Kentucky Association of Teachers of History

This just in from University Press of Kentucky –

Flavors from Home: Refugees in Kentucky Share Their Stories and Comfort Foods, revised edition
by Aimee Zaring

Publication Date: February 24, 2017   ♦   $19.95 paper, ISBN: 978-0-8131-6959-0   ♦   ebooks available

Stories over shared food is a great way for teachers to embrace inclusion in their curriculum.

Lexington, KY—From Hungary and Iran, Cuba and Pakistan, Burma and Vietnam, refugees from all around the world now reside in Kentucky. The 15.4 million refugees currently living in the United States have, at one point in their lives, faced war, poverty, or hunger. They have feared for their lives in their own country, and they have borne witness to unspeakable events—slaughter, imprisonment, and torture. Unlike immigrants seeking economic opportunity, refugees have come to America to escape persecution. For those who ended up in the Commonwealth, Kentucky provides them with the peace and security that they need, but it is not home. Home is no longer a viable option for them.

For refugees isolated from their homeland, cooking and eating their native dishes are among the most concrete ways they can maintain their identity. In Flavors from Home: Refugees in Kentucky Share Their Stories and Comfort Foods, now available in paperback, author Aimee Zaring uses her many years of expertise working with refugees to explore their everyday life, the situations that brought them here, and the food that connects them to home. Zaring shares their personal and dramatic accounts of their survival, as well as heartwarming and fascinating stories of their transition to living in America. Zaring also illustrates the importance of understanding the persecution and struggle that these refugees have gone through and the ability of food to provide a sense of familiarity for them when home is lost.

After more than two years of traveling the Commonwealth collecting recipes, uncovering stories, and cooking a diverse mix of cuisines from throughout the world, Zaring has crafted a book that highlights the lives that the resettled refugees have been able to create for themselves in Kentucky. Just as the refugees have brought the food and culture of their home countries to Kentucky’s doorstep, Flavors from Home allows readers to experience a taste of someone else’s home without having to travel to do so. It brings together the dishes of the refugees and the hospitality of their kitchens in a way that makes the unfamiliar feel comfortable. This book speaks a language that all who read it will understand and appreciate: the universal language of food.

Aimee Zaring lives in Louisville, Kentucky where, for more than five years, she has taught ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) at Catholic Charities, Kentucky Refugee Ministries, Global LT, and Jefferson County Public Schools.

For more information, contact: Mack McCormick, Publicity Manager, 859/257-5200, permissions@uky.edu