Nov. 4, 2003

Chronicling Our Food for Thought

By Greg Licamele

As you wind your way through the labyrinth of aisles at a grocery store on Saturday morning, the history behind the food on the shelves may surprise you. From chili peppers, kebabs and tomato sauce to hot dogs and knishs, the assimilation of these foods into American culture is a reflection of immigration patterns, industrial know-how and just plain old-fashioned passion for food.

Growing up in the New York City area, Joel Denker remembers strolling into Jewish delis and a particular Indonesian restaurant named “East of Suez,” among other ethnic eateries. His father was a foreign student adviser at Rutgers University, which afforded Denker the opportunity to meet students from many cultures. His exposure to these places and people first tantalized his taste buds for ethnic food, which, decades and thousands of platters later, has resulted in his new book, “The World on a Plate: A Tour Through the History of America’s Ethnic Cuisine.”

The book reveals the passion for food found among many cultures and how many of these dishes have been integrated into the American way of life. Denker tracks the history of Progresso foods, established by a Sicilian immigrant in New Orleans named Giuseppe Uddo, who was among 50,000 Sicilians that passed through the port of New Orleans between 1880–1910. His cheese, olive oil and tomato paste are mainstays on American dinner tables now. On American street corners and grocery shelves today, Nathan’s hot dogs are available because of a young Polish-Jewish man named Nathan Handwerker and the creation of his famous Coney Island eatery. Greek diners throughout the country thrive because of the passion and, more importantly, the familiarity of dishes for immigrants.

“I’m really trying to capture how the Greeks, Jews, Italians and others in the early 20th century had changed American food,” said Denker, a professorial lecturer of history. “The theme that I really started to get fascinated with was that a lot of us tend to take for granted foods that were once considered exotic, unusual or alien, including yogurt and broccoli.”

Compiling the information for this book was not an easy task, Denker said, because there hasn’t been a food history book aimed at a general audience.

“I remember coming across Colombo Yogurt at a Greek/Middle Eastern grocery in the late 1960s,” Denker explained. “I thought it was an unusual food, but at that time, I never was prompted to find out much more about it. Some years later, I came across a reference that Colombo Yogurt was created by an Armenian family in Massachusetts in the 1930s. I kept coming across little things like that.”

He referred to his research as a kind of “ethnic archaeology,” as he talked with people, read guide books, sampled food and examined scholarly volumes. His research also fused together his interest in history and curiosity in food.

“For someone like me, who likes to eat, the book is a real delight,” said Edward Berkowitz, professor of history. “After reading it, you want to go out to a delicatessen and buy some pastrami or maybe some olives and a fresh loaf of bread. It has its own sort of scholarly integrity, yet it presents none of the barriers to entry that often characterize scholarly books.”

Denker is no stranger to writing about food, particularly in the Washington area. He’s been the pen behind food columns for The In Towner, a D.C. community newspaper. His first column in the 1980s was called “The Ethnic Bazaar.” After taking some years off, he’s back with a regular column in the newspaper titled, “Food in the Hood.”

These columns have given Denker the opportunity to move beyond an anonymous restaurant review to a more in-depth analysis and explanation of food in the DC area. “Food in the Hood” focuses on products that are available in different forms in restaurants or grocery stores.

“I acquaint readers with the story and cultural associations behind food,” Denker said. “Mixed into that, I’m looking at how immigrants in the US put their imprint on their food.”

As food and cultural assimilation evolves in America, Denker sees some patterns for the future for both immigrants and Americans. For example, frozen and convenience packaged foods, such as Indian curry dinners, are popping up in freezers across the country.

Denker’s countless recounts of food through the years and in his book have helped him achieve two goals: trying new foods and marrying history with his passion for food.

“Food is one of the ‘stuffs’ of history,” Denker said. “My interest is to take food out of the dusty, academic, specialized world.”

Send feedback to: bygeorge@gwu.edu