Jennifer Dueck on Food Writing and the Making of Mediterranean Cuisine

What is Mediterranean cuisine, and who shapes its meaning and boundaries? In this episode, Gastronomica Editorial Collective member Amy Trubek speaks with Jennifer Dueck about tastemaking and gastronomic representation in American journalism. A historian of Middle Eastern culture and politics, Jennifer traces the construction of Mediterranean cuisine in the American press over the latter half of the 20th century, noting points of erasure and expansion. She also highlights the important role that Middle Eastern and North African immigrant restaurateurs came to play in imagining the culinary Mediterranean within American public culture. Photo courtesy of William Cronon. HRN is home to transformative exchanges about food. Our 35+ member-supported food podcasts empower eaters to cultivate a radically better world. This month, we’re asking you to join us. Become a monthly sustaining member at heritageradionetwork.org/donate.