Following the Silk Roads: Anna Ansari on Identity, Trade, and the Flavors That Connect Us

This week, Catherine chats with cookbook author and food writer Anna Ansari, whose new book Silk Roads explores the rich, interconnected cuisines stretching from East Asia to the Middle East.Anna’s path to food writing wasn’t exactly linear—she started as an international trade and customs attorney in New York before moving to the UK and finding her way into recipe testing, food writing, and ultimately cookbook authorship. In this conversation, she shares how her background in law, her Iranian-American identity, and her global perspective all shaped the book.Together, Catherine and Anna unpack the idea of the “Silk Roads”—not as one single route, but as a vast network of trade, migration, and cultural exchange that still influences how we cook and eat today.They also get into:  What the Silk Roads actually are (and why the plural matters)   Growing up between cultures—and how that shows up in the kitchen   Why curiosity matters more than getting it “right” when exploring new cuisines   The unexpected entry points into Central Asian and Middle Eastern cooking   How markets can unlock a deeper understanding of food and culture   The recipes to start with (including a simple, crowd-pleasing Uzbek plov)  Plus, Anna shares her go-to strategies for sparking creativity in the kitchen—and calming the chaos when life (or dinner) feels overwhelming.Whether you’re a cookbook collector, a curious home cook, or someone who’s ever felt intimidated by unfamiliar ingredients, this episode is an invitation to dig in with curiosity, playfulness, and zero pressure to be perfect.Catherinesmart.comTune in to the full episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube.Not From Concentrate team:Catherine Smart, Host/Executive ProducerKevin O’Connell, Audio and Video ProductionAllie Miller, Associate Producer