by Prerana Sharma, March 30, 2018

When I took a class on American Cuisine at Kendall College, I was taught about the influence of immigrants and how each immigrant brought with them not only their culture but also recipes that have been in their families for generations. Over the years, it has resulted in what we call American cuisine today.

I was particularly interested in the culture and cuisine that came to America with the slaves that were brought here from Africa. I visited certain states in the south of this country and experienced Southern cuisine first-hand. I visited restaurants known for the cuisine and indulged in some of the best barbeque and fried chicken I have ever experienced. It was extremely interesting to see that the cuisine had survived even though the very people who brought it to this country suffered such severe atrocities for so many generations.

Courses like American cuisine and Barbeque made me realize every cuisine has evolved and changed over the course of history, some resulting from positive events but a lot more accounting to terrible time periods in history such as Slavery in America or the Holocaust in Europe. It has helped me think about why cuisine is the way it is today and I hope to gain more exposure during my stay in the United States as it is a melting pot of so many different cultures and cuisines and in my opinion is one of the best places in the world to learn and take advantage of such a magnificent diversity.