The most recommended books about food

Who picked these books? Meet our 253 experts.

253 authors created a book list with books about food, and here are their favorite books for foodies.

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Book cover of Living the G. I. Diet : Delicious Recipes and Real-Life Strategies to Lose Weight and Keep It Off

Milan Somborac Author Of Your Mouth, Your Health: Stop and Reverse Aging

From my list on nutrition from a retired dentist.

Why am I passionate about this?

I retired after 54 years of private dental practice. I hold four dental implant patents and have been awarded fellowships in four honorary dental academies. I've made it a personal mission to use print, radio, TV, and personal appearances to bring into focus the dietary connection between diseases of civilization (excess weight, diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, constipation, diverticulitis, varicose veins, hemorrhoids, deep venous thrombosis, and others) and dental decay which predicts all the others. They account for over half of all hospital admissions and over half of the money spent on health care. Understanding their common dietary origin will allow anyone to prevent, reverse and eliminate any and all of them.

Milan's book list on nutrition from a retired dentist

Milan Somborac Why did Milan love this book?

Dr. David Jenkins and University of Toronto colleagues developed the glycemic index (GI) in 1980–1981. Based on solid science, the GI distinguishes between carbohydrates that are digested slowly (those in Mother Nature’s pantry), those that are digested quickly (refined carbohydrates), and those that lie in between. Using either glucose or white bread as reference points, the GI assigns relative values to carbohydrates and makes sensible selection possible.

Based on David Jenkin’s science-based glycemic index, shortly after publication, this book made the New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists. The latest edition provides a large number of recipes. Additionally, it offers advice about how to lose weight, how to maintain the weight loss, and how to stay on track during holidays and in restaurants. It also discusses the psychology and the management of food cravings. All in all, the book is comprehensive.

By Rick Gallop, Emily Richard,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Living the G. I. Diet as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The easiest diet going is now even easier--and tastier. Off to an explosive start, The G.I. Diet quickly landed on New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists, and required five quick printings (for a total of 190,000 copies) to keep pace with demand after national publicity discovered the "Canadian miracle diet" (Woman's World). Now, continuing to build on the nutritional wisdom of the glycemic index, Rick Gallop follows up with the essential companion--a cookbook and strategy guide for living the G.I. Diet.

Organized around the simple, intuitive principle of green-, yellow-, and red-light foods--if you can follow a…


Book cover of Sunny-Side Up: More Than 100 Breakfast & Brunch Recipes from the Essential Egg to the Perfect Pastry

Lisa Steele Author Of The Fresh Eggs Daily Cookbook: Over 100 Fabulous Recipes to Use Eggs in Unexpected Ways

From my list on cookbooks when you’re craving breakfast food.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a New Englander, born and bred, 5th generation chicken keeper, and lifelong gardener. I currently live on a small farm in Maine where I raise chickens, ducks, and geese and grow all kinds of vegetables, herbs, and edible flowers. I love cooking and baking with fresh produce from my garden and fresh eggs from my chicken coop. Eggs, in particular, are a favorite ingredient of mine because they are so plentiful, versatile, delicious, and nutritious. Breakfast for dinner is obviously a favorite at our house. 

Lisa's book list on cookbooks when you’re craving breakfast food

Lisa Steele Why did Lisa love this book?

This gorgeous cookbook from former executive pastry chef and Food Network Cake Wars judge, Waylynn Lucas, is everything a breakfast cookbook should be. Runny egg yolks, light and airy pastries, fresh fruit, and everything in between. And she goes one step further and shares some brunch menus which include beverages and cocktails perfect to start the day with. I absolutely enjoyed this cookbook from a true baking pro.

By Waylynn Lucas,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Sunny-Side Up as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

From the perfect scrambled egg for one to special-occasion brunch crowd-pleasers, wake up to 100+ breakfast and brunch recipes from a Cake Wars judge and celebrated pastry chef
 
“Sure to help any cook crack into the incredible, edible egg.”—Michael Voltaggio, chef/restaurateur
 
Have you ever wished you could enjoy a delicious restaurant-quality breakfast or brunch at home with your loved ones? Sunny-Side Up will have you doing just that in no time. In her warm and encouraging voice, Waylynn Lucas demonstrates how a touch of finesse can elevate your dishes and make you more confident in the kitchen. Whether you’re looking…


Book cover of French Women Don't Get Fat: The Secret of Eating for Pleasure

Kenden Alfond Author Of Kosher Macros: 63 Recipes for Eating Everything (Kosher) for Physical Health and Emotional Balance

From my list on reset your mindset and enjoy eating in balance.

Why am I passionate about this?

My name is Kenden, I’m a psychotherapist and executive coach who focuses on Enneagram personality assessment and financial psychology and behavior. I have a side passion for writing Jewish cookbooks and creating modern minimalist Judica. I grew up in Maine, USA, and have since lived and worked in Afghanistan, India, DR Congo, Switzerland, and Cambodia. Nowadays I live in Paris. 

Kenden's book list on reset your mindset and enjoy eating in balance

Kenden Alfond Why did Kenden love this book?

Published in 2005, some parts of this book feel un-PC in light of the body positivity and beautiful-at-any-size movements.

With that said, I live in Paris and the food behavior and mindset observations that Mireille Guiliano shares are mostly true about French women. Whereas, American women are feeling worried/guilty about the next food they might eat, French women are daydreaming about the next food pleasure they will experience.

This book is easy to read because it tells an engaging story about her experience as a high school exchange student in the United States and how she gained weight. When she returned to France, her mother and the family doctor put her on a food regime and this led her to try to distill the essential French mindset about food and eating behaviors that allow people to enjoy food, eat well-balanced meals, and maintain a healthy lifelong body weight. 

By Mireille Guiliano,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked French Women Don't Get Fat as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

#1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER • The book that launched a French Revolution about how to approach healthy living: the ultimate non-diet book—now with more recipes.

“The perfect book.... A blueprint for building a healthy attitude toward food and exercise"—San Francisco Chronicle

French women don’t get fat, even though they enjoy bread and pastry, wine, and regular three-course meals. Unlocking the simple secrets of this “French paradox”—how they enjoy food while staying slim and healthy—Mireille Guiliano gives us a charming, inspiring take on health and eating for our times. For anyone who has slipped out of her Zone, missed the flight to…


Book cover of Drinking the Devil's Acre: A Love Letter from San Francisco and her Cocktails

Lou Bustamante Author Of The Complete Cocktail Manual: Recipes and Tricks of the Trade for Modern Mixologists

From my list on the future of cocktails by SF Bay Area writers.

Why am I passionate about this?

While the Bay Area’s impact on the way we eat as a country, being at the forefront of the farm-to-table and seasonal produce movement, cocktails are being equal consideration. Why not? Distilled spirits are agricultural products, the same way wine and beer are, and so it reasons that we would worry about how they are made, their history, and the future. Can cocktails be made in a more sustainable way? Can I use beets in my cocktail? Do spirits have a sense of place? And will applying beer to a wound help it heal (note: it won’t)? Here’s a selection of books that explore the past, present, and possible future of how you drink.

Lou's book list on the future of cocktails by SF Bay Area writers

Lou Bustamante Why did Lou love this book?

Named after a small section of the Barbary Coast in San Francisco that was infamous for the hard-drinking saloons, McDonnell explores the scandalous history through 25 cocktails.

Each drink made famous in San Francisco, from the classic Pisco Punch to modern classics like the Revolver, paint a vivid picture of the history of foggy San Francisco.

By Duggan McDonnell, Luke Abiol (photographer),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Drinking the Devil's Acre as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

During the 1870s and '80s, a single bar-filled block in San Francisco called the Devil's Acre threw what may have been the most enduring party the world has ever seen. Duggan McDonnell is in love with the city of his forefathers and its ever-flowing cocktails, and it shows in this historypacked drinking tour through one of the most beloved cities in the world. Twenty-five iconic cocktail recipes made famous by the City by the Bay-from the legendary Pisco Punch, Mai Tai, and Irish Coffee to the Gold Rush-era Sazerac and more modern-day Lemon Drop-are accompanied by an additional 45 recipes…


Book cover of Wine and War: The French, the Nazis, and the Battle for France's Greatest Treasure

Sarah Rowlands Author Of The Periodic Table of Wine

From my list on how history has influenced wines.

Why am I passionate about this?

I became intensely interested in wine while working in a Michelin Star kitchen where understanding how flavours work together, developing nuances in my palate, and an interesting wine list combine. Enthusiasm and passion led to success in wine examinations at the highest levels, working in wine retail, travelling the globe visiting amazing vineyards, and wineries, meeting iconic winemakers, influential vineyards managers, as well as other luminaries in the world of wine. The greatest benefit being many new friends and lifelong special memories. Along with the wine tastings I give, The Periodic Table of Wine is a way to share discovering wine and the joy it brings to new audiences.

Sarah's book list on how history has influenced wines

Sarah Rowlands Why did Sarah love this book?

You don’t need to know about wine or WWII to enjoy the story of how French wine was ingeniously protected from pillaging Germans during the Occupation. It reads like a war movie, about wine. Some anecdotes with a touch of James Bond about them, with others more Allo Allo. Sadly, the heroism involved continues to this day, but now with Lebanese wine producers. Indeed, there is another more recent book covering this very topic too.

By Don Kladstrup, Petie Kladstrup,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Wine and War as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In the vineyards, wine caves, and cellars of France as war and occupation came to the country winemakers acted heroically not only to save the best wines but to defend their way of life.

These are the true stories of vignerons who sheltered Jewish refugees in their cellars and of winemakers who risked their lives to aid the resistance. They made chemicals in secret laboratories to fuel the resistance and fled from the Gestapo when arrests became imminent.

There were treacheries too, as some of the nation's winemakers supported the Vichy regime or the Germans themselves and collaborated.

Donald Kladstrup…


Book cover of The Flavour Thesaurus: More Flavours: Plant-led Pairings, Recipes and Ideas for Cooks

Anthony Gladman Author Of Gin A Tasting Course: A Flavor-focused Approach to the World of Gin

From my list on cocktail-loving flavour fans.

Why am I passionate about this?

I think I was always meant to write about drinks for a living, it just took me a while to realise. Ever since my Dad gave me a copy of Harry's ABC of Mixing Cocktails as a kid (to look at the cartoonish illustrations) I've been fascinated by these particularly adult delights. I've also followed flavour around all my life like a Loony Tunes figure in the thrall of a beckoning wisp of fragrant steam. Studying this stuff for various drinks industry qualifications has only made that interest grow stronger, and so I take it out on you, dear reader, in the nicest way, of course.

Anthony's book list on cocktail-loving flavour fans

Anthony Gladman Why did Anthony love this book?

Ok, you got me: this isn't a drinks book. But if you're interested in drinks, properly interested, I mean, above and beyond a fondness for getting drunk, then you're interested in flavour.

This book sets my mind racing about the combinations I could conjure up between drink, garnish, and snack. Just imagine, you open a page at random, and there's Segnit's pairing of caraway and poppy seed. Delicious! How much more so might it be next to a nice glass of Madeira, or perhaps something that's sat for a while in a sherry cask taking on all those flavours?

Another one: sesame and shiso. Ok. I know some gins flavoured with shiso. This could work. I flick through this book, and a million new paths open before me, leading me on to tasty treats.

By Niki Segnit,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Flavour Thesaurus as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The hugely anticipated follow-up to Niki Segnit's landmark global bestseller The Flavour Thesaurus In More Flavours, Niki Segnit applies her ground-breaking approach to explore 92 mostly plant-based flavours, from Kale to Cashew, Pomegranate to Pistachio. There are over 800 witty and erudite entries combining recipes, tasting notes and stories to bring each ingredient to life.


Book cover of Spice: The History of a Temptation

Eleanor Ford Author Of The Nutmeg Trail: Recipes and Stories Along the Ancient Spice Routes

From my list on to spice up your shelves.

Why am I passionate about this?

In my writing, food is a means to explore culture and understand the world. I’ve been described as a ‘culinary detective’. I collect and create eclectic, evocative recipes from around the globe so I can travel from my kitchen when I'm back home in London. The Nutmeg Trail follows my multi-award-winning books, Fire Islands and Samarkand.

Eleanor's book list on to spice up your shelves

Eleanor Ford Why did Eleanor love this book?

A compelling exploration by Turner into what made spices so fashionable and so dangerous. “For their sake, fortunes have been made and lost, empires built and destroyed, and new worlds discovered” all to sate human infatuation with these ingredients. I was swept away by Turner’s erudite approach to spice history and his work has been an inspiration to me.

By Jack Turner,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Spice as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In this brilliant, engrossing work, Jack Turner explores an era—from ancient times through the Renaissance—when what we now consider common condiments were valued in gold and blood.

Spices made sour medieval wines palatable, camouflaged the smell of corpses, and served as wedding night aphrodisiacs. Indispensible for cooking, medicine, worship, and the arts of love, they were thought to have magical properties and were so valuable that they were often kept under lock and key. For some, spices represented Paradise, for others, the road to perdition, but they were potent symbols of wealth and power, and the wish to possess them…


Book cover of Eat Right 4 Your Type: The Individualized Blood Type Diet Solution

Pip Waller Author Of Deeply Holistic: A Guide to Intuitive Self-Care--Know Your Body, Live Consciously, and Nurture Your Spirit

From my list on what to eat, what not to eat, and why.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a naturopathic therapist, teacher, and writer working mainly with plant medicine since 1989. For decades, I’ve been teaching many aspects of natural healing and have written 5 books, published in 6 languages, on various aspects of my work. One of my favourite books is DEEPLY HOLISTIC, a Guide to Intuitive Self-Care, a synthesis of much of the advice I’ve given clients over my 30 years of practice.

Pip's book list on what to eat, what not to eat, and why

Pip Waller Why did Pip love this book?

This book is not the one-size-fits-all approach of many food books. Naturopath Dr Peter J. D’Adamo has carried on the work of his father to research the effect of various types of lectins, a type of protein found in our body, and found in many foods. One way our unique biology is expressed is in our blood type – O, A, B, or AB. Different types of lectins cause agglutination (the clumping of particles) in different blood types. ‘If you eat a food that contains lectins incompatible with your blood type, those lectins cling or bind themselves to membranes in the digestive tract causing damage such as inflammation.’

By Dr. Peter J. D’Adamo, Catherine Whitney,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Eat Right 4 Your Type as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Eat Right 4 Your Type harnesses the power of our own amazing bio-chemistry to help you to cast aside the fad diets for good!

Dr Peter D'Adamo and Catherine Whitney are back with a fully updated and revised edition of their sensational book to demonstrate how working with your blood type plays a key role in losing weight, avoiding disease and promoting fitness and longevity.

After selling over a 7 million copies worldwide, this revised edition of the global phenomenon blood-type diet is packed with even more material - including a 10-Day Jump-Start Plan - to help you tailor your…


Book cover of Potato: A Global History

John Gaudet Author Of Papyrus: The Plant that Changed the World: From Ancient Egypt to Today's Water Wars

From my list on plants that changed the world.

Why am I passionate about this?

I'm a writer, lecturer, biologist, ecologist, and two-time Fulbright Scholar (to India and Malaysia). I'm now a fiction writer, but basically I’ve always been a storyteller who writes in a historical framework. While I feel an almost compulsive obligation to keep faith with the facts, my main objective is to tell a story—as dramatically and suspensefully and entertainingly as I can. My first non-fiction book, Papyrus: the Plant that Changed the World, tells the story of a plant that still evokes the mysteries of the ancient world while holding the key to the world’s wetlands and atmospheric stability. It changed the world as did all five of the plants on my list below. 

John's book list on plants that changed the world

John Gaudet Why did John love this book?

Potatoes began as a main food staple in the Andes then spread to the rest of the world and especially Ireland where the dependence of the people on it created havoc that lasted generations, and served humanity as an example never to be forgotten. 

This book explains how the potato brought about changes good and bad until today it is difficult to imagine life without it. A Big Mac with no fries is like a latte with no milk. It was introduced into China in the 1600s and by 2006 China’s potato production at 74 million tons is the largest in the world. The Chinese now consume 88 lb (40 kg) per person annually. 

As to its eatability, what more proof do we need than the movie, Martian in which Matt Damon shows us how he happily survived months on it in space. And he did all that without leaving…

By Andrew F. Smith,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Potato as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

From its obscure Pre-Columbian beginnings in South America to its global popularity today, the story of the potato is one of rags to riches. In Potato, esteemed culinary historian Andrew F. Smith reveals the captivating story of a once lowly vegetable that has changed - and continues to change - the world. First domesticated by prehistoric people in the Andes, the potato has since been adopted by cultures all over the globe. After its discovery by Europeans, goverments and monarchs encouraged the people to farm it because it was so nutritious and easy to grow, but its new position as…


Book cover of Brunch at Bobby's: 140 Recipes for the Best Part of the Weekend

Lisa Steele Author Of The Fresh Eggs Daily Cookbook: Over 100 Fabulous Recipes to Use Eggs in Unexpected Ways

From my list on cookbooks when you’re craving breakfast food.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a New Englander, born and bred, 5th generation chicken keeper, and lifelong gardener. I currently live on a small farm in Maine where I raise chickens, ducks, and geese and grow all kinds of vegetables, herbs, and edible flowers. I love cooking and baking with fresh produce from my garden and fresh eggs from my chicken coop. Eggs, in particular, are a favorite ingredient of mine because they are so plentiful, versatile, delicious, and nutritious. Breakfast for dinner is obviously a favorite at our house. 

Lisa's book list on cookbooks when you’re craving breakfast food

Lisa Steele Why did Lisa love this book?

Fans of Bobby Flay’s many Food Network shows will enjoy this cookbook. Although he’s mainly known for his grilling and flavorful TexMex recipes, in this cookbook he focuses on brunch favorites - of course with his own unique twist. And it’s one of the few places you’ll find him baking. There are even some pastry recipes included! I really enjoyed this cookbook and Bobby’s spin on some new breakfast fare destined to become favorites.

By Bobby Flay, Stephanie Banyas, Sally Jackson

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Brunch at Bobby's as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

At long last, Bobby Flay shares his simplest, most sought-after brunch recipes—while still delivering his signature intense flavors.
 
Bobby Flay may be best known for his skills at the grill, but brunch is his favorite meal of the week. In Brunch at Bobby’s, he includes 140 recipes starting with the lip-smacking cocktails, both spiked and virgin, that we have come to expect from him, along with hot and iced coffees and teas. He then works his way through eggs; pancakes, waffles, and French toast (including flavored syrups and spreads); pastries (a first) and breads; salads, sandwiches, and side dishes. Pull…