To Eat is to Travel: Around the World in 26 Cookbooks
To taste is to travel. For the days you wish you were floating on a houseboat in Kerala but are, in fact, standing in your kitchen, these cookbooks will sate both your cravings and your cabin fever. Eat up!
10 January, 2022
- Words by
- Rae Boocock and Rachael McKeon
Tangy,
Tangy,
buttermilk fattoush, tiny spoonable tortellini,
beetroot-red borscht: our cravings are as myriad as the global
cuisines represented in the cookbooks below. Recipe developers and
writers such as Emiko Davies, Meera Sodha, Olia Hercules – to name
but a few – distil the sensory high of travel and discovery and
transport it to the plate. Trade beans on toast for bruschetta, or
soupy leftovers for saag paneer and send your taste buds around the
world.
Travel with your taste buds: recipes from around the world to
recreate in your kitchen
Summer Kitchens: Recipes and Reminiscences from Every Corner of Ukraine
By Olia Hercules
In her debut cookbook, Olia Hercules opens our eyes (and taste
buds) to the earthy, sour flavours of Ukraine’s
summer kitchens. But what exactly is a summer kitchen? It is a
cabin, outhouse or barn purpose-built to prepare, cook and pickle
in throughout the scorchingly hot summer months. But, before making
any assumptions, this is not a summer cuisine cookbook. Rather,
Hercules transports us to country kitchens, rural villages and
fish-packed rivers with this roster of doable recipes. (Psst… the
assorted varenyky dishes and yeasted buns with slow-roast pork are
instant standouts.)
Falastin: A Cookbook
By Sami Tamimi and Tara Wigley
Who doesn’t swoon over a cookbook that reads like a novel and
educates like a geopolitics masterclass? Sami Tamimi and Tara
Wigley have done it again with Falastin, a love letter to the
Palestinian
plates and bursting-with-flavour produce Tamimi grew up eating.
Exquisite imagery, in-depth essays and dozens of recipes spanning
everything from tangy buttermilk fattoush to sumac-marinated
chicken thighs dance off the lively pages of this glorious book. A
kitchen keeper.
The Nordic Cook Book
By Magnus Nilsson
Epicureans will have heard of Nilsson, who once headed up
two-Michelin-starred Fäviken (Sweden’s answer to Noma) and appeared
on
Netflix docuseries Chef’s Table. Having travelled across
Denmark, the
Faroe Islands,
Finland, Greenland,
Iceland, Norway
and
Sweden, he refines familiar recipes (gravadlax, lingonberry
jam), highlights lesser-known dishes (rosehip soup, juniper beer)
and explains how to smoke and preserve food at home.
Sabor: Flavours from a Spanish Kitchen
by Nieves Barragán Mohacho
Bilbao-born chef Barragán Mohacho was at the helm of London
hotspot Barrafina when it snagged a Michelin star in 2013. Sabor –
meaning “flavour” in Spanish – is an ode to her current Heddon
Street restaurant, and serves to inject a little Basque piquancy to
the home kitchen. The tortilla with morcilla and piquillo peppers
is our go-to.
The Groundnut Cookbook by Duval Timothy
By Jacob Fodio Todd and Folayemi Brown
Search any cookery section for books on sub-Saharan Africa and
you’ll most likely be left wanting. Friends Timothy, Todd and Brown
are on a mission to change this. Get a taste of Africa with
vibrant, healthy recipes for jollof rice, groundnut soup, pork in
tamarind, and… erm… Yorkshire pudding with mango curd.
Asma’s Indian Kitchen
By Asthma Khan
Should you have even an iota of interest in Indian cookery,
you’ll probably already own a book by Madhur Jaffrey or Meera
Sodha. That’s why we’re spotlighting Asma Khan, who used cooking as
a remedy for homesickness after relocating from Calcutta to London,
began a sellout supper club and now runs London’s Darjeeling
Express restaurant. Khan’s book traces her personal history from
Bengal to Hyderabad, sharing the recipes that shaped her.
Tortellini at Midnight
By Emiko Davies
This book can be tough to find, but it’s well worth seeking out.
People often rhapsodise about their love of Italian food, but, in
practice, the dishes served on tables from Venice
down through Naples and,
ultimately, in Sicily
are wildly different and intensely regional. Davies, an
accomplished cookbook author, photographer and long-time resident
of Italy, immerses us in the beans, broths and pasta (including
those delectable stuffed tortellini in brood) local to
Tuscany and Florence
in particular.
Peru: The Cookbook
by Gastón Acurio
Lima-native
Gastón Acurio is the authority on Peruvian cuisine. His television
shows, books and restaurants have introduced the country’s bright
palate to the world’s culinary repertoire. Here, he guides us
through classic dishes and ingredients (ceviche, quinoa) to the
more obscure, such as chanfainita (beef-lung stew) and frejol
colado (a bean pudding).
Made in Mexico
by Danny Mena
With a dining scene that runs the gamut from loncherías (snack
bars) to Enrique Olvera’s Pujol (ranked 12th by The World’s 50 Best
Restaurants in 2019), Mexico
City has inspired many cookbooks. Mena digests the distinctive
foodscape, giving us insider intel while arming us with recipes for
antojitos (street food, literally “little cravings”) and hearty
mains.
America: The Cookbook
by Gabrielle Langholtz
While Irma Rombauer is the Delia Smith of American kitchens, it
is Langholtz’s hefty, 800-recipe encyclopedia that has fired our
imagination (and appetite) with its state-by-state romp through the
country’s melting-pot food culture and regional recipes –
encompassing
Mississippi mud pie and Washington’s Ethiopian-influenced
injera (a fermented flatbread) – coupled with essays from a who’s
who of US-based chefs and food lovers.
#BakeforSyria Recipe Book
by Clerkenwell Boy and Serena Guen
There’s nothing sweeter than this story of a charity bake sale
that has become part of a global movement raising more than
£700,000 in aid of the child victims of the Syrian civil war.
Following the success of their #CookforSyria book, SUITCASE Founder Serena
Guen and London-based blogger Clerkenwell Boy joined forces with
baker and cake-designer Lily Vanilli to create #BakeforSyria. Expect Middle Eastern-inspired recipes
for baked goods and desserts from the likes of Nigel Slater, Yotam
Ottolenghi and Rachel Khoo. All proceeds go to Unicef’s Children’s
Emergency Fund. The tahini, date and cardamom cinnamon rolls are on
the top of our lockdown to-do list.
Amaretto, Apple Cake and Artichokes
by Anna del Conte
Greece: The Cookbook
by Vefa Alexiadou
Vefa Alexiadou is the grande dame of Greek cuisine and this book
(originally titled Vefa’s Kitchen) is the most comprehensive of its
kind published in English. Take your tastebuds on a trip to the
Aegean as you wrap your mouth around classic fare – tzatziki,
taramasalata, souvlaki, calamari – while diving into its historical
and religious significance.
Mastering the Art of French Cooking
by Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle and Simone Beck
“People who love to eat are always the best people,” wrote the
queen of French cuisine. We couldn’t agree more. With all the
ingredients of a cult classic, Child’s culinary bible (co-authored
with Beck and Bertholle) reshaped home cooking in 60s America.
Recipes scale the backbone of French gastronomy, from Provence to
Paris,
bread to bourguignon. Not ready to throw on a pearl necklace and
grab le beurre? Tuck into Child’s television shows – YouTube has a
great back catalogue.
Japanese Soul Cooking: Ramen, Tonkatsu, Tempura and more from the Streets and Kitchens of Tokyo and Beyond
by Tadashi Ono and Harris Salat
If you want to make your kitchen skills sashimi-knife sharp, try
Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art by Shizuo Tsuji. We, however, are
big fans of comfort food. Ono and Salat’s book sidelines sushi and
focuses on soul-hugging fare – ramen, tonkatsu, tempura – while
exploring the surprising origins of lesser-known dishes such as
mentaiko spaghetti and saikoro steak.
Clodagh’s Irish Kitchen
by Clodagh McKenna
Thought the Emerald Isle was fuelled by potatoes and soda bread?
Think again. From Ireland’s “rebel county” of Cork,
chef and food writer
Clodagh McKenna has taken all the know-how from Ballymaloe
Cookery School and given a new lease of life to traditional Irish
fare. Wild-nettle gnocchi and Baileys ice cream, we’re looking at
you.
In Bibi’s Kitchen: The Recipes and Stories of Grandmothers from the Eight African Countries that Touch the Indian Ocean
By Hawa Hassan with Julia Turshen
Somali model, author and entrepreneur Hawa Hassan’s Basbaas sauces are
famous in the kitchens of those in the know. One is sweet, the
other, lip-smackingly tangy, and both are inspired by the Somali
flavours Hassan grew up eating. This cookbook expands the Basbaas
credo of bringing East African tastes to a broader audience. As
much a travelogue as it is a recipe trove, Hassan brings us into
the fragrant kitchens of Kenyan, Tanzanian and Madagascan
grandmothers, among others. Expect charred Somali flatbreads,
fragrant plantain and bean dishes and pearls of wisdom aplenty in
this beautiful book.
Indian-ish: Recipes and Antics from a Modern American Family
By Priya Krishna and Ritu Krishna
Priya Krishna, a food columnist for The New York Times (don’t
miss her and her architect-baker partner’s incredible gingerbread
house-building bake-offs with Sohla and Ham El-Waylly on NYT
Cooking), co-authored this ode to her Dallas childhood dinners
with her mother, Ritu. What you find between the beautifully shot
and illustrated (by desi-pop artist Maria Qamar) pages are tasty
mash-ups of Indian and American flavours: think the likes of tomato
rice with crispy cheddar, earthy saag paneer and – our personal
favourite – spiced-yoghurt toasted sandwiches.
My Lisbon
by Nuno Mendes
Recipes are peppered throughout this intimate portrait of
Portugal’s City of Light. It’s a love letter from Lisboeta Nuno
Mendes to his hometown, in which he brings to life the roar of
Lisbon‘s
modern food scene along with its centuries-old traditions. And yes,
there’s much more in here than sardines and pasteis de nata.
Feast: Recipes and Stories From a Canadian Road Trip
by Lindsay Anderson and Dana VanVeller
On a five-month, 37,000km, coast-to-coast road trip across
Canada, Anderson and VanVeller chatted to more than 80 farmers,
grandmothers, First Nation elders and acclaimed chefs. The result
is this anthology of recipes and reflections, including Yukon
cinnamon buns, bison sausage rolls and tundra-berry muffins.
The East: 120 Vegan and Vegetarian Recipes from Bangalore to Beijing
by Meera Sodha
The East is a pretty big place and home to a miscellany of
foodscapes. Whisking us from India to Indonesia via China, Thailand
and Vietnam, Sodha’s rundown proves that flavour can be both
fuss-free and meat-free with her variations on curries, noodles,
tofu dishes, sweets and more. Kimchi pancakes and salted miso
brownies are on the top of our to-do list.
Black Sea: Dispatches and Recipes, Through Darkness and Light
by Caroline Eden
Part travelogue, part cookbook, Black Sea is an expedition
through Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey that hones in on the
intersection between food and culture. A recipe for borscht is
accompanied by a tale of rebellion, while comparisons are drawn
between Romanian covrigi and Turkish simit bread. Can’t travel
there? This is the next best thing.
The Broadsheet Melbourne Cookbook: Recipes from the City’s Best
by Broadsheet Media
When it comes to dining out, Melbourne‘s
effervescent food scene rivals that of New
York and
London. This book tells you not just where and what to eat, but
also gives you a slice of Down Under with recipes straight from the
kitchens of the city’s cafés and restaurants, including Chin Chin,
Mamasita and Ladro. Like this? There’s also a Sydney iteration of
the book.
Ottolenghi Test Kitchen: Shelf Love
By Noor Murad and Yotam Ottolenghi
Few sights are more cheering than the spice jar-laden shelves
and jovial faces of the Ottolenghi Test Kitchen team on the set of
their new YouTube series, OTK What’s For Dinner? And cooking along, with the
help of the Ottolenghi Test Kitchen cookbook, only makes this
heavenly at-home activity even more fun. The cookbook is really a
compendium of a year’s-worth of testing with limited ingredients
during 2020’s lockdowns. And it’s perfect. A quick scan of your
pantry and fridge will probably reveal that you do have the spices,
feta and yoghurt with which to stuff those sweet potatoes you
bought last week. That dusty jar of sumac at the back of the
cupboard? Marinate a chicken in it for a hit of zesty, Levantine
freshness. This masterful yet accessible book takes us around the
world, albeit with Ottolenghi’s signature spicy kick.
Jamie’s Great Britain
by Jamie Oliver
Gracing our screens and lining our bookshelves, Jamie Oliver is
the bread and butter of modern British home cooking. In this
culinary tour of the UK, he updates nostalgic dishes such as bubble
and squeak, toad in the hole, jam tarts and arctic roll. Pukka.
This article was updated on 10th of January 2022.