Interview with Nina Mukerjee Furstenau

Belt talks to Nina Mukerjee Furstenau, author of The Pocket Rhubarb Cookbook

Your interest in rhubarb began after your family settled in Kansas. How did that initial childhood intrigue become a fascination large enough to create a book?

I think rhubarb has a lot of history for people in the Midwest and anywhere it migrated. That story, tied to so much history over the Silk Road and beyond, was intriguing to me. Plus, I just really like sour spring pie.

Since rhubarb is often a nostalgic favorite, it carries many stories in families. My husband’s American-German-Swedish family remembers with fondness both grandmothers making rhubarb in pies and crumbles. Using food to meet and cross boundaries of all kinds—culture, identity, even time—became irresistible in my writing life and, perhaps surprisingly, rhubarb fits my goal of that connection well.

Your cookbook is pocket-sized and easily transportable. In what ways and settings do you imagine it being used?

I hope to see it used in the kitchen propped up next to a cutting board full of fresh rhubarb. But its portable size also makes it perfect to take along when you visit your favorite people and plan to make tasty foods. Maybe it will encourage rhubarb cooking parties! Just thinking about that makes me happy.

Which recipe in this book is most sentimental to you? What's the story behind it?

It’s probably the Rhubarb Marmalade with its orange rind. My dad never ate a lot of sweets, but could not resist orange marmalade. He would sneak extra spoons for his toast, munching happily while sipping tea on a weekend morning. The orange rind and rhubarb combination in this recipe spun me into memories. 

 

This is obviously a book that helps a home cook get deeply acquainted with one ingredient. Why is that valuable?

Using a single ingredient in a range of recipes tangibly shows both cooks and eaters how versatile rhubarb, in this case, can be. The Pocket Rhubarb Cookbook reveals how to balance dishes for optimum taste—not only using rhubarb in tart-sweet desserts but also as a lifting agent in heavier dishes like savory lentils or meats. Drinks, too, get the rhubarb treatment, creating a lively, light and fun sensation on the tongue. I hope that eaters and cooks will love that like I did, and begin to think of rhubarb in new ways.

If someone is a rhubarb beginner, what's the best place to dive in?

By all means, go with a classic Rhubarb Strawberry Pie. It’s a flavor combination that will not disappoint and is a good warm up to so many other tasty recipes in this book.