Food related Books

Browse my bookshelf and you'll mostly find cookbooks. I frequently turn to these for inspiration, to find specific recipes, or simply because I enjoy reading them. Though if you look closely, you will also find some normal books. They're not cookbooks, but are more about food in general. I want to introduce some of them here.

The Man Who Ate Everything: And Other Gastronomic Feats, Disputes, and Pleasurable Pursuits by Jeffrey Steingarten

While Jeffrey Steingarten is probably not well known among my generation, he was a former lawyer turned food critic for Vogue magazine. This is probably the first book of this kind that I have read. It isn't cookbook, instead it contains many separate stories that explore a single topic that also might include a recipe here or there; for example, ketchup. Which dives into the history and gives also an old recipe. Although it is not particularly useful today, it includes a long list of ketchups of the time, with one of the most memorable classifications: worse than Heinz, Heinz, better than Heinz, and not really ketchup. It also includes travel reports and some old health topics. Have you ever heard of Olestra, which is now forgotten? The book informative, detailed and witty.

It Must've Been Something I Ate by Jeffrey Steingarten

The follow-up book continues the same storyline. If you liked the first book, you will like this one too. While not a cookbook, the story of the potato gratin is a good read, and the included recipe is one that I have made multiple times. First read the story and then make it.

The Curious Cook by Harold McGee

Harold McGee is a legendary figure in the world of food writing, best known for On Food and Cooking. This is one of his other books, published in 1990. It is divided into three sections: experiments, health, and reflections. Of the experiments, the one on persimmons probably stuck with me the most. Here, he explains how to ripen them by wrapping them in plastic and heating them in the oven. This method really works. I have done it in a water bath instead of the oven. The health section is interesting from the point of view of what was relevant in the '90s. As for the reflections section, I'll leave you to figure out what osmazome means. It's a fun book to read and, if you have ever read anything by Harold McGee, I would recommend seeking it out.

The Upstairs Delicatessen: On Eating, Reading, Reading About Eating, and Eating While Reading by Dwight Garner

The title alone is a good summary of this book. It recounts the life of Dwight Garner, a book critic for the New York Times, and makes many references to food and, who would have guessed, books. For that reason alone, this book is worth a read. It is written in a amusing style and was a joy to read.

Invitation to a Banquet: The Story of Chinese Food by Fuchsia Dunlop

When it comes to recipes for Chinese cooking, Fuchsia Dunlop is one of the authors I always turn to. This is her latest book, which talks about the history of Chinese cuisine, including techniques and ingredients, and is paired with her own stories. Have you ever wanted to learn randomly how the word mantou came to be used in Chinese, including an old legend behind it? This book contains so many references to different topics and subjects; it's a really good read.

If you think I might like a book, please send me an email. I'm always open for new suggestions.