New York
New York City Food and Arthur Schwartz
400 pages, Stewart, Tabori & Chang. $27.50
Reviewed By Stephanie Attebery
Arthur Schwartz is my favorite food writer. He's well-known, having been Food editor for the New York Daily News for many years, and a frequent NYC radio food commentator, but I think it's time for my generation to discover him if they have not already.
I was first introduced to Arthur Schwartz when shopping for a book about making soup for my father, a bit of a soup junkie. I found Soup Suppers, and while it never made it into wrapping paper or even the mail (sorry dad), it has provided me with many wonderful dinners. Not only are the recipes excellent, but Schwartz understands that the stories behind the recipes are just as important. His Russian-Hungarian-Jewish heritage provided him with a rich palate early on, and many of the recipes in Suppers honor that personal history.
I recently picked up New York City Food: An Opinionated History and More Than 100 Legendary Recipes. I literally did not put it down for the entire weekend. Like Soup Suppers, Schwartz tells the stories, in this case, of the interdependent history of the foods, recipes, and the people that made New York City so great. The food chapters are divided by the ethnic groups that introduced them, from the very earliest, Lanape Indians and Dutch settlers to the latter “new immigrants” of eastern Europe and further-east Asian cultures, NYC Food also devotes sections to the chronology of eating trends of the city. These trends were shaped by factors of location, economics, and ways of life, from the Oyster houses, to the Cafeterias, to the Automats, and the Great Steakhouses. There's even a small, simple chapter on the Cocktail, and of course a section on The Hot Dog. Schwartz also answers some important questions that arise when the melting pot simmers, like, Why do jewish people love Chinese food? He elaborates on the origins of the old Joke: What’s the Shortest Book Ever Written? Irish Cooking. The book is Chock-Full of Chris Callis’ gorgeous food photographs that leave your stomach grumbling and your mouth salivating. Pick it up!!
Also, in these hard times, I feel I cannot complete a write-up on Schwartz without mentioning What To Cook When You Think There's Nothing in the House To Eat. This cookbook is an absolute must-have for people of working age who may come home on a mid-weeknight with little more culinary gumption than to open up a can and pull some slightly-wilted vegetables from the fridge. How appropriate in today’s economic times to own this book (which you can literally buy used on Amazon for one cent!). And who knew there were so many possibilities in my little kitchen?
Check out all of Schwartz’s books here!