Reading Ideas: Nonfiction

Note that I haven’t read most of these, and this is just a sampling of options. I compiled it by referencing Amazon listmania lists and the most recent bestsellers. The possibilities are endless!

I separated nonfiction into a few different categories so you might be able to find what you might be most interested in. There are tons of options out there! You may want to browse through Amazon, which lets you search by category.

What nonfiction books about food have you enjoyed?

Reference/How To Books

• Alton Brown’s Gear for Your Kitchen by Alton Brown
• Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing by Michael Ruhlman
• Cheese Primer by Steven Jenkins
• Conscious Cuisine by Neff
• Culinary Artistry by Andrew Dornenburg
• Herbs & Spices: The Cook’s Reference by Jill Norman
• How to Cook Everything (Completely Revised 10th Anniversary Edition): 2,000 Simple Recipes for Great Food by Mark Bittman
• How to Pick a Peach: The Search for Flavor from Farm to Table by Russ Parsons
• How to Taste: A Guide to Enjoying Wine by Jancis Robinson
• I’m Just Here for the Food: Version 2.0 by Alton Brown
• Jacques Pepin’s Complete Techniques by Jacques Pépin
• Jane Grigson’s Fruit Book (At Table) by Jane Grigson
• Larousse Gastronomique by Prosper Montagne
• Le Cordon Bleu’s Complete Cooking Techniques: the indispensable reference demonstrates over 700 illustrated techniques with 2,000 photos and 200 recipes by Le Cordon Bleu
• On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen by Harold McGee
• Out of the East: Spices and the Medieval Imagination by Professor Paul Freedman
• Perfect Pairings: A Master Sommelier’s Practical Advice for Partnering Wine with Food by Evan Goldstein
• Ratio: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Ev… by Michael Ruhlman
• Sauces: Classical and Contemporary Sauce Making by James Peterson
• Sotheby’s Wine Encyclopedia: Fourth Edition, Revised by Tom Stevenson
• The 1997 Joy of Cooking by Marion Rombauer Becker
• The Elements of Cooking: Translating the Chef… by Michael Ruhlman
• The Flavor Bible: The Essential Guide to Culinary C… by Karen Page
• The Oxford Companion to Food and The Oxford Companion to Wine Set: 2-volume set by Alan Davidson
• The Pie and Pastry Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum
• The Professional Chef by Culinary Institute of America
• The Professional Chef’s Knife Kit by Culinary Institute of America
• The Way to Cook by Julia Child
• Tools & Techniques by Williams-Sonoma
• Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison
• What to Drink with What You Eat: The Definitive Guide to Pairing Food with Wine, Beer, Spirits, Coffee, Tea – Even Water – Based on Expert Advice from America’s Best Sommeliers by Andrew Dornenburg

History/Science of Food

• A History of the World in 6 Glasses by Tom Standage
• An Edible History of Humanity by Tom Standage
• Bananas: An American History by Virginia Scott Jenkins
• Beans: A History by Ken Albala
• Bittersweet: The Story of Sugar by Peter Macinnis
• Black Rice: The African Origins of Rice Cultivation in the Americas by Judith A. Carney
• Caviar: The Strange History and Uncertain Future of the World’s Most Coveted Delicacy by Inga Saffron
• Citrus: A History by Pierre Laszlo
• Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World by Mark Kurlansky
• Curry: A Tale of Cooks and Conquerors by Lizzie Collingham
• Fat: An Appreciation of a Misunderstood Ingre… by Jennifer McLagan
• Food and Culture: A Reader by Carole Counihan
• Food in History by Reay Tannahill
• Food of the Gods: The Search for the Original Tree of Knowledge A Radical History of Plants, Drugs, and Human Evolution by Terence McKenna
• Food, Consumption and the Body in Contemporary Women’s Fiction by Sarah Sceats
• Hunger: An Unnatural History by Sharman Apt Russell
• Judgment of Paris: California vs. France and the Historic 1976 Paris Tasting That Revolutionized Wine by George M Taber
• Much Depends on Dinner: The Extraordinary History and Mythology, Allure and Obsessions, Perils and Taboos of an Ordinary Meal by Margaret Visser
• Nathaniel’s Nutmeg: Or the True and Incredible Adventures of the Spice Trader Who Changed the Course of History by Giles Milton
• Near a Thousand Tables : A History of Food by Felipe Fernandez-Armesto
• Nectar and Ambrosia: An Encyclopedia of Food In World Mythology by Tamra Andrews
• Pickled, Potted, and Canned: How the Art and Science of Food Preserving Changed the World by Sue Shephard
• Popped Culture: A Social History of Popcorn in America by Andrew F. Smith
• Pure Ketchup: A History of America’s National Condiment With Recipes by Andrew F. Smith
• Robbing the Bees: A Biography of Honey–The Sweet Liquid Gold that Seduced the World by Holley Bishop
• Salt: A World History by Mark Kurlansky
• Secrets of Saffron: The Vagabond Life of the World’s Most Seductive Spice by Pat Willard
• Seeds of Change: Six Plants That Transformed Mankind by Henry Hobhouse
• Six Thousand Years of Bread: Its Holy and Unholy History by H. E. Jacob
• Spice: The History of a Temptation by Jack Turner
• Sweetness and Power: The Place of Sugar in Modern History by Sidney W. Mintz
• The Big Oyster: History on the Half Shell by Mark Kurlansky
• The Botanist and the Vintner: How Wine Was Saved for the World by Christy Campbell
• The Botany of Desire: A Plant’s-Eye View of the World by Michael Pollan
• The Devil’s Cup: A History of the World According to Coffee by Stewart Lee Allen
• The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan
• The Potato: How the Humble Spud Rescued the Western World by Larry Zuckerman
• The Story of Corn by Betty Fussell
• The True History of Chocolate by Sophie D. Coe
• Vanilla: The Cultural History of the World’s Favorite Flavor and Fragrance by Patricia Rain
• What Einstein Told His Cook: Kitchen Science Explained by Robert L. Wolke

Diet and Health of Food

• Don’t Eat This Book: Fast Food and the Supersizing of America by Morgan Spurlock
• Dr. Atkins’ New Diet Revolution, Revised… by Robert C. Atkins
• Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy: The Harvard… by M.D. Walter C. Willett
• Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser
• Food Matters: A Guide to Conscious Eating with Mo… by Mark Bittman
• Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences… by Marion Nestle
• Food: The History of Taste (California Studies in Food and Culture) by Paul Freedman
• Good Calories, Bad Calories: Fats, Carbs, and the… by Gary Taubes
• In-N-Out Burger: A Behind-the-Counter Look at the Fast-Food Chain That Breaks All the Rules by Stacy Perman
• Stuffed: An Insider’s Look at Who’s (Really) Making America Fat by Hank Cardello
• The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Ins… by David Kessler
• The Mediterranean Diet by Marissa Cloutier
• The Omega Diet: The Lifesaving Nutrition… by Artemis P. Simopoulos
• The Sonoma Diet: Trimmer Waist, Better Health… by Connie Guttersen
• The South Beach Diet : The Delicious, Doctor-Designed, Fool-Proof Plan by Arthur Agatston
• What to Eat by Marion Nestle
• You: On A Diet: The Owner’s Manual for Waist Management by Mehmet C. Oz