Olivia: I think many of us have childhood memories of food we liked and disliked—smells, textures and sensations. In the case of immigrants, food is really what they hold on to when they have to adapt to another culture, for many reasons: comfort, identity, it’s not political, it doesn’t stop them from integrating in other ways to their new culture and it can show their own country in a positive light. I covered anything that had to do with the Middle East in Europe for the Daily Star in Lebanon, and one of the things I noticed about the people I was interviewing was that they were always going on about food, and often perked up and looked very happy when we got on the subject of food.

I grew up in Italy where tomatoes are still very good—it’s so hard to find a good tomato these days—and when I lived in Switzerland for three years, I used to drive over the border to Italy to buy tomatoes. Now how crazy is that?

Charlotte: Food, like language, is what connects us to our families and our culture. There is a lot of talk about emotional eating and this cookbook is all about the positive aspects of this. Being able to produce the familiar in unfamiliar circumstances is protective and cocooning. For many of the people who contributed recipes to this book, cooking became both an economic and emotional safety net when they moved here.

I experienced this myself when I lived in Entebbe, Uganda for a few years at the end of the 80’s. Uganda is a lush country with a wealth of produce, and, while, I had an infinite curiosity about the regional produce and local food, there were moments after a long working day when I just couldn’t face another plate of steamed bananas and goat stew. I wanted familiar things, so I took to the kitchen with Joy of Cooking in hand and started making bagels and biscuits and spaghetti bolognaise. I wanted the comfort of familiar food to bring me back into myself, to recharge my emotional batteries. Along the way I also discovered my love of cooking.

Because your book also includes the addresses of the top ethnic restaurants, corner shops and ethnic markets in Paris, it is more than just a cookbook – in a way it is also a travel guide. Why did you feel it was important to include this extra information?

The book is really a labor of love about ethnic food and the immigrant community in Paris. We wanted to show how much richness these communities contribute to Paris. So many of the people we spoke to had big personalities, were very courageous and had had very interesting lives. We wanted to introduce readers to part of Paris that is very much present, but not always seen by tourists.

What is your favorite recipe from the book? Do you have a favorite ethnic dish that is even better when it is prepared at home in our own kitchens, and not served in a restaurant?

Olivia: I like the Lamb Mafé (pg. 194). It’s a rich dish, the lamb is succulent and it’s perfect for a winter day. The recipe in the book was given to us by a Cameroonian woman named Therese, who came to my house, cooked it with us, and then we all sat down to eat it together.

Charlotte: It would difficult to choose one favorite recipe. I have preferences depending on whom I am cooking for. The Vietnamese Spring Rolls with Lime-Peanut Sauce (pg. 76) and Green Papaya Salad (pg. 71) from the Southeast Asian chapter are a huge hit with my clients. For home entertaining, any of the tagines, curries or stews are excellent because they can all be made in advance and need only to be reheated before serving. I have a certain sentimental fondness for the recipes from the West African chapter; so many of them are reminiscent of dishes I ate growing up in Charleston, SC, like the Beef and Okra Stew (pg. 190) and the Shrimp Rougail (pg. 189).

Unlike French cooking, which is quite technical and with precise rules, most of the recipes presented in this cookbook are simple and unsophisticated family-style dishes. The final flavors reflect the personal taste of the chef. Preparing these recipes in our own home kitchens allows us to improvise with flavors and impart our own individual style to these recipes.

The Ethnic Paris Cookbook is more than just a collection of great recipes; you also capture the rich stories behind the food and the immigrants’ migration to Paris. Can you recount a favorite story you were told while making the book that wasn’t included?

There are lots of great stories! Regina, the Franco-Spanish wife of Yugi, a Japanese coiffeur who is mad about food, told us that when she first met Yugi, he would saw an enormous head of tuna in their bathtub so that he could use the fish’s cheeks, which are considered a delicacy. The sheer size of the fish and the blood was completely overwhelming for her!

Here’s another: We needed some precision on the make up of the dumplings in the recipe for Kabylia Lamb and Semolina Dumplings (pg. 46) because when we both made them on our own, they were too dry. Olivia called Samia, the Algerian woman in Lyons who had contributed the recipe, and asked her if this had ever happened to her. When she replied yes, that sometimes this happened, Olivia asked her what she did to fix it. She answered, “I say ooh la la!”

After traditional French food, what is the most popular cuisine in Paris?

Olivia: Probably North African – couscous and tagines – but also Vietnamese food.

Charlotte: While there seems to be an Asian restaurant or take-out on every corner, the ethnic cuisine that has made the strongest inroads into the French culture is couscous. It shows up weekly as the plat de jour in every eating establishment—from school canteens to the local hip bistro. And it’s not just in Paris; even in the small villages everyone seems to have had a connection to North Africa. No barbeque would be complete without the addition of merguez on the grill.

What are some pronounced cultural differences in the way various ethnic meals are prepared, served or enjoyed? Are there any particularly interesting differences in family dinners, party foods, etc?

For one, the order of the meal is not so important in many cultures. Also, there’s always plenty on the table and everyone digs in. With Lebanese food, people scoop their mezzes (a variety of appetizers) up with bread, everyone sharing from the same bowl. There’s a lot more sharing going on.

Do you think that French food enjoys the same cross-over effect in former French colonies?

Not as much, although the baguette and “French fries” are two items that seem to have stayed. In Vietnam baguettes are used to make the sandwiches, Banh Mi. Also, French influence is attributed to the national soup, Pho. In Lebanon they make croissants, albeit with zaatar (thyme) sprinkled on top.

Japan has probably been influenced more by French gastronomic culture and vice versa than any of the former colonies. Japanese chefs come to France to work as a right of passage. Most of the top name chefs eventually open up a French restaurant in Japan. As we say in the introduction to the chapter – probably the best place to go for French food these days is Japan!