Bite by Bite: Nourishments and Jamborees

Aimee Nezhukumatathil’s latest book Bite by Bite: Nourishments and Jamborees is a personal and poetic exploration of food and joy and the intersections we all have with our own history and the meals we’ve shared. For fans of the writer’s poetry, this is a lovely introduction into her prose.

Nezhukumatathil pulls from her Indian/Filipino heritage to render astute and descriptive moments trying new foods, the history behind certain foods, and almost always a tight connection to the writer herself. Because the book is told in short essays–largely under four pages–there may be moments that you wish you had more to gnaw on. Nods to history appear alongside mythology and the lore of each of her parent’s home countries (India and the Philippines), so it is a truly intersectional take on the foods she highlights.

I’ve never been a fan of mangoes, but the way Nezhukumatathil write about the juicy, vibrant fruit makes me think I need to give it another shot. Though it may be difficult to track down the varietal she writes about with such reverence. I found myself wanting more from the book only in that the work is so rich that the short nature of the essays felt a bit rushed at times. Still, if you’re a foodie or a fan of the writer, Bite by Bite is certainly worth devouring.