickle nature of tradition itself (yes, even among the French)" - FT Books of the Year

"Takes up the task of unpicking the fictions and half-memories at the core of so many cuisines... examines the subtle interactions between neighbouring communities as dishes cross borders to find themselves rebranded and relocated at the heart of another culture's table" - TLS

"A delightfully engaged and engaging writer" - Observer Food's Books of the Year

"In this piquant platter of a book, von Bremzen tackles questions of culture, history, and the meaning of a good meal . . . Her vivid narrative is packed with intriguing characters, and in some countries, conversations about the food can be as important as the dish itself" - Kirkus Reviews

"Vivid . . . for readers who appreciate a sensorial journey and eschew arriving at easy conclusions, this will hit the spot" - Booklist

"In alternating chapters, Gilmartin gives voice to Daniel, Hannah and Julie, perceptively delving into issues of silence, complicity and the aftermath of violence" - Washington Post