What To Read

Nominations for the "Oscars" of Cookbooks and Food Writing Are Out

Here are the 42 best books that include food writing and recipes, according to the James Beard Foundation.

Tertulia staff •

Apr 28th, 2023

The James Beard Award ranks among the most prestigious honors in the culinary world. Over the years, it has recognized not only the most talented and influential chefs and food experts, but also highlighted the finest in food writing. From iconic cookbooks that have stood the test of time like Edna Lewis’ The Taste of Country Cooking, Samin Nosrat’s Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat and Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything, to groundbreaking works like Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore's Dilemma or Toni Tipton-Martin’s Jubilee: Recipes from Two Centuries of African American Cooking, these enduring works have redefined the way we eat and how we think about food.

This year, the esteemed New York City-based James Beard Foundation continues this rich tradition with a diverse group of nominees, including an eye-opening exploration of the link between food and race in America, a cornucopia of no-fuss dinners from a New York Times recipe guru, the acclaimed memoir of a gangbanger and ex con who became an elite American chef, plus the mouthwatering secrets of a famed Big Easy eatery. Given the proliferation of cookbooks focusing specifically on bread lately, the foundation has introduced a specific category to recognize the best bread books this year.

To be eligible for the award, books must have been published in the 2022 calendar year. The awards ceremony will take place in Chicago on June 5. Here is the full list of the 2023 nominees for the James Beard Foundation book awards.

General

The general category includes books that cover a wide range of cooking topics, rather than a specific technique, region, or topic. I Dream of Dinner has been a favorite of ours since we discovered it in this killer review by The New Yorker.

The Cook You Want to Be: Everyday Recipes to Impress by Andy Baraghani

I Dream of Dinner (so you don't have to): Low-Effort, High-Reward Recipes: A Cookbook by Ali Slagle

Sunday Best: Cooking Up the Weekend Spirit Every Day: A Cookbook by Adrienne Cheatham with Sarah Zorn

Baking and Desserts

Among the nominees for the best baking cookbooks, including sweet and savory pastries and desserts, is Claire Saffitz latest, which has been named one of the best cookbooks of 2022 by Bon Appétit, Vice, Saveur and Mother Jones.

New European Baking: 99 Recipes for Breads, Brioches and Pastries by Laurel Kratochvila

Tava: Eastern European Baking and Desserts from Romania & Beyond by Irina Georgescu

What's for Dessert: Simple Recipes for Dessert People: A Baking Book by Claire Saffitz

Literary Writing

One of this year's narrative nonfiction books has been praised by author and critic Ian MacAllen for “eloquently capturing how the late chef Fatima Ali understood the world through food and cooking.”

California Soul: An American Epic of Cooking and Survival by Keith Corbin with Kevin Alexander

Savor: A Chef's Hunger for More by Fatima Ali with Tarajia Morrell

To Boldly Grow: Finding Joy, Adventure, and Dinner in Your Own Backyard by Tamar Haspel

Beverage with Recipes

The nominees in this category offer recipes focused on beverages, including cocktails, beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea, or juices, with one of the contenders being an award-winning New Orleans bar's cocktail book that pays homage to the city.

The Bartender's Manifesto: How to Think, Drink, and Create Cocktails Like a Pro by Toby Maloney and Emma Janzen

Cure: New Orleans Drinks and How to Mix 'Em from the Award-Winning Bar by Neal Bodenheimer and Emily Timberlake

Wild Brews: The Craft of Home Brewing, from Sour and Fruit Beers to Farmhouse Ales by Jaega Wise

Beverage without Recipes

A previous James Beard Award winner and veteran wine writer's memoir is among the contenders in this category, which includes books focused on beverages with or without recipes.

Drinking with the Valkyries: Writings on Wine by Andrew Jefford

Exploring the World of Japanese Craft Sake: Rice, Water, Earth by Nancy Matsumoto and Michael Tremblay

To Fall in Love, Drink This: A Wine Writer’s Memoir by Alice Feiring

Bread

The acclaimed cookbook-cum-memoir Breadsong, with a title referring to the sound of freshly baked loaves, is among the nominees for the foundation's new category recognizing the best bread books.

Breadsong: How Baking Changed Our Lives by Kitty Tait and Al Tait

The Miller's Daughter: Unusual Flours & Heritage Grains: Stories and Recipes from Hayden Flour Mills by Emma Zimmerman

The Perfect Loaf: The Craft and Science of Sourdough Breads, Sweets, and More: A Baking Book by Maurizio Leo

International

These books offer recipes that focus on food or cooking traditions from regions, countries, or communities outside of the United States, such as Mi Cocina, from which a spectacular mole dish has piqued our interest in this Vice review.

Masala: Recipes from India, the Land of Spices by Anita Jaisinghani

Mezcla: Recipes to Excite by Ixta Belfrage

Mi Cocina: Recipes and Rapture from My Kitchen in Mexico: A Cookbook by Rick Martínez

Food Issues and Advocacy

Among the books featuring investigative journalism, food policy, and critical analysis of the changing social landscape is an important exploration of the link between food and race in America.

Eating While Black: Food Shaming and Race in America by Psyche A. Williams-Forson

Gastronativism: Food, Identity, Politics by Fabio Parasecoli

Retail Inequality: Reframing the Food Desert Debate by Kenneth H. Kolb

Reference, History, and Scholarship

One of this year's nominees in the James Beard category of manuals, guides, encyclopedias, and research-based books related to food or foodways is described as "a valuable addition to agricultural and West African history" in Amy Maxmen's review in Nature.

A Place at the Nayarit: How a Mexican Restaurant Nourished a Community by Natalia Molina

Slaves for Peanuts: A Story of Conquest, Liberation, and a Crop That Changed History by Jori Lewis

What a Mushroom Lives For: Matsutake and the Worlds They Make by Michael J. Hathaway

Restaurant and Professional

This category, which includes books written by culinary professionals or restaurant chefs, includes one nominee described as “a manifesto on the politics of queer identity and food” by cookbook author Von Diaz.

Bludso's BBQ Cookbook: A Family Affair in Smoke and Soul by Kevin Bludso with Noah Galuten

Please Wait To Be Tasted: The Lil' Deb's Oasis Cookbook by Carla Perez-Gallardo, Hannah Black, and Wheeler with Meshell Ndegeocello

Turkey and the Wolf: Flavor Trippin' in New Orleans by Mason Hereford and JJ Goode

Single Subject

Nominees in this category include books with recipes focused on a single ingredient, dish, or method of cooking, such as the latest cookbook of bestselling author J. Kenji López-Alt.

Masa: Techniques, Recipes, and Reflections on a Timeless Staple by Jorge Gaviria

The Miracle of Salt: Recipes and Techniques to Preserve, Ferment, and Transform Your Food by Naomi Duguid

The Wok: Recipes and Techniques by J. Kenji López-Alt

U.S. Foodways

This category features US regional/community-focused recipe books, like The Woks of Life blog's acclaimed book, which appeared on several 2022 best cookbook lists.

Gullah Geechee Home Cooking: Recipes from the Matriarch of Edisto Island by Emily Meggett with Kayla Stewart and Trelani Michelle

I Am From Here: Stories and Recipes from a Southern Chef by Vishwesh Bhatt

The Woks of Life: Recipes to Know and Love from a Chinese American Family: A Cookbook by Bill Leung, Kaitlin Leung, Judy Leung, and Sarah Leung

Vegetable-Focused Cooking

The James Beard Foundation recognizes the top books on vegetable cookery featuring meatless, vegetarian, or vegan recipes in this category, with one stand-out being Hannah Che's take on China's plant-based cooking tradition.

Plant-Based India: Nourishing Recipes Rooted in Tradition by Dr. Sheil Shukla

In Praise of Veg: The Ultimate Cookbook for Vegetable Lovers by Alice Zaslavsky

The Vegan Chinese Kitchen: Recipes and Modern Stories from a Thousand-Year-Old Tradition: A Cookbook by Hannah Che

Visuals

And finally, this category includes books on food or beverage that display remarkable graphic design, art, or photography, such as chef Chris Scott's cookbook on Amish soul food.