Just finished Braided Heritage by Jessica B. Harris and I’m in awe. This isn’t just a cookbook—it’s a beautiful tapestry of recipes, memories, and ancestral connections. Dr. Harris presents American cuisine as a complex braid, intertwining Indigenous, European, and African culinary traditions into a rich and flavorful heritage.

If you’ve ever had questions about the true roots of American food, the introduction alone is a master class—it’s history, culture, and identity served up with clarity and grace.

Each page feels like sitting at the family table, hearing stories passed down through generations while sharing warm, soulful meals.

As someone who studied history and has a deep love for food shaped by my family’s traditions, this is a book I can’t wait to add to my library. In many ways, it feels like a record of our cuisine legacy—one that must be preserved and shared.

One of our preeminent culinary historians, Dr. Jessica B. Harris has conducted decades of research throughout the Americas, the Caribbean, and Africa. In this telling of the origins of American food, though, she gets more personal. As heritage is history, she intertwines the larger sweeping past with stories and recipes from friends she’s made over the years—people whose family dishes go back to the crucial era when Native peoples encountered Europeans and the enslaved Africans they brought with them.

Through this mix, we learn that Clear Broth Clam Chowder has both Indigenous and European roots; the same, too, with Enchiladas Suizas, tomatillo-smothered tortillas made “Swiss” with cheese and dairy; and that the hallmarks of African American food through the centuries have been evolution based on region, migration, and innovation, resulting in classics like Red Beans and Rice and Peach Bread Pudding Cupcakes with Bourbon Glaze.

With recipes ranging from everyday meals to festive spreads, Braided Heritage offers a new, in-depth, delicious look at American culinary history.

I was able to view the photos, essays, and recipes via the Netgalley Reader (my thanks to Netgalley for the access to the advanced reader copy). The photos were clear and the essays were informative. I have not yet created a dish from the recipes yet, but I have devised a meal from several of the recipes given. From that plan, I can say that the ingredients should be accessible, but I cannot speak to it being budget friendly. I would recommend this book for cookbook collectors, food historians, and people who might want to re-create forgotten recipes.

"One of our preeminent culinary historians, Dr. Jessica B. Harris has conducted decades of research throughout the Americas, the Caribbean, and Africa. In this telling of the origins of American food, though, she gets more personal. As heritage is history, she intertwines the larger sweeping past with stories and recipes from friends she’s made over the years—people whose family dishes go back to the crucial era when Native peoples encountered Europeans and the enslaved Africans they brought with them."

Part history book, park cookbook, this is a fantastic read. The history of food in the United States is complex and the recipes in this book are reflective of the interconnectedness of community. The way the Indigenous, European, and enslaved people shared food, preparation methods, and ideas shows the importance of community to survival.

This is definitely a book to read over and over- and the recipes themselves would be worth the price itself.

I received a free ebook copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

Lots of information and some good looking recipes that I can't wait to try out. The pictures are great and most of the recipes seem fairly straight forward and easy to follow

Braided Heritage is a beautifully written culinary history of the complex tapestry that is American cuisine curated and presented by historian Dr. Jessica B. Harris. Due out 25th June 2025 from Penguin Random House on their Clarkson Potter imprint, it's 272 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats.

The author uses broad strokes to introduce the ideas that, for much of North America's history, "it's complex". There are many-thousands-of-years of history for the first, indigenous Americans which unrecorded or actively destroyed by incoming Europeans, who brought (largely unwillingly) Africans to the fledgling USA. After a scant few hundred years, the history, a literal melting pot of fusion, food, customs, ingredient availability, and heritage, have interwoven the traditional foods which people in the USA know and love today.

The book is divided into three sections: The Native Peoples, The Europeans, and African Americans. Each section is absolutely full of background, with stories and anecdotes, history, and pathos and (surprisingly) some humor. The author has a wonderfully wry and deft touch which is good to read which also importantly doesn't shy away from the painful parts of the past, whilst staying positive and respectful and acknowledging the sacrifices and loss.

It's not *precisely* a cookbook, the main value is the accessible and engaging culinary history, but the book is nevertheless full of useful and tasty All-American recipes which pay homage to the inextricable fusion of all the cultures who have lived, cooked, and fed people here since pre-history.

Recipes are written with full introduction and history (and the author's reminiscences and introductions are worth the price of the book), followed by bullet lists of ingredients and prep/cooking directions. Measurements are provided in imperial (American) units only, no metric conversions.

Photography is in color and abundant throughout the book. The food pics are professionally styled, appealing, and appropriate.

Five stars. This would make a superlative choice for public or secondary school acquisition, for home use, and for gift giving.

Anyone who loves to read, loves to cook, and loves to learn will want to pick up an excellent book, Braided Heritage: Recipes and Stories on the Origin of American Cuisine, by Jessica B. Harris. This fascinating book is extremely well written and is one that most readers will want to curl up in a corner to read. The book brings out how countries across the world have contributed to what is now called American Food. Foodies usually love to not only cook and eat, but love to read about food; this excellent book makes it possible.

While the chapters are fun to read, the recipes are mouthwatering. There is something here for everyone, and the recipes reflect the nuances o many places around the world. The recipes are written in the traditional manner with the ingredients listed first, followed by step-by-step instructions that make them easy to follow by everyone, both with beginning and advanced cooking skills. Every time I peruse this book, my queue of what to make right away grows.

Cookbooks should have beautiful photographs of the finished dishes, and this cookbook delivers. The dishes are mouthwatering and it shows in the photos.

All told, Harris has done her research and has given us an excellent book that belongs on every good cookbook shelf. There are dozens of recipes that are easy to make, as well as dozens that are a bit more complicated, but worth it. This beautiful cookbook is highly recommended.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

I was unfamiliar with Jessica Harris and her work as a culinary historian but I was delighted by this handsome cookbook/history. Harris defines three threads to American cooking - Native American, European, and African American - and highlights each, as well as the diversity in each strand. I was particularly intrigued by the Native American thread, as it is diverse, delicious, and often underrepresented. I would have like to have seen more Pacific Northwest tribal fare but perhaps it is quite similar to the New England tribes? Recipes are varied and usually all something the home cook can make - this is cultural food, after all - and Harris is willing to use store bought and convenient ingredients to make recipes accessible. She is also happy to discuss sweet food at length, which sometimes gets short shrift. At least a dozen recipes I will make here. Great book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ten Speed for an earl in exchange for an unbiased review.

A fantastic collection of mouth watering recipes spanning centuries, crossing cultures, and even heartwarming stories. This beautiful cookbook reminds us how truly connected we are as humans; by the food we eat and by the recipes we pass down.