The 11 Best Food Books Of 2011

We've managed to consume more than just food this year -- we consumed some food books too! We were pretty pleased with the crop -- these books have allowed us to evaluate our eating choices, vicariously eat some incredibly tasty meals and learn a few things about the world in which we live. While we also rounded up a separate (and fabulous) round-up on the year's best cookbooks, this list focuses on 2011's best non-fiction food books. Even if you don't consider yourself much of a cook, and if you've never found yourself particularly fascinated by the world of food, many of these titles are nonetheless worth a read. Although food may be the primary subject of these books, you end up learning about business, culture, health and more as well. Enjoy the page turning!

Check out our 11 favorite food books of 2011:

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Comments

[Happy Clb]

03:38 PM on 12/02/2011

i loved "blood, bones and butter" esp. the title. i'll have to check out the sorcerer's apprentices. it should be interesting.

[jegraef]

12:24 PM on 12/02/2011

We seem to be in a trend where the least healthy foods are glorified and the foods that uplift us and give us strength and health are sneered at. "Healthy" seems to be a dirty word. I don't get it. Where are the many cookbooks that offer us tantalizing, low-fat, colorful, delicious plants that contribute to our vitality and reverse the diseases of affluence we acquire from eating meat? After all, there are only a few animals that people eat, but hundreds of vegetables and grains. Even better, we aren't killing anything or contributing to global warming or rainforest destruction when we eat the foods that nourish us. So, Huffington Post, get your act together and start reviewing the many cookbooks that contribute to well-being - of our bodies and our planet.

[SaulZ]

11:02 AM on 12/02/2011

Seems like the books I read (non fiction adventure) will never make it to the list.

[catcancook]

07:37 PM on 11/30/2011

I just finished "Blood, Bones and Butter" a few days ago. I could not put it down! Ms. Hamilton is such a good writer and a gutsy gal to boot. What a talent. She can cook, own/run a restaurant and she can write. Oh, and she has 2 children on top of everything else.

[plantbasedpunk]

11:05 AM on 11/30/2011

Bummed that the "Forks Over Knives" book wasn't on this list. Even more bummed that Michael Pollan is on that list *shudders*.

[numbersman11]

10:30 AM on 11/30/2011

As a former chef and restaurant owner, I thought Blood, Bones and Butter was an excellent look into the crazed, hectic and demanding world of the foodservice business. It takes a different type of person to be in that industry.

[blamo611]

09:52 AM on 11/30/2011

I have to disagree about Blood, Bones, and Butter. I was so excited to read it, and while I admit the first half or so was pretty good, most of the second half was her complaining. Mostly about how her second home in Italy wasn't Italian enough for her.

"Hamilton never asks for your sympathy"

Replace the word 'never' with the word 'constantly' and you have it about right.

[inlittlerock]

10:40 AM on 11/30/2011

I couldn't agree more!

[antaeus]

12:53 PM on 11/30/2011

How disappointing to hear! Her memoir in _The New Yorker_ about her parents was enchanting.

[DCVotingNow]

09:39 AM on 11/30/2011

This book needs to be on the list: Ras Rody's Organic Sips, Bites, and Sweets- healthy food for a healthier soul

http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/ras-rody-organic-sips-bites-sweets/18347663

[donnyraindog]

09:46 PM on 11/29/2011

I have been a cook-chef for over 30 years and an athiest even longer.If I am wrong about the latter and there is a hell its library will be stocked with nothing but "food" books!