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Cooking Narrative
"This book demonstrates just how amazing Eric's life has been both inside and outside of the kitchen. It makes total sense now to see him become one of the greatest chefs in the world today. This is a portrait of a chef as a young man."--David Chang
All tequilas are mezcals; all mezcals are made from agaves; and every bottle of mezcal is the remarkable result of collaborations among agave entrepreneurs, botanists, distillers, beverage distributors, bartenders, and more. How these groups come together in this "spirits world" is the subject of this fascinating new book by the acclaimed ethnobotanist Gary Paul Nabhan and the pioneering restauranteur David Suro Piñera. Join them as they delight in the diversity of the distillate agave spirits, as they endeavor to track down the more distant kin in the family of agaves, and as, along the way, they reveal the stunning innovations that have been transforming the industry around tequilas and mezcals in recent decades.
The result of the authors' fieldwork and on-the-ground interviews with mezcaleros in eight Mexican states, Agave Spirits shows how traditional methods of mezcal production are inspiring a new generation of individuals, including women, both in and beyond the industry. And as they reach back into a rich, centuries-long history, Nabhan and Suro Piñera make clear that understanding the story behind a bottle of mezcal, more than any other drink, will not only reveal what lies ahead for the tradition--including its ability to adapt in the face of the climate crisis--but will also enrich the drinking experience for readers.
Essential reading for mezcal connoisseurs and amateurs interested in unlocking the past of a delightful distillate, Agave Spirits tells the tale of the most flavorful and memorable spirits humankind has ever sipped and savored.
Featuring twelve illustrations by René Alejandro Hernández Tapia and indices that list common and scientific names for agave species, as well as the names of plants, animals, and domesticated agaves used in the production of distillates.
A playful, thoughtful, and delicious A to Z of M.F.K. Fisher's food writing.
In An Alphabet for Gourmets, M.F.K. Fisher creates a wide-ranging, whimsical, and profound miscellany of food that moves readers from A (for dining alone) to Z (zakuski, the classic accompaniments to a shot of Russian vodka), traversing a broad swath of human history, taste, and sensation along the way. Fisher's mercurial, searching prose and her inimitable sense of the unique and idiosyncratic aspects of our daily fare are on radiant display in this abecedary of flavor, sense, and history."Like many miniencyclopedias, this one is studded with often intriguing facts."--Kirkus
New York Post Required Reading and an Entertainment Weekly Top 3 Must-Read!
From the chief historian at HISTORY(R) comes a rich chronicle of the evolution of American cuisine and culture, from before Columbus's arrival to today.
Did you know that the first graham crackers were designed to reduce sexual desire? Or that Americans have tried fad diets for almost two hundred years? Why do we say things like "buck" for a dollar and "living high on the hog"? How have economics, technology, and social movements changed our tastes? Uncover these and other fascinating aspects of American food traditions in The American Plate.
Dr. Libby H. O'Connell takes readers on a mouth-watering journey through America's culinary evolution into the vibrant array of foods we savor today. In 100 tantalizing bites, ranging from blueberries and bagels to peanut butter, hard cider, and Cracker Jack, O'Connell reveals the astonishing ways that cultures and individuals have shaped our national diet and continue to influence how we cook and eat.
Peppered throughout with recipes, photos, and tidbits on dozens of foods, from the surprising origins of Hershey Bars to the strange delicacies our ancestors enjoyed, such as roast turtle and grilled beaver tail. Inspiring and intensely satisfying, The American Plate shows how we can use the tastes of our shared past to transform our future.
The definitive, career-spanning collection of writing from Anthony Bourdain, assembled for the first time in book form
Anthony Bourdain represented many things to many people--and he had many sides. But no part of his identity was more important to him, and more long-lasting, than that of a writer. The Anthony Bourdain Reader is a collection of his best and most fascinating writing, and touches on his many pursuits and passions, from restaurant life to family life to the "low life," from TV to travel through places like Vietnam, Buenos Aires, Paris, and Shanghai.
The Anthony Bourdain Reader is also a showcase for new and never-before-seen material, like diary entries from Bourdain's first trip to France as a teenager and "It's Cruel and Unforgiving Terrain," a piece on the New York restaurant scene, as well as unpublished short fiction like "I Quit My Job Yesterday" and chapters from No New Messages, his unfinished novel. These newly discovered pieces all contribute to give the fullest picture of the man behind the books.
The Anthony Bourdain Reader is a testament to the enduring and singular voice Bourdain crafted, with eclectic and curated chapters that encapsulate the unique brilliance of his restless mind. Edited by Bourdain's longtime agent and friend Kimberly Witherspoon and with a foreword by Patrick Radden Keefe, this is an essential reader for any Bourdain fan as well as a vivid and moving recollection of the life and legacy of one of our most distinctive writers.
These foods reflect our country's diversity. By championing them, we keep them in production and on our plates, while promoting a more equitable alternative to industrial agriculture. The Ark of Taste is a vital resource for all of us who spend the summer searching for that perfectly ripe peach or heirloom tomato--or who are simply looking for the next good thing to eat.
Enjoy mouthwatering Southern baking recipes, from biscuits and cornbread to cakes and rolls, that will warm your kitchen and your heart.
Prepare yourself to savor the South through the baking that made it famous. In Baking in the American South, bestselling author Anne Byrn brings one of the world's richest culinary traditions to life with 200 recipes from 14 states. Get ready to bake like a Southerner, even if you aren't one!
Baking in the American South is the definitive cookbook guide to the South's deep baking legacy that beautifully weaves together the recipes and stories from the past and present. Before you know it, you will be baking up favorites like cracklin' cornbread, buttermilk biscuits, yeast rolls, banana pudding, lemon icebox pie, lace cookies, and caramel cake.
Get ready to enjoy from-scratch, Southern classic recipes, including:
This cookbook is the perfect gift for cake connoisseurs, pie aficionados, biscuit enthusiasts, bakers, foodies, chefs, and anyone who can't pass up a delicious baked good.
Baking in the American South will give you a window into the people, stories, and history behind the South's rich culinary traditions as you bake up your favorite Southern treats.
**Included in the Best of List for Cookbooks by the Reference and User Services Association of the American Library Association**
**Named a 2025 Tennessee Book Award Finalist in the Non-Fiction Category by Humanities Tennessee**
This is the story of the bean, the staple food cultivated by humans for over 10,000 years.
From the lentil to the soybean, every civilization on the planet has cultivated its own species of bean. The humble bean has always attracted attention - from Pythagoras' notion that the bean hosted a human soul to St. Jerome's indictment against bean-eating in convents (because they "tickle the genitals"), to current research into the deadly toxins contained in the most commonly eaten beans. Over time, the bean has been both scorned as "poor man's meat" and praised as health-giving, even patriotic. Attitudes to this most basic of foodstuffs have always revealed a great deal about a society. Featuring a new preface from author Ken Albala, Beans: A History takes the reader on a fascinating journey across cuisines and cultures.A collection of the year's top food and travel writing, selected by the trailblazing New York Times bestselling author and Emmy-nominated host of Taste the Nation and Top Chef Padma Lakshmi.
"Food and travel are natural companions," writes guest editor Padma Lakshmi. From this pairing comes "the possibility of seeing anew, of examining how we make and assign meaning." The essays in this year's Best American Food and Travel Writing circle the world--from Dakar in Senegal, to Michoacán in south-central Mexico, to the Camino de Santiago in Spain--and deepen our understanding of our place in it. An ode to the American grilled cheese spurs the desire to find beauty in the smallest daily activities. An obsessive odyssey for the perfect Chinese food blossoms into a heart-wrenching search for a lost childhood. Bold and insightful, joyful and moving, this collection celebrates the experiences that connect us all.
The Best American Food and Travel Writing 2024 includes C PAM ZHANG - LIGAYA MISHAN - KIESE LAYMON - MARIAN BULL - MAYUKH SEN - BEN TAUB - AND OTHERS
A collection of the year's top food writing, selected by guest editor Sohla El-Waylly and series editor Silvia Killingsworth.
Culinary creator, writer and community advocate, Sohla El-Waylly selects the best twenty articles published in 2021 that celebrate the many innovative, comforting, mouthwatering, and culturally rich culinary offerings of our country.
"Excellent....Taken as a whole, the volume moves beyond food's sensory pleasures to investigate it as a cultural vessel, a symbol of inequality, and more. It's a standout addition to the series." --Publisher's Weekly (starred review)
A collection of the year's top food writing, selected by prolific food writer and author of How to Cook Everything Mark Bittman.
"In almost any culture, at any time, you can find food writing," writes guest editor Mark Bittman in his introduction. "Food means growing and hardship, and health and medicine, and work and holiday. In its abundance it is a gift and a joy, and in its absence a curse and a tragedy. If a culture has writing, that culture has food writing." The stories in this year's Best American Food Writing are brilliant, eye-opening windows into the heart of our country's culture. From the link between salt and sex, to Syrian refugees transforming ancient Turkish food traditions, to the FDA's crusade on alternative non-dairy milk options, to Black farmers in Arkansas seeking justice, the scope of these essays spans nearly every aspect of our society. This anthology offers an entertaining and poignant look at how food shapes our lives and how food writing shapes our culture.
THE BEST AMERICAN FOOD WRITING 2023 INCLUDES JAYA SAXENA - LIGAYA MISHAN - MARION NESTLE TOM PHILPOTT - WESLEY BROWN - ALICIA KENNEDY CAROLINE HATCHETT - AMY LOEFFLER and others
This year's collection explores the complex, surprising, and vital stories behind what we eat:
From the New York Times bestselling author of World of Wonders, a lyrical book of short essays about food, offering a banquet of tastes, smells, memories, associations, and marvelous curiosities from nature
In Bite by Bite, poet and essayist Aimee Nezhukumatathil explores the way food and drink evoke our associations and remembrances--a subtext or layering, a flavor tinged with joy, shame, exuberance, grief, desire, or nostalgia.
Nezhukumatathil restores our astonishment and wonder about food through her encounters with a range of foods and food traditions. From shave ice to lumpia, mangoes to pecans, rambutan to vanilla, she investigates how food marks our experiences and identities and explores the boundaries between heritage and memory.
Bite by Bite offers a rich and textured kaleidoscope of vignettes and visions into the world of food and nature, drawn together by intimate and humorous personal reflections, with Fumi Nakamura's gorgeous imagery and illustration.













































