Celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson and his highly credentialed collaborators present a vast and vivid panorama, broken down into sections called Next (where Black food is headed), Remix (how Black food integrates many cultures) Migration (the influence of the American South) and Legacy (African food and influencers). Fortunately, there’s a recipe index at the front of the book if you simply want to find something to cook for dinner. Individual recipes are “in honor of” rather than “from”; some recipes are clearly by the chefs themselves while others (including a number of recipes celebrating anonymous chefs) are representative of a place or spirit distilled into food.
Our only quibble is that some of the recipes use obscure or hard-to-find ingredients, without explanation. Eric Gestel’s mousse recipe includes “saba” which is not an ingredient you’ll find on the internet; my best guess is it’s a spiced rum from Saba, an island near where he grew up in the Caribbean*. But maybe that’s to be expected in such a wide ranging and ambitious project. If you didn’t get the cookbook you wanted for Christmas, consider The Rise. Check it out.
*Update: Google and Wikipedia don’t know about saba, but Amazon does. It’s a sweeter, less complex product made from grape must before it turns into balsamic vinegar. The above affiliate link will take you to one of several versions offered though you might find it in an Italian grocery. Or use a syrupy aged balsamic instead.
Yours is the best review I have read so far. Descriptive and makes me interested to actually pick up and read the book!
Wow, thanks! We actually struggled with this review which took much longer than expected to write. We wanted to convey that it was not a conventional cookbook but that’s not a bad thing. Our hope was indeed that readers would want to investigate the book so glad this came through!
I have been a fan of Marcus Samuelsson from a distance for many many years. He really has been in the spotlight lately and bringing lots of attention to Black Chefs, the plight of so many restaurants during the pandemic and many other causes. If you haven’t seen the documentary that Guy Fieri produced for the Food Network…try to find it, as I’m sure it will be broadcast again. Marcus is one of four chefs featured in it and I think it’s a must watch! Happy New Year and thanks for the review as I will pick up this book soon!
Thanks, I will look for that documentary. I know that Guy Fieri has really stepped forward in the pandemic, raising $20 million plus for restaurant workers. A great guy behind all the bluster!