5 Foodie books you should be reading

Cookbooks aren’t the only food-related books out there. These books for foodies should be on your must-read list.

Love foodie fiction? Don’t miss these delicious reads >>

Published just in time for the celebration of her 100th birthday, Dearie: The Remarkable Life of Julia Child, gives us a wonderful biography of an incredible woman. There’s always room for another Julia Child book on the bookshelf — who can get enough of the always entertaining, always endearing host of The French Chef? Bob Spitz details the life of Child, from wartime to the lifelong romance with her husband to the writing and great success of her tome, Mastering the Art of French Cooking. If you want to learn more about Julia Child, this is a great place to start.

Marcus Samuelsson is an award-winning and world-renowned chef, but that might be all you know about him. In his book, Yes, Chef: A Memoir, Samuelsson provides an intimate insight into how he became the man he did, starting with his Swedish grandmother who he credits with instilling in him his love of cooking. His journey from Ethiopia to Sweden to France and New York is fascinating, but Samuelsson says it wasn’t always easy. This personal account is a must for foodies who can’t get enough of the world’s top chefs.

There’s no denying that Joe Bastianich knows his way around a restaurant. His mother is Lidia Bastianch, which alones gives him plenty of cred, but he’s also Mario Batali’s business partner and a successful restaurateur in his own right. In his memoir, Restaurant Man, Bastianich details an insider’s view of the New York dining scene, down to the nitty gritty and not so pretty. He pulls no punches in his candid discussion about the industry and the people in it. Although it has ruffled some feathers along the way, this book is full of food-related entertainment.

The culinary scene may not be what it is today if not for Craig Claiborne. But in 1957, as the new food editor for the New York Times, he began to make his mark on the food world. In the biography, The Man Who Changed the Way We Eat: Craig Claiborne and the American Food Renaissance, Thomas McNamee charts how Claiborne transformed the Times food section, paved the way as a restaurant critic, influenced food trends and more. This is a must-read for an intriguing look into the life of food pioneer.

Did you ever actually learn how to taste food properly? Barb Stuckey doesn’t think so. In her book, Taste What You’re Missing: The Passionate Eater’s Guide to Why Good Food Tastes Good, she suggests that a lot of what we think we know about the way we taste food is incorrect. Stuckey says that much of the way individuals taste their food is determined by genetics and other factors, and that the actual flavor in our mouths is a very small portion of the overall tasting experience. This book takes you through experiments in tasting and teaches the reader to taste food for the best results. If you like mixing science with your food, this one’s for you.

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