Sponsored by the Fulbright Association’s Spain Interest Group, the Fulbright Eats Cookbook is now available. The cookbook features over 50 recipes contributed by current and former Fulbright members.
The Fulbright Association is affiliated with the U.S. government’s Fulbright program. The Fulbright program provides grants for scholarly research, teaching, creative and professional projects, as well as English teaching assistantships.
ECU Associate Professor of Hispanic Studies Michael Schinasi is a board member of Fulbright. He contributed a recipe to the cookbook. Schinasi said the cookbook came about from a virtual cooking event led by board member Ryan Sutherland.
“My favorite memories in Spain are inseparably linked with food.” He recounts eating a calamari bocadillo (sandwich) in Madrid and eating paella in Spain. “Food is a powerful social lubricant, bringing us into the most important place in people’s homes: The dining room,” Sutherland continued.
Most of the recipes in the cookbook are from Spain. However, others come from other parts of the world. An example of this is a dish from Jewish culture called Charoset, which is traditionally eaten during Passover.
It is not just recipes that are a significant part of the book; there are personal stories from Fulbright members about their own experiences with food. Dana Knowles of Taste of America and The Cookie Lab provides the forward for the cookbook.
The hardcover edition of Fulbright Eats costs $25, with an e-book version possibly coming, which will be slightly less.
Proceeds from the book will go to World Central Kitchen, a nonprofit organization founded by Spanish-American chef José Andrés. World Central Kitchen helps battle food insecurity in response to humanitarian, climate, and local crises.
Schinasi said another cookbook is not in the cards as of now. However, Sutherland does express an interest in writing another cookbook.