I do not read cook books or scour through recipe books for the next meal to dazzle my friends and family with but because I love looking at beautiful pictures, reading words associated with food, the drama and sizzle, the plethora of ingredients and the insights into why as human beings our continuing and ongoing explorations with food and cooking show no signs of abating. So you will find cookbooks not only on my kitchen shelves but also my bedside table and even in the bathroom. I have to confess I love reading about cooking way more than the actual act of slaving over a kitchen stove.
Here is our pick of some really good books that celebrate the epicurean in you. These do not just make for a captivating read but could also tempt you to recreate some of the recipes in these books, or even make you more aware and conscious of what we eat, how we eat and where it comes from.
Like Water for Chocolate
By Laura Esquivel
This tale of family life in turn-of-the-century Mexico is earthy, magical, and utterly charming, blending romance and food.
A feast of a novel, it relates the bizarre history of the all-female De La Garza family. Tita, the youngest daughter of the house, has been forbidden to marry, condemned by Mexican tradition to look after her mother until she dies. But Tita falls in love with Pedro, and he is seduced by the magical food she cooks. In desperation, Pedro marries her sister Rosaura so that he can stay close to her. For the next twenty-two years, Tita and Pedro are forced to circle each other in unconsummated passion.
THE HINDI BINDI CLUB
By Monica Pradhan
Between mothers and daughters lies a very special world. Follow the relationships of two very different generations of women with everything to learn from each other.
For decades, the mothers have gathered together, dressed in saris and sweater sets, to share recipes, arguments, and laughter. They are the Hindi-Bindi Club, a nickname given by their American daughters to the mothers who left India to start life anew.
Daughters, who are now grown, and facing struggles of their own; Kiran, Preity, and Rani are coming home to the suburbs of Washington, D.C. for the holidays, and of course, to the Hindi-Bindi Club. For what holiday would be complete without their mother hens' mouthwatering food, their gossip and their unsolicited advice?
Fast Food Nation
By Eric Schlosser
Fast food has made us fat. It has widened the chasm between the rich and poor. It has propelled American cultural imperialism abroad and also led to the 'malling' of our modern, global landscape. A lengthy list of charges but Eric Scholsser convinces you of the validity of these by combining first rate reporting, humour and careful reasoning.
Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly
By Anthony Bourdain
The book is Bourdain's professional story and a behind-the-scenes look at restaurant kitchens. The commercial kitchen is described as an intense, unpleasant and sometimes hazardous place of work staffed by what he describes as misfits. The book alternates between a confessional narrative and an industry commentary, providing insightful and humorous anecdotes on the cooking trade.
Great Food, All Day Long: Cook Splendidly, Eat Smart
By Maya Angelou
"At one time, I described myself as a cook, a driver, and a writer. I no longer drive, but I do still write and I do still cook. And having reached the delicious age of eighty-one, I realize that I have been feeding other people and eating for a long time. I have been cooking nearly all my life, so I have developed some philosophies."
Renowned and beloved author Maya Angelou returns to the kitchen with her cookbook, filled with time-tested recipes and the intimate, autobiographical sketches of how they came to be. Featuring gorgeous illustrations throughout and Angelou's own tips and tricks on everything from portion control to timing a meal.
Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen
By Julie Powell
Thirty years old, bored with her job, hating her Queens apartment, Julie Powell decided to transcend her life by concocting all 524 recipes in Julia Child's 1961 classic Mastering the Art of French Cooking -- in a single year. Replicating Child's kitchen artistry at such short notice tested Julie's skill and stamina, not to mention her husband's patience; but it did produce a high-spirited, sometimes hilarious memoir.
How to Be a Domestic Goddess
By Nigella Lawson
The trouble with much modern cooking is that the mood it induces in the cook is one of skin-of-the-teeth efficiency, all briskness and little pleasure. Sometimes that's the best we can manage, but at other times we don't want to feel stressed and overstretched, but like a domestic goddess, trailing nutmeggy fumes of baking pie in our languorous wake.... --from How to Be a Domestic Goddess
How to Be a Domestic Goddess is not about being a goddess, but about feeling like one. What this deliciously mouthwatering cookbook demonstrates is that it's not actually hard to bake a pan of muffins or a sponge layer cake, but the appreciation and satisfaction they bring are disproportionately high.
French Women Don't Get Fat:
The Secret of Eating for Pleasure
By Mireille Guiliano
Don't Diet, Eat Chocolate, Drink Wine
Take Long Walks, Enjoy Life, Experience joie de vivre
Stay Slim the French way! What's not to love about a book that encourages you to take the time to savor the myriad culinary pleasure in life? Now if only they could tell us how to gain the very chic very French je ne sais quoi… ooh la la baby!
