Food Writing: The Matrimony of the Literary and Culinary
Take it from a fat guy: food is great. It’s no secret that I love to read and have worked in and around kitchens pretty much nonstop for the last two decades. The marriage of the two is almost universally successful for me. So why not dive into a healthy serving of writing guaranteed to get your mouth watering? Don’t know where to start? No worries. I’ve got you covered.
Books About Food and Where It Comes From
Author: Michael Pollan
Book(s): Any of his food writings
There are few better authors writing about food and the food industry than Pollan. His theories on how we produce and consume food are insightful and informative. His brilliant manifesto In Defense of Food touts the virtues of a more natural, high plant diet in a more manufactured Western diet. The Omnivore’s Dilemma is probably his most prolific book, giving insight into what the terms “factory farmed” and “farm to table” actually mean.
Looking for something a little more theoretical? Try The Botany of Desire.
Something more food history? Check out Cooking: A Natural History of Transformation.
Pollan rarely writes about food anymore. He’s become increasingly focused on telling anyone that will listen the benefits of mind-altering psychedelic substances. These books are worth reading, though the subject matter is more difficult to address without taking a side about things like legality and authority. If that’s not an obstacle for you, have at it.
Author: Mark Kurlansky
Books: Salt: A World History, Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World, The Big Oyster: History on the Half Shell, Milk: A 10,000-Year Food Fracas, The Food of a Younger Land: The WPA’s Portrait of Food in Pre-WWII America
You know a writer is serious about history when all their titles have a colon and a subtitle, and there is no better food historian (in my opinion) than Mark Kurlansky. Kurlansky always writes from an interesting perspective. His food histories are more about humanity’s relationship with food and the ways that food affects and changes the paths of history. His books always open fascinating avenues in relation to midland subjects. Be it Salt or Paper (not food, I know), he can make anything into a fascinating relic.
Books About Those That Shape the Way We Talk About, and Perhaps, Prepare Food
Author: Anthony Bourdain
Books: Kitchen Confidential: Adventures In the Culinary Underbelly, A Cook’s Tour: Global Adventures in Extreme Cuisines, Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook, The Nasty Bits
Few people are more responsible for my love of culinary daring and passion for the restaurant world than Anthony Bourdain. If you’re not sure who Bourdain is, this is where you start. He rose to notoriety as a bad boy snitch of the industry’s deepest, darkest secrets and turn into a global traveler and lover of food and culture at home and abroad. No one has a better voice for putting you right in the middle of the action, whether it be the delicate ballet of the busy kitchen line of the consumption of a still beating cobra heart in the jungle. His early death was devastating for me. The man was a folk hero to many. If you have the chance, I do recommend the audio versions of his writings. They’re read by Bourdain and his sense of storytelling is enhanced by the first hand telling.
Author: Eric Ripert
Book: 32 Yolks: From My Mother’s Table to Working the Line
Speaking of Bourdain, why not read the autobiography of his closest friend while you’re at it? There’s not a ton to say other than Ripert had a fascinating upbringing with a close connection to food, which helped him on his rise to the creation of one of the most consistent best restaurants in America.
Author: Jacques Pépin
Book: The Apprentice: My Life in the Kitchen
There are no books that get more use in my household than those with the name Jacques Pépin emblazoned across the spine. There is no single person on YouTube (or any video service, for that matter) better at the instruction of technique than Jacque Pépin. The man is a literal legend of the industry. The book I’ve listed here is his autobiography, which is a fascinating tale of his time cooking for a French President, his near death in an automobile accident, and his role in improving the consistency of restaurant food as we know it. And while this book is the only one I’ve listed here for the purposes of consistency, I can’t recommend his simple and amazing cookbooks enough. All of them. His books on technique are must-owns. His Fast Food My Way cookbooks are the essentials when you have limited time and ingredients.
Author: Marcus Samuelsson
Book: Yes, Chef
I can’t think of another chef that has had a more varied and tumultuous culinary upbringing than Marcus Samuelsson. Born in Africa, orphaned, adopted, and raised in Sweden, he then ascended to prominence in America. His is a story of growing and learning not only from his atypical upbringing, but also from his own very human mistakes. I love his sense of personal growth and attempt to maintain a connection to his varied historical roots.
The Outliers: Books About the Things in Food’s Periphery
Author: Bee Wilson
Book: Consider the Fork: A History of How We Cook and Eat
Bee Wilson has done a lot of writing about food, but the work that stands out to me is Consider the Fork. It’s a book about food’s unsung heroes… kitchen utensils and equipment. A stunning look at the tools we use to prepare and consume our food. Ever wondered about the history of the fork? Chopsticks? Ovens? Fryers? Bee has you covered.
Author: Nell McShane Wulfhart
Book: Off Menu: The Secret Science of Food & Dining
This is one of those books that blew my mind. It’s broken into sections that talk about how we use each of our senses to enjoy food and the ways those senses are used to market said good to us. It’s full of interesting scientific studies about the ways food is affected by feeling certain textures, changing music, and even dimming the lights. It’s my kind of book that forces the brain to consider things it never knew to think about.
Author: Benjamin Lorr
Book: The Secret Life of Groceries: The Dark Miracle of the American Supermarket
Ever wonder why the stuff in the grocery aisle is where it is? Ever wonder how refrigeration on a large scale came about? This is where you find out. Partly a story of the formation of the modern grocery store, and partly the tale of the rise of Aldi and Trader Joe’s in particular. If nothing else, this book will probably change the way you think about shrimp.
That concludes the first course of some of the best writing about eating out there. But fear not… we’ve barely scratched the surface of what I’ve read alone. Look forward to another bite at this apple somewhere in the future. Until next time, consume a book. With your eyes. Don’t eat a book. Please.
