Another factor that adds to the overblown impression is that restaurant food is often confused with what’s made at home.

I can quite believe that the confusion between ethnic and peasant cuisines is particularly prevalent among foodies, less so among food professionals.

That said, I still have the impression that the flood of “ethnic” cookbooks in the 70s, 80s and 90s gave an overblown impression of the richness and sophistication of most non-Americans’ eating habits. I’m not sure if this is what you are also getting at at the end of your post.

I tend to think it has something to do with who the cookbooks are being marketed to. Talking about servants brings up all kinds of class issues. We Americans don’t talk about class, most probably can’t even identify them. It’s a strength in some ways, causes all kinds of confusion in other ways.

Another thing is that from my experience editors and publishers want to create the appearance of doability for an average home cook. Otherwise, the potential market can seem too small.

“Or am I totally up a gum tree in suspecting this confusion?”

The confusion certainly exists, but I’m not sure to what extent. It exists with a particular kind of “foodie” who reads a particular family of “food literature” and participates in gastro-tours and international “cook at the pace of watching mud dry” organizations.

I talk about food as it relates to many different fields of activity all the time. The part of my job that requires meeting and talking to people almost always has an element of food. In terms of broader audiences, outside of this niche foodie audience (you will many of them posting on food forums or blogging), in my experience this confusion does not exist.

This confusion doesn’t even exist in the realm of professional chefs (omit what is said to the press) and culinary students. They know that cooking is hard, the kitchen line is basically an assembly line.

Another element of confusing “ethnic” cuisines with peasant cuisines possibly includes the status of certain “ethnicities” in different countries. My thoughts on this are not entirely clear, but I think it’s related in some way.

Finally, I think that “peasant” is another word that should have an adjective attached. “Peasant” can mean picturesque French farmer in the Beaujolais or subsistence farmer in a desertified region of Tamil Nadu.