Shortlist

Art of Eating Prize Winner

The 2023 Art of Eating Prize Shortlist

This year’s contenders were unusually strong and the judges were more emotionally drawn in. Here are the books with, as always, some of the judges’ comments.

Eating to Extinction: The World’s Rarest Foods and Why We Need to Save Them by Dan Saladino (Farrar, Straus and Giroux) — “As we hurtle toward collapse on many fronts, this book brilliantly makes another case for grappling with the failures of our industrialized food system. I imagine this project inspiring everyday eaters as well as those in power to take immediate action to reel in our runaway food system.”

Ghetto Gastro: Black Power Kitchen by Jon Gray, Pierre Serrao, and Lester Walker, with Osayi Endolyn (Artisan Books) — “This book is emblematic of the cutting-edge spirit of the cookbook writing vanguard who are combining recipes with stories, art, and riveting design. It is practical for those looking to cook; it could easily serve as an art book; and its stories and interviews make it fun to keep on your nightstand.” — “It reimagines the cookbook as manifesto, anthropology, and art. It is exhilarating to read, not only the essays but the recipes, which are exuberant in range and a promise of abundance.”

Gullah Geechee Home Cooking: Recipes from the Matriarch of Edisto Island by Emily Meggett with Kayla Stewart (Abrams Books) — “These foodways are the very roots of so much American cooking. I love this book and value it as a vivid archive from a life and a way of cooking that deserves to be celebrated, preserved, and revered.” — “Supremely accessible to a wide swath of cooks.” — “Emily Meggett has written a timeless gem of a book. Cook those butter beans.”

Korean American: Food That Tastes Like Home by Eric Kim (Clarkson Potter) — “I love that he draws you in like a novelist, compelling you to read chapter after chapter of what is essentially a cookbook. Kim does this in a way that somehow feels both fresh and surprisingly universal.” — “Thoughtful and inventive recipes.” — “Another book I expect to cook from a lot.” — “A smart, beautifully written book with a message that resonates with every child of immigrants and can seduce anyone.”

Pig Years by Ellyn Gaydos (Alfred A. Knopf) — “A prose poem, stained in love and death, honest and unsparing, and deeply empathetic. Gorgeous — an intimate chronicle of the physical, mental and spiritual labor required to sustain small farms, where there is nothing theoretical about the food chain and its costs.” — “The most spiritual of the books. The writing! Immediate, sensual, very personal, evocative. I can hear the sounds, smell the aromas, feel the sun when it warms her; an intimate memoir.” — “A memoir of the trials and small glories of modern-day small-scale farming in America, beautifully written, harrowing, honest, eye-opening, poetic.”

The Wok: Recipes and Techniques by J. Kenji López-Alt (W.W. Norton & Company) — “Here is the work of someone who goes deep and doesn’t deviate from a well-crafted style.” — “His how-tos are master classes in various techniques.” — “I love the way his personality comes through; the book is funny, companionable, and understanding. He guided me through a subject I had no idea could go so deep.”

 

 

The 2022 Art of Eating Prize Shortlist

More than ever, this year’s Shortlist comprises books for readers who want to read, cooks who want to cook, and those who want both. Here they are with some of the judges’ comments.

Black Food: Stories, Art & Recipes from Across the African Diaspora edited and curated by Bryant Terry (4 Color Books) — “Diverse cooking of delicious food inspired by all parts of the Americas, Africa, and other influences makes this book one of the most important of this generation” — “Numerous books of this kind [have been] published in the last few years and this one outshines them all.”

Cook Real Hawai’i: A Cookbook by Sheldon Simeon with Garrett Snyder (Clarkson Potter Publishers) — “A really lovely book on Hawai’i food and the immigrant communities that shape it” — “A snapshot of a time and place in Hawaii, and Sheldon is perhaps its perfect ambassador.”

Grist: A Practical Guide to Cooking Grains, Beans, Seeds, and Legumes by Abra Berens (Chronicle Books) — “Allows the home cook to really dive in and expand their possibilities of meaningful and healthy cooking and eating. No other book this year has made me think about changing the way I cook at home more than Grist.”

Mooncakes & Milk Bread: Sweet and Savory Recipes Inspired by Chinese Bakeries by Kristina Cho (Harper Horizon) — “An integral part of the life of any Chinatown, bakeries are hubs of energy, the intercepting point between sweet and savory, East and West, where Portuguese-inspired egg tarts share space with BBQ pork buns and ornate birthday cakes. Kristina Cho is a blogger with an academic background, architecture. This might explain the book’s orderly and precise organization, the detailed pictorial how-to instructions that lead us by the hand securely through specific techniques…. This is a book to cherish and praise.”

My Shanghai: Recipes and Stories from a City on the Water by Betty Liu (Harper Design) — “Intelligence, sensibility, and a refined aesthetic come together seamlessly in a book that captures the essence of a great city and its agricultural hinterland” — “Exquisite food photography and styling … all done by the author herself. … This cookbook is a joy to cook from, to hold and to look at, and to read, close to the stove or leisurely in one’s bed.”

Ripe Figs: Recipes and Stories from Turkey, Greece, and Cyprus by Yasmin Khan (W.W. Norton & Company) “Rarely am I so eager to try almost every recipe — her use of the language makes each dish very compelling and transparent — I can taste how the dish works. I am captivated.”

 

The 2021 Art of Eating Prize Shortlist

 

Beyond the North Wind: Russia in Recipes and Lore by Darra Goldstein (Ten Speed Press) “I am mesmerized by the writing power,” said a judge, who was reminded of Dostoyevsky by the “vivid descriptions.” Another judge said the book “captures the essence of a culinary culture in a seamless flow of informed text, enticing and complex recipes, and photography that takes you places. … It made me want to be there with Darra, whose knowledge of the former Soviet Union is mature and unparalleled, coming to life in elegant and evocative writing.”

Chaat: Recipes from the Kitchens, Markets, and Railways of India by Maneet Chauhan and Jody Eddy (Clarkson Potter Publishers) A judge called it the book “that makes me most enthusiastic to run out and buy ingredients and cook or book a plane ticket.” Another commented, “I want to join Maneet and Jody in this dynamic, fast-moving, joyous train journey through the world of chaat. I so love cookbooks that find a connecting theme to tackle single subjects that defy generalizations. I needed to read a cookbook like this. It made me happy and hungry, and I have been cooking delicious recipes from it.”

Dirt: Adventures in Lyon as a Chef in Training, Father, and Sleuth Looking for the Secret of French Cooking by Bill Buford (Alfred A. Knopf) It’s “a gorgeously written book about obsession told with humor and also includes a lot of information about French food (surprise it’s Italian!) that I wouldn’t necessarily have known. I enjoy Buford’s writing; there’s a sympathetic honesty to his portrayal of people.” In a second view, it is a “profound self-examination of what drives someone obsessed with food to dig deeper at any cost, but also a smart, learned, and profound commentary on what fuels one of the greatest culinary cultures of France from a seldom-explored perspective.”

Franchise: The Golden Arches in Black America by Marcia Chatelain (Liveright) This “essential deep dive on burgers, shakes, fries, and Black culture is required reading for restaurateurs and food fanatics. Deeply researched and of the moment — McDonald’s is America.” A judge added, “One of the best popular history books I’ve ever read, full stop.” Another said, “The more I read it, the more I am convinced that it will stand the test of time.”

In Bibi’s Kitchen: The Recipes and Stories of Grandmothers from the Eight African Countries that Touch the Indian Ocean by Hawa Hassan (Ten Speed Press) In one view, “The recipes beckon and the food and portrait photography are terrific.” In more views, “It’s beautiful and personality-filled but also feels so important, a true act of preservation.” And “I love that the grandmas were asked to contribute their own favorite recipes, not hemmed in by specific classics or expected dishes. It’s a beautiful document of home cooking as labor and as a community practice.” It is “both gorgeous and meaningful.”

Parwana: Recipes and Stories from an Afghan Kitchen by Durkhanai Ayubi (Interlink Books) The book “is a small masterpiece. She does an amazing job of balancing the complicated history of Afghanistan with the tales of her family story with a full catalogue of recipes that she presents as both familiar and new at the same time.” The same judge added, “The photography is the most beautiful.” Another judge praised it as “a really lyrical book about immigration, dispossession, food culture, and a cuisine we don’t hear a lot about. I loved the food I made.”

 

The 2020 Art of Eating Prize Shortlist

Black Sea: Dispatches and Recipes, Through Darkness and Light by Caroline Eden (Quadrille Publishing) is “poetic, beautiful, and evocative of a time and place that fulfills every criteria for this prize,” in the words of a judge. “There are many recipes that made me stop everything and run into the kitchen,” Another said that the book “pulls off that rare trick of being personal in its perspective while still presenting broad, grand stories.

Burn the Place: A Memoir by Iliana Regan (Midway Books) is “powerfully written.” Regan “gives us a subtle and complicated picture of gender and how cooking with deep roots in a particular landscape can be an expression of queerness.” Another judge said, “She gives us passion without sentimentality. She shows us an upbringing that is so far removed from our academic world of food.” Others variously noted that the book is “angry,” has “raw, untethered energy,” and “teaches us a lot about a complicated person making it at the highest level.”

The Gaijin Cookbook: Japanese Recipes from a Chef, Father, Eater, and Lifelong Outsider by Ivan Orkin and Chris Yang (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) is “superbly edited and concise,” said a judge, and has “common sense with great humor.” Another explained, “It does a terrific job of blending self-aware immersion in an elusive culture and its foods, representative recipes, and memoir, and it does so in a distinctive and lively voice.”

Jubilee: Recipes from Two Centuries of African American Cooking by Toni Tipton-Martin (Clarkson Potter) “tells the story of the influence and traditions of black Southern cooks; she brings us all to the table.” A judge pointed to a “perfect convergence of author, subject, and timing.” Another said that the historical important of the book “cannot be overstated.”

The Whole Fish Cookbook: New Ways to Cook, Eat and Think by Josh Niland (Hardie Grant Books) “will inspire an entirely new way to buy, cook and store fish.” Another judge agreed that it “has real potential to change how people look at and work with the animal. (It’s already done this for me.)” Another summed up: “Beautiful information, beautifully presented.”

Zaitoun: Recipes from the Palestinian Kitchen by Yasmin Khan (W.W. Norton & Co.) “does a really beautiful job of presenting a cuisine that is extremely unfamiliar and uncelebrated.” A judge said, “Any time a book does a deep dive into the small but significant differences between the cultures of a vast food region, I am smitten.” Another cited the “bright and engaging recipes, evocative and inspiring writing.”

The 2019 Art of Eating Prize Shortlist

This year’s shortlist reflects a particular appreciation for superior writing, and, perhaps not coincidentally, the judges seemed especially articulate as they debated the merits of each book.

The Best Cook in the World: Tales from My Momma’s Table by Rick Bragg (Alfred A. Knopf) brought strong praise for its writing: “a fierce, fiery brawler that reminds in every paragraph of the connections between food, place, and people,” one judge said. “The sheer force of the writing, the memories, and evocation of character drives those points home in a uniquely visceral way.”

Feast: Food of the Islamic World by Anissa Helou (Ecco) is “impressively researched and beautifully written,” in the words of one judge. Another remarked that the “recipes are written with a tenderness of details that really share the ‘how tos.’”

The Food of Northern Thailand by Austin Bush (Clarkson Potter) pays “attention to such technical things as How to Use a Mortar and Pestle like a Northern Thai, fold banana leaves, and mince laap. There’s real evocation of the culture(s) here, and a strong effort to not just present the food but explain how it fits into the overall nature of life.”

Hippie Food: How the Back-to-the-Landers, Longhairs, and Revolutionaries Changed the Way We Eat by Jonathan Kauffman (HarperCollins) is “a compelling and smoothly written cultural history,” said a judge. Another commented, “The politics of farming and eating remain extremely important.”

The Noma Guide to Fermentation by Rene Redzepi and David Zilber (Artisan Books) “dramatically expands the range of flavors available to a cook,” a judge observed, “while simultaneously allowing her to transform byproducts into delicious ingredients.”

Superiority Burger Cookbook: The Vegetarian Hamburger Is Now Delicious by Brooks Headley (W.W. Norton) drew praise for “such creative cooking and ground-breaking vegetarian cooking. There is an emphasis on the sensuality of food that is presented in a new way.” Another judge said, it “contributes to a larger conversation about what we eat (or should eat) without being preachy in the slightest.”

The 2018 Art of Eating Prize Shortlist

This year’s shortlist reflects an appreciation for clear teaching, personal history, and significant but less-well-known cuisines. More than usual, it was a challenge for the judges to reduce the choices to six books.

Bangkok: Stories and Recipes from the Heart of Thailand by Leela Punyaratabandhu (Ten Speed Press) addresses the sometimes-overlooked food of the capital. One judge cited “a passion and intellectual depth that is so warm and friendly” and “a sensual attentiveness to the multitude of tiny details of cooking.”

The Cooking Gene: A Journey Through African American Culinary History in the Old South by Michael W. Twitty (Amistad Books) does an “extraordinarily good job of weaving his quest to understand his personal identity and family history through food with the history of the slave trade” a judge said, and pointed to “the vivid stories, attention to historic detail, and fine writing.”

Istanbul & Beyond: Exploring the Diverse Cuisines of Turkey by Robyn Eckhardt (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) “surprised me with the depth and range of possibilities,” a judge wrote. “A fascinating collection, well written and beautifully photographed.”

Longthroat Memoirs: Soups, Sex and Nigerian Taste Buds by Yemisi Aribisala (Cassava Republic Press) takes food writing in a fresh direction, when you may have thought no such thing was possible. “This is writing with energy, with flair, that packs and lands its punches,” a judge said. “I am buoyed along by the sheer exuberance and hilarity and nostalgia and — yes — the (to me) pure exoticism of these things.”

Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking by Samin Nosrat (Simon & Schuster) elicited praise for its strong concept: “This is just the kind of book I’ve longed for — a work that explains the foundations of cooking in an accessible way without talking down to its audience. The imagination and passion behind it make it even more pleasurable.”

Tasting Georgia: A Food and Wine Journey in the Caucasus by Carla Capalbo (Interlink Books) explores the complex cuisine of a small country with some of the world’s oldest and best winemaking. “Finally, a cookbook that treats wine as an integral part of the cuisine,” said a judge. Another pointed to “really intriguing” dishes and the blend of “travelogue with recipes and food and wine ethnography.”

The 2017 Art of Eating Prize Shortlist

The Aleppo Cookbook: Celebrating the Legendary Cuisine of Syria by Marlene Matar (Interlink) presents the food of the great, now-destroyed city. In the words of one judge, “The book is restrained and beautiful. I feel a stronger sense of urgency now more than ever to pay attention to the small details in our kitchens and our lives that may not survive these turbulent times.”

Five Morsels of Love by Archana Pidathala (self-published) is a readily approachable cookbook of the Andhra cuisine of southeastern India. “Very personal, in the best way,” said a judge, “forcefully conveying the story of how her grandmother started cooking after her marriage with such a fervor that her influence led to this book.”

Land of Fish and Rice: Recipes from the Culinary Heart of China by Fuchsia Dunlop (Norton)  A judge noted an old tale recounted by the author “that resonates with the Chinese ‘as an expression of the rejection of materialist aspirations and a yearning for a more harmonious relationship with the natural world.’ Count me in.”

Mastering the Art of Japanese Home Cooking by Masaharu Morimoto (Ecco) is a clear, highly accessible rendering of real Japanese cooking. A judge called it “simultaneously fascinating, lively, and practical.”

The Taste of Persia: A Cook’s travels through Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, and Kurdistan by Naomi Duguid (Artisan) describes first-person encounters with in a part of the world that is known for exceptional cooking and yet visited by relatively few people. “I like the humility in her writing so much,” a judge said. “She is just curious and game, and I love that.”

Victuals: An Appalachian Journey, with Recipes by Ronni Lundy (Clarkson Potter) describes mountain food from Ohio and West Virginia to Georgia. “It has Edna Lewis’s closeness to the land and real access to what is underneath, before the big sweet gooey cooking that has gripped so much of the south today,” said a judge.

The 2016 Art of Eating Prize Shortlist

The 2016 shortlist comprises an impressive group of books whose authors aim at the highest level. Their subjects are diverse — Texas barbecue, the hidden African-American cooks of the past, the history and recipes of a current restaurant, Nordic food, Japanese fermentations, and the origins and vitality of Southern (US) food.

Franklin Barbecue by Aaron Franklin & Jordan Mackay (Ten Speed Press) presents a familiar US subject, barbecue, and yet the book manages to go so deep and be so good that for years to come it may be the definitive coverage of the subject. The notes of one judge: “Fascinatingly obsessive and, for me, thoroughly engrossing. I never imagined I would read it word for word, but I could not put it down.”

The Jemima Code: Two Centuries of African American Cookbooks by Toni Tipton-Martin (University of Texas Press) takes a less-than-obvious medium, bibliography, and turns it to a deeply affecting, highly readable series of portraits of talented, previously hidden African-American cooks. They, along with their colleagues whose names we will never know, have given us much of the best food in the United States. One judge summed up: “I think The Jemima Code is brilliant and subversive and, from an American point of view, perhaps the most important book released last year.”

The Mission Chinese Cookbook by Danny Bowien & Chris Ying (Ecco) is a restaurant cookbook that transcends the genre, avoiding the pitfalls of vanity, as it presents the personal history of a chef in the light of his restaurant. “Danny (and Chris) tell his story in a honest, humble, and sometimes raw way that I find quite affecting. That makes it much more than a restaurant cookbook for me.”

The Nordic Cookbook by Magnus Nilsson (Phaidon), the closest to a tome on this year’s shortlist, covers a part of the world whose food has been at the height of fashion for some years now. “I’m amazed by this book,” one judge responded. “This is a subject about which I know a fair bit about, and I love his take on the differences and connections between the ‘Nordic’ traditions, and his liberal (and, I think, useful and correct) ideas of what ‘Nordic’ really means in food.”

Preserving the Japanese Way by Nancy Singleton Hachisu (Andrews McMeel) may seem to cover a peripheral topic. Not so. Fermentations of many kinds are essential to Japanese cuisine. “This is just a plain, good, beautiful, well-researched, deep, textured, authoritative book. I learned from it, wanted to keep reading it, will refer to it, and make Japanese pickles from it.”

Southern Provisions: The Creation and Revival of a Cuisine by David S. Shields (University of Chicago Press) is packed with information. “It is the product of a tremendous amount of research, and it has a good, strong argument about the death and rebirth of regional foodways that I find compelling. I like his small-c catholic approach to cuisine and how he treats it neither as immune to considerations of race and class nor completely defined by them.”

 

2015 Art of Eating Prize Shortlist

The six books of the 2015 Art of Eating Prize Shortlist represent a range of outstanding writing about food. From the daunting pile of 84 nominations, the judges produced first a longlist of 12 books and then a shortlist of six. The books include a personal investigation of bread, another of spices with their rich history, a deep exploration of a Mexican regional cuisine, the first broad presentation of Spanish charcuterie with all its fascination, and a pair of cookbooks by two of the world’s most innovative chefs.

Charcutería by Jeffrey Weiss (Agate Publishing) goes beyond the famous Spanish hams to consider the whole of the country’s cured meats, and it provides recipes. “Awesome from top to bottom,” commented one of the judges. “It strikes me as a must-have book that will stand the test of time. It is also literary; it captures the spirit of the enterprise.”

Cumin, Camels, and Caravans by Gary Paul Nabhan (University of California Press) explores the profound effects of spices with their centuries of history. “This reminds me of one of my favorite books, Near a Thousand Tables; it’s something that anyone who wants to understand spices should read.”

In Search of the Perfect Loaf by Samuel Fromartz (Viking Press) takes the reader from his home kitchen to bakeries in Paris and Germany and gathers insights from some of the best-known American bakers. “Very well-written. His good, specific words provide the baking and fermenting process with needed language. A very pleasurable read, and that counts for a lot.”

The three-Michelin-star Massimo Bottura in Never Trust A Skinny Italian Chef (Phaidon Press) presents the stories behind four dozen of his dishes. One judge noted, “I have spent many years working with and sometimes sparring with people like Bottura. Even when they drive you mad (and they do, frequently), they have something very vital to say. This book is very alive.”Relæ: A Book of Ideas by Christian F. Puglisi (Ten Speed Press) chef of the cutting-edge Copenhagen restaurant Relæ, lays out much of his thinking in this cookbook. ”I found this fascinating and loved the structure. The writing is really clean and sharp, and it’s exactly what it promises: a book of ideas.”

Yucatán: Recipes From a Culinary Expedition by David Sterling (University of Texas Press) is an unexpectedly profound investigation of the riches of a Mexican regional cuisine. “The deep recipe introductions, the animal and ingredient profiles, each page of the book seems to carefully build more and more context for the food. There’s so much research.”