A museum helps visitors get a taste of their immigrant ancestors' lives.
What’s known today as “American” cuisine actually reflects scores of immigrants who brought their food traditions to the United States over hundreds of years. They came, they cooked, and they introduced their culinary traditions to each other. Soon, Jewish, Italian, Vietnamese and Scandinavian dishes—among others—became American food. That’s just what the Tenement Museum
on New York City’s Lower East Side is helping visitors celebrate.