The rise of ethnic restaurants in early 20th-century Boston

GlobalEats takes a look at the restaurants that opened in Boston in the first three decades of the 20th century as new immigrant groups moved into the city.

Records of the Boston Licensing Board between 1909-1937 show that foreign-born restaurant owners outnumbered native-born owners, holding a majority of the licenses issued for common victualers (food purveyors) across the city. Restaurants offered economic opportunities for immigrants as small business owners, but they were also a way to preserve their culture and serve their community with familiar foods and customs from home.

The article is part of Boston College History Professor Marilynn Johnson's GlobalBoston - a series of overviews of the immigrant experience in Boston.

Also see:
Richard Auffrey's history of Chinese food in Boston.

Via the Heights.