International Cookbooks

American cuisine is characterized by its ready adoption and modification of culinary customs and practices from around the world, so it is of little surprise that international cookbooks are popular with American readers. In addition to books published originally for readers in the home country, these international cookbooks include English translations of popular works, books created for the tourist trade, and compilations of favorite dishes. Books like Classic Cooking from India and the bilingual Mexican Cookbook for American Homes presented these cuisines as the equal of even the finest French cooking. Note that the foreword to the Vanderbilt International Student Association’s cookbook was written by Jean Heard, wife of Vanderbilt’s fifth chancellor and namesake of the Heard Library.