By Amerah Sawadogo
New York City is known for its diversity and desserts are one way to experience different cultures. From American cookies and apple cider treats to Chinese candied fruit and Thai mango sticky rice, each sweet has a story. Some recipes have been passed down for generations, while others have been adapted to fit the time or reflect current trends. Through these photographs, I explore how food traditions travel. Whether served at a farm, bakery, restaurant, or dessert shop, these treats show how a single city can bring many cultures together through something as simple as dessert.
Apple Cider and the American Harvest
I recently visited Harvest Moon Farm & Orchard to try a cider slush served in a jar with a sugar-coated cider donut on top. It being fall, having some cider is a must. We were also able to soak up the sun while exploring the orchard. The history of cider started with European settlers who brought apple trees to North America. Today, people go to orchards to pick fruit, eat baked goods and enjoy the animals. Visiting pumpkin patches is another fall tradition.
Cookies, Reimagined
The chocolate-chip cookie was developed in Massachusetts in the 1930s. Modern bakeries experiment with toppings and textures, creating interesting combinations of flavors that range from childhood favorites to savory bites. Thin cookies offer an alternative option to traditional chocolate chip cookies. I tried four seasonal flavors: (L-R) salted caramel, brownie, snickerdoodle, and Pop-Tart, which was my favorite.
Matcha Matcha Matcha
Matcha is finely ground green tea associated with Japanese tea culture. As it has grown in popularity, many places have found creative ways to incorporate matcha into desserts. This frozen treat is from AOKO, an ice cream shop that has become popular for allowing customers to select different levels of matcha. You decide how sweet or bitter it is. Using matcha in frozen sweets is one way this traditional ingredient reaches new audiences. For me, this was one of my first introductions outside of matcha tea, which I really enjoyed.
Crazy for Churro
Churros are made of fried dough coated in cinnamon sugar and are popular in Mexico, among other countries. Depending on the region, churros can be filled with cream or chocolate.
Tanghulu: Fruit in a Sugar Shell
Tanghulu is a Chinese candied-fruit snack traditionally prepared with hawthorn berries, which tastes somewhat like apples. Versions using different types of fruit have become more popular, with some even adding candy, pineapple or flavoring into the sugar mix. Pictured here are strawberries, grapes and citrus fruit beneath a hardened sugar shell.
French Toast
French toast is a very traditional American breakfast: bread soaked in an egg-and-milk mixture that is then topped with a syrup, fruit or powdered sugar. This French toast is from First Watch, a brunch restaurant upstate New York. Despite its name, French toast dates back to ancient Rome.
Mango Sticky Rice, Reinvented
This dessert combines mango, sticky rice, a scoop of ice cream and a small pitcher of sauce. It draws on Thai mango sticky rice, traditionally made with glutinous rice, ripe mango and coconut milk. I think Mango Mango Dessert makes the best mango sticky rice. The dessert spot uses a less traditional approach, presenting the rice in a more cake-like form. It is fresh and light.
Jiggly Pancakes
Flipper’s restaurant helped popularize fluffy Japanese pancakes with a light, airy texture. Pictured here is its strawberry shortcake pancake topped with fluffy, soft mousse.
Cheesecake?
I made a no-bake Biscoff cookie cheesecake. Of all the desserts I tried, this was probably my least favorite. What intrigued me, however, was the social media craze around it. When people began to post how delicious it was, some supermarkets ran out of no-bake filling, forcing shoppers to go to multiple stores to find it.