Listen to ‘Thanksgiving’s Hybrid Of Cultural Traditions’ on NHPR’s Word of Mouth.
When Thanksgiving merged with Chanukah this year it opened the door for all kinds of holiday hybrids like Manischewitz turkey brine, and challah bread turkeys. But chefs from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds have been adapting traditional Thanksgiving foods with immigrant flair for years.
This week chef and cookbook author Kathy Gunst spoke with NHPR’s Virginia Prescott about how immigrants often meld exotic flavors with traditional fare. Gunst says it’s all about the stuffing, which is a common way people with different cultural backgrounds create new Thanksgiving culinary fusions. She talks about her family’s oyster stuffing, Grace Young’s rice stuffing, Von Diaz’s mofongo stuffing made of fried plantains, garlic, and chicharron, and how David Harry Yoon’s Korean family makes turkey (even though no one really likes it).
Thanksgiving: Korean Style; photo: Flickr/Hane C. Lee
Also this week, journalist Von Diaz dives into her Puerto Rican culinary heritage by making her grandmother’s famous pavochón—a Puerto Rican take on traditional Thanksgiving turkey seasoned like a lechón or pork roast, then stuffed with mofongo. Listen to her journey making this traditional dish on NPR’s Latino USA.
Fi2W is supported by the David and Katherine Moore Family Foundation and the Ralph E. Odgen Foundation.
