Most Essential Food-related Books from 2006

[rgruby]

And why.

I'm not sure anything I bought this year I'd use the term "essential" for. I enjoyed Heat and the Nasty Bits. I also read Gina Mallett's Last Chance to Eat (although published 2 or 3 years ago) and The End of Food. Not sure I even bought a (new) cookbook this year. And I love cookbooks - I just couldn't get excited about the this years' crop, with a couple of exceptions. I have to admit I haven't followed what's out there as closely as I have in the past; that's part of my reason for posting this.

I'm interested in hearing about Marco Pierre White's book, and Michael Pollan's. Fuschia Dunlop's new one too - though I understand it doesn't come out on this side of the pond until the spring.

So. What have I missed? What's inspired you?

Has anybody done a good cookbook roundup?

Cheers,

Geoff Ruby

[Veronica Volny]

Hi Geoff,

The most influential book I read this year was The Omnivore's Dilemma (Michael Pollan). I highly recommend it. Why? I think it would behoove us all to think a little beyond our plates, and cultivate a better understanding of where our food comes from, how it is produced, and what effects these processes have on our communities and on the environment. I learned so much from the Omnivore's Dilemma, and even though I had already considered myself a fairly conscientious consumer, I realized how much I didn't know. The book has really changed how I eat, and has thereby made my eating a more rewarding and fulfilling experience. A must read, I think, and very engaging—Pollan is a beautiful writer.

As for cookbooks, I got Suzanne Goin's Sunday Suppers at Lucques earlier this year, and I have really enjoyed cooking from it. She cooked here in Boulder last summer, as a guest chef at Frasca. It was a fantastic meal, and that is what prompted me to purchase her book. I enjoy simply reading it, too. Hopefully I'll make it to Lucques in LA one day...

I recently read Heat—I enjoyed it. It was very entertaining.

What is The End of Food??

Thanks for starting the new thread - I'm excited to see what folks have been reading...

V.

[Jensen]

The one food-related book I purchased this year that stands out above all others is Michael Pollan's "The Omnivore's Dilemma".

Before reading it, I thought it might be "preaching to the choir". Buying local, as far as produce is concerned, has been a way of life for us since shortly after moving to CA. Our family histories mean that highly processed food has never really played a big role in our diets.

Despite all that, this book was a complete and utter eye-opener.

[docsconz]

El Bulli 2003-2004. This continues the documentation of what may be the greatest chef and greatest restaurant in the world. While I may not be personally making much or any of what is in the book, it has continued to inspire my culinary passion.

[Mikeb19]

"La Cuisine - c'est de l'amour, de l'art, de la technique" by Pierre Gagnaire and Hervé This. Very inspirational, a great read.

[kutsu]

I love Giorgio Locatellis "Made in Italy" - it's huge and I'd say that, as a result of the recipes and some of the principles involved in it (make the most of what you have, best ingredients all the time etc) I'd say I cook using the skills gained from it 90% of the time. I adore it.

[chezcherie]

as a non-baker, let me be the first to give a shout out to dorie greenspan's "baking: from my home to yours" for inspiring me to grease and flour baking pans once again. everything i've tried has been exceptional, which is even more inspiring.

[JasonZ]

Most of my cookbook purchases this year have been of classics, not of newly published recipe books. A clear exception is Locatelli's "Made in Italy" -- I'd second the previous opinion on it. Great philosophy, goreous pictures, and wonderful recipes. It's a keepr.

I'm waiting for Fuscia's Hunan book -- I have it on order here, but debated ordering it from amazon.co.uk, so I could get it earlier. Why can a book publish in the UK in mid-August 2006 and not be out in the US until mid-Feb 2007? Her first book, on Sichuan cuisine, was fabulous.

I have Pollen's book on order, but I understand it's as good as Botany of Desire, which was a fabulous food book in at least a few chapters.

Marco Pierre White -- White Slave -- not a cookbook, but a cook's retrospective tour of a life. As much psychological insight as factual biography. A good read, but not one I'll re-read ... certainly better than many other "celeb chef's bios", this one is actually seriously contemplative at times, as Marco tries to understand for himself (and tell us) what really shaped him, and why he behaved the way he did, both in the "bad boy" sense and in the "award winning, driven chef" sense. I liked it -- but after my friennds are done reading it, it will go on eBay.

[highchef]

I re-read Kitchen confidential (bourdain), also Fork It Over (Richman) and I really enjoyed Heat. I've also read, although not a new book, Beard on Food. It's almost like a flashback for me..interesting train of thought and commentary. Beard has an almost simplistic idea of food. That is a word I would not have used for him 20 years ago. Maybe I should say 'clean'...I don't know, but it's certainly before the likes of E Bulli etc. Let's just call it slightly retro.

I read cookbooks like novels sometimes, if they've got interesting forwards to the recipes and info on the hows and where they came from, or the ideas that sparked them. Dorie Greenspans is one of those. I really am enjoying it. I've also taken out many of my Time-Life books on food to go back to basics on a few things..like candy and bread. this is really too funny, I was JUST thinking last night, about this year my main interest in books seems to be cooking related!

[Bobby 2 Shakes]

Peter Kaminsky's "Pig Perfect" & Pollan's "Omnivore's Dilemma" got me started in the right direction, but for an assiduously researched reference, it's hard to beat Marion Nestle's "What to Eat."

[Lori in PA]

My cookbook of the year is Dorie Greenspan's great baking book. We're having a good time together.

[KarenSherwood]

My treasure is Ruth Reichl's Garlic and Sapphires. It's a collection short essays about various points in time during her New York Times food critic stint. It's funny, insightful, appetizing and entertaining. AND it has some good recipes!

Thanks to that book I now have another 'food jones' on my list...Korean BBQ. Two days after I read her essay I was hunting down ANY candidate here in AZ, and luckily found what I think is at least a contender only a few miles away. It's now one of our favorite 'eat out cheap' places.

I lived in NYC for 5 years in the early 80s and her descriptions of various places made me terribly 'homesick.' This book is a gem.

[rgruby]

What is The End of Food??

Thanks for starting the new thread - I'm excited to see what folks have been reading...

V.

←

The End of Food is by Canadian author (I'm a Canuck) and former and current farmer Thomas Pawlich. Like Gina Mallett's and Michael Pollan's books, it deals with some of the drawbacks of modern industrial agriculture.

For example, he points out that potatoes have lost 100% of their vitamin A (if memory serves) over the last few decades. Sorry, I can't remember the specific details, but that stood out for me. Many of our vegetables have lost considerable amounts of their nutritional content over the last several decades, sometimes to a staggeringly large extent.

I'll give the book a qualified thumbs up - some might find it a bit dry perhaps, but for me all those stats and figures really grabbed my attention. He does give a funny account over his frustration with the current state of the tomatoes we get in this part of the world for most of the year.

The most disappointing part of the book, to me, was the last section on how to fight back against the agro-industrial machine. A bit too left-wing screedish perhaps. Or perhaps it was simply a case of nothing particularly new to me ( I happen to read a lot of, and tend to agree with as often as not, left-wing screeds - at least as far as they pertain to our food supply).

But, a valuable contribution to this area of the literature, particularly the stats on the decreasing nutrient levels (often accompanied by increased sodium) in our vegetables.

I have no idea if it's been published outside Canada. Or if the Pollan book or Marion Nestle's cover the same territory.

Cheers,

Geoff Ruby

[rgruby]

"La Cuisine - c'est de l'amour, de l'art, de la technique"  by Pierre Gagnaire and Hervé This.  Very inspirational, a great read.

←

I did pick up the Herve This book that was translated into English and came out early this year, I think. Quite interesting, but I've sort of pecked away randomly at it.

Hopefully more of his books will be translated into English.

Cheers,

Geoff Ruby

[rgruby]

For those Dorrie Greenspan fans - what have you been making out of her book?

Is there anything it is particularly strong on?

Cheers,

Geoff Ruby

[maggiethecat]

"Into the Vietnamese Kitchen"

Trust me, I really don't need any new cookbooks, but this one is fresh, practical and provides so many beautiful dishes and techniques. A great guide to a great cuisine.

[rgruby]

"Into the Vietnamese Kitchen"

Trust me, I really don't need any new cookbooks, but this one is fresh, practical and provides so many beautiful dishes and techniques. A great guide to a great cuisine.

←

That's one of the exceptions I was referring to at the top of this thread. It does indeed look very interesting. I hardly ever try to cook Vietnamese though - there's a whole whack of Vietnamese joints within a 10 or 15 minute walk from home that are good and inexpensive. I still might pick it up though.

There's also been a bunch of Spanish cookbooks released in the last year or so (maybe year and a half) that I'm interested in and would like to hear more about. I know there's a big thread on here about the Jose Andres (sp?) book Tapas. Any comments on it or the other Spanish cookbooks that have come out recently?

Cheers,

Geoff Ruby

[Lori in PA]

Here's what we've been cooking from Dorie's book:

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=92816&hl=

[KristiB50]

I also loved The Omnivores dilemma and What to Eat.

I'd like to add: Hungry Planet, What the World Eats by Peter Menzel and Faith D'Aluisio.

Maybe not essential but a fascinating book and looks good on my coffee table!

Edited November 21, 2006 by KristiB50 (log)

[raymondhoudayer]

Greetings to all from Canada.

I am an avid reader of culinary type books. I'm not that much into cookbooks as I am into stories about food and its many facets.

My latest reads are White Slave, Marco Pierre Whites autobiograhy and Fast Food nation.

What were your views if any on these books..

Other reads are, but not limited to;

Kitchen Confidential

Nasty Little Bits

All of Micheal Rhulman's(sorry for the spelling) books

All of Andrew Dornenburg's (spelling again) books

The seasoning of a chef

I am always on the lookout for another book to read about this wonderful business that I have chosen as a career

Cheers from the great white north.

Raymond

Edited November 21, 2006 by raymondhoudayer (log)

[GTO]

Raymond: I started reading Kitchen Confidential in the actual bookshop, stood at the shelf but I got paranoid and forced myself to put it back, lol. I must borrow it from the library sometime.

My most recent read has been "Feast" by Nigella Lawson - Wow, I've always liked her cooking and writing but to see it all together in such a mammoth book is fantastic. In Feast she emcompasses everything I love about her food - It's fun, original, easy and often wholly unique, with little twists on things she's done before, like changing the Ham in Coke recipe to Ham in cherry Coke.

[JasonZ]

As a Canadian, you should add to your list "Susur: A Culinary Biography" by Susur Lee. The second half is recipes, but the first half is truly a biography and culinary philosophy ... his life story turns out to be as exciting as his food is ...

The other one I'd add to your list is Michael Pollen's "Omnivore's Dilemma". He's a fab writer and the story of what is behind the food we eat (or decide not to eat) is a wonderful story, told by a wonderful storyteller ...

There are eGullet topics for both of these, just do a search and you'll come to them.

Sounds like your life might be a bit out of the ordinary as well ... how far out of Winnipeg are you? Do you interact much with other chefs? How do you hone your cuisine and your skills?

Regards,

JasonZ

Edited November 21, 2006 by JasonZ (log)

[MissAmy]

Omnivore's Delima is pretty hot at the moment. Everyone I know who has read it can't quit talking about it.

[C_Ruark]

Someone may beat me to recommending it to ya, but Montreal's Le Pied Du Cochon (Chef Martin Picard) has recently published a great eponymous cookbook which many of us are searching for US distributors.

The work is part recipes, part comic book and includes a DVD recipe walkthrough.

I'd very much like to get a copy soon.

~C

[Marlene]

The Cooks Book and The Silver Spoon for possibly two of the best detailed technique books I've read.