Books About Food

A recent meme tag got me thinking about food books. Not recipe books per se, but rather books where food is an integral part of the story. Over the years I've devoured (ha ha!) numerous books on the subject and have many more on my nightstand just waiting to be read.

Some of my favorites:

Kitchen Confidential: Anthony Bourdain has an ascerbic wit and an uncanny ability to describe the intricacies of restaurant cooking. Love him or hate him, you have to agree that he has an incredible mastery of the English language. And you'll thank him for warning you never to have seafood at Sunday brunch.

Like Water for Chocolate: In addition to being a wonderful tale of un/requited love, there are some pretty impressive feasts in this book. Very hot book too (and I'm not talking oven temp).

Much Depends on Dinner: I listed this as one of my favorite books - it's a great book but also the precursor to many more books I read about food - where it comes from, what it means to us. I also read her book "The Rituals of Dinner" - not quite as good (less about food) as the first one but interesting nonetheless.

Lemon Swamp and Other Places: I can still taste the lemon pie described in this book. And the fried chicken. Yummy southern food woven into a woman's life story.

The Orchard: About a woman who inherits a family apple orchard during the Depression. She ends up eating a LOT of apples. I can still taste them.

Garlic and Sapphires: Former NY Times food critic Ruth Reichl's memoir of her days in disguises eating everything high and low in NY.

Fast Food Nation: You'll never look at a fast-food hamburger the same way. Your thoughts on immigration may change too.

The Food Lover's Guide to Paris: Famed chef/author Patricia Wells talks about the markets, shops, restaurants, and bars of Paris. You want to buy a plane ticket now!

On the To Read list:

The Omnivore's Dilemma: A sort of anthropological look at the foods we eat and where they come from.

Heat: The story of a man who spent 3 years learning to cook in the kitchens of Mario Batali. Great when you're in the mood for Italian food.

American Food Writing edited by Molly O'Neill: Former food writer for the NY Times Magazine and sister of former Yankees' outfielder Paul O'Neill. A variety of writing by different authors on all different American foods.

What Einstein Told His Cook: The science of cooking - fascinating read for those who wonder why their dish didn't come out as expected. Or the differences (if there are any) among table, kosher, and sea salt.

French Women Don't Get Fat: Or how to eat steak frites, drink yourself silly, and fit into a size 4.


A few books where food is a big character but not the star:

A Year in Provence: and subsequent books... the joys of gastronomic discovery for an Englishman.

A Natural History of the Senses: Diane Ackerman does a wonderful job of going over all the senses: smell, touch, hearing, sight, and taste. Her discussion of how we taste bitter, sweet, salty, etc. is fantastic. The other senses are well covered too.