Hi, I’m interested in audiobooks that teach me things about food and cooking. I know this is pretty general so just a little brainstorm: The history of culinary herbs and spices, chef or critic memoirs that make you fall in love with food and cooking, discussions of pastries from around the world that make your mouth water, stuff about food and culture or where foods we buy in supermarkets come from these days, the difference in the quality of vegetables and fruits we have now compared to when everything was organic, concerns about meat (e.g., antibiotics).
So those are some examples. I appreciate passionate writing but sticking to facts. I’m not interested in books that are overly political or preachy about the environment, fair treatment of animals, etc. As important as those topics are, I’ve learned quite a bit about them already and don’t want to focus on them presently.
Anyhow, thank you for reading and sharing any suggestions that come to mind.
by part-lee
8 Comments
International Cuisine by Jeremy MacVeigh is a great one.
Animal, vegetable, miracle by Barbara Kingsolver and Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain.
Home Cooking by Laurie Colwin. She had a great practical attitude toward cooking and was a novelist as well, and the writing is wonderful.
_Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation_ by Michael Pollan. Talks about all the different ways humans turn inedible (or hard to digest) stuff into food, including not just cooking but fermentation. Honorable Mentions: _In Defense of Food_ (which does get into things like white vs. wheat flour. ultra-processed food, etc., plus the immortal phrase “edible food-like substances”) and _The Omnivore’s Dilemma_.
Taste: My Life Through Food by Stanley Tucci. His voice is engaging and it made me want to be a guest at his table.
[Much Depends on Dinner](https://groveatlantic.com/book/much-depends-on-dinner/) by Margaret Visser. A classic for a good reason.
Consider the Fork and First Bite, both by Bee Wilson are both great. The first is a history of cooking tools and techniques, and the second is about how we learn about food.
Between Two Fires by Laura Esquivel is a really interesting book that explores relationships and the role that food plays in them. It’s a sort of memoir with recipes!