More than 42 million people living in the United States emigrated here from other countries. In the most idealized tales told about America, it is a safe haven for people seeking refuge or in search of adventure and prosperity in a land where opportunity is promised to all—promises that, in reality, are selectively applied and have been systematically denied to the communities on whose freedom and opportunities they are built. Along with hopes and dreams, immigrants have brought valuable gifts: recipes and ancestral knowledge that has transformed the way America eats. Imagine an America without pizza or pad Thai, hummus or hot dogs, sushi or strudel—for most people, it wouldn't taste much like America at all. In these times of troubling anti-immigrant rhetoric and vilification, The Immigrant Cookbook: Recipes that Make America Great offers a celebration of the many immigrant communities that have contributed to America's vibrant food culture.
