Top Food Books

Guiseppe Arcimboldo, Autumn, 1573

Posted by Staff

November is every foodies favorite month.  Booklist recently highlighted books on food, and even though you may not enjoy cooking, these top ten picks of the last year will provide some tasty reading:

As Always, Julia: The Letters of Julia Child and Avis DeVoto; Food, Friendship and the Making of a Masterpiece Ed. by J. Reardon.  This volume marks the first appearance of the complete correspondence of the two long term pen pals.

Cooking With Italian Grandmothers: Recipes and Stories from Tuscany to Sicily by J. Theroux.  Lots of recipes from real grandmothers.

Homemade Soda by A. Schloss.  Ever wanted to make your own soda?  It's not difficult and here are the recipes and tips to guide the way.

Ideas In Food: Recipes and Why They Work by A Kamozawa and H.A.Talbot.  A consumer-friendly and recipe-packed series of essays by a married team of chefs.

The Joy of Cheesemaking: The Ultimate Guide to Understanding, Making and Eating Fine Cheese by J. Farnham and M. Druart.  Not many recipes, but everything you need to know to make fine cheeses.

One Big Table: A Portrait of American Cooking by M O'Neill.  A very large book filled with just about everything that represents American cooking today; includes over 800 recipes.

Quiches, Kugels, and Couscous: My Search of Jewish Cooking in France by J. Nathan.  The author shares her collection of recipes and narrates the history of Jews in France.

The Sorcerer's Apprentices:  A Season in the Kitchen at Ferran Adria's elBulli by L. Abend.  The author recounts her stint as an intern working for free in Spain's elBulli restaurant, until recently considered the best in the world.

The Vertical Farm:  Feeding Ourselves and the World in the 21st Century by D. Despommier.  An award winning professor discusses growing safe, nutritious food.