As far as I’m concerned one of the best ways to experience a destination is through its food. When I’m at home I like to relive my travels by cooking my favorite international dishes at home. From Mexico to Scandinavia to Japan I find myself reaching time and again for my favorite cookbooks to recreate the flavors I’ve experienced during my travels. These cookbooks will satisfy your belly and your wanderlust.
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Mexico: The Cookbook
This beautiful cookbook from Margarita Carillo Arronte covers the vastly diverse regional cuisines of Mexico with over 700 recipes. Dig into Aculpulco- style ceviche, savor a traditional barbacoa or delight over an amazing pastel tres leches.
Taste of Persia: A Cook’s Travels Through Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, and Kurdistan
Naomi Duguid takes you on a movable feast though the countries of Persia and the Caucasus with her Jame Beard nominated cookbook Taste of Persia. Peruse recipes for grilled kebabs, handmade flatbreads and deltable desserts (the Georgian paglava is a personal favorite!).
Basque Country: A Culinary Journey Through a Food Lover’s Paradise
The Basque region in Northwest Spain is home to one of the world’s most celebrated cuisines. Rather than focusing on Michelin starred restaurants Ottolenghi: The Cookbook
Ottolenghi’s London restaurants are known the world over for it’s modern take on Israeli cuisine. Combining a fresh approach and simple ingredients Ottolenghi:The Cookbook brings creative Israeli flavors to your table.
Japanese Home Cooking: Simple Meals, Authentic Flavors
The flavors of Japan can be daunting to the home cook but Sonoko Sakai’s passion and expert instruction brings authentic Japanese fare to your table. Discover Japanese pantry staples and masterful techniques for everything from properly cooked rice and hand pulled noodles to creative desserts like mochi waffles.
Scandinavian Comfort Food: Embracing the Art of Hygge
Michelin-starred restaurants may have brought Scandinavian cuisine to the forefront but at it’s heart Nordic flavors are all about comfort. From fresh, seasonal salads and comforting stews to handmade breads and desserts Trine Hahnemann brings the best of Scandinavian home cooking to you.
Franklin Barbecue: A Meat-Smoking Manifesto [A Cookbook]
No food is more associated with the United States than barbecue and while it’s intensely regional Austin is considered by many to be the barbecue capital of the world. Aaron Franklin opened his roadside trailer in 2009 and quickly garnered multiple awards and in Franklin Barbecue:A Meat-Smoking Manifesto he shares his secrets for creating amazing barbecue in your own backyard.
Original Flava: Caribbean Recipes from Home
Brothers Craig and Shaun McAnuff share the flavors of their Jamaican heritage in Original Flava: Caribbean Recipes from Home. From classics like garlic butter lobster and curry goat to updated Jamaican takes like honey roasted jerk salmon and banana fritter cheesecake these two brothers bring a taste of the islands to your table.
Dinner in French: My Recipes by Way of France: A Cookbook
New York Times food writer Melissa Clark brings French food into the 21st century with a focus on simple ingredients and approachable techniques. Dishes like lamb shank Cassoulet, ratatouille sheet pan chicken, and apricot tarte tatin make Dinner in French an instant classic.
Peru: The Cookbook
Peruvian cuisine is both enigmatic and familiar and this South American country is home to some of the most exciting flavors in the world. From bright ceviches to hearty lomo saltado and beyond vaunted chef Gaston Acurio brings the flavors of Peru to your table.
A Real Southern Cook: In Her Savannah Kitchen
Southern food is beloved throughout the US. Comforting and homey yet nuanced, southern food is far more than just loads of butter y’all. From smokey okra and perfectly fried chicken to her heavenly red velvet cake Dora Taylor shares her secrets for amazing southern food.
Seoul Food Korean Cookbook: Korean Cooking from Kimchi and Bibimbap to Fried Chicken and Bingsoo
Cooking Korean food at home can seem intimidating but with Seoul Food Korean Cookbook Naomi Imatome-Yun shows you how easy making Korean food at home can be. Put down the takeout menu and make Korean favorites like bibimbap, kimchi and bulgolgi.
Pasta Grannies: The Official Cookbook: The Secrets of Italy’s Best Home Cooks
No one makes pasta like an Italian grandma and this fact has made Pasta Grannies a Youtube sensation. This cookbook shares the stories of amazing women throughout Italy who have been making handmade pasta with expertise gained from a lifetime of experience and love.
Casablanca: My Moroccan Food
With heady spices and comforting flavors the foods of Morocco are intriguing. Popular food blogger Nargisse Benkabbou shares the foods of her Moroccan heritage and shows you how to use coucous, preserved lemons, harissa and other Moroccan staples to create delicious Moroccan food at home.
Puerto Rico True Flavors
Award winning chef and food personality Wilo Benet brings the flavors of Puerto Rico to your table. This bible of Puerto Rican food teaches you how to make everything from aranitas (plantain spiders) to pernil for a taste of San Juan and beyond.
Josy A says
Such a good idea! I love the idea of eating my way around the world while we’re stuck at home!!
menty says
Good sharing! It’s not only a cooking journey, it’s also a real world tour!
Vanessa Shields says
What a deliciously good post and now I’m so hungry! I agree, traveling is so much about the food and bringing that into one’s home is awesome.
Suze says
What a lovely selection of cookbooks featuring so many different cuisines. I’m drawn to the Basque Country book, love Mediterranean food