FOOD TRAVEL BOOKS

Food journeys of a lifetime: 500 extraordinary places to eat around the globe, introduction by Keith Bellows, editor-in-chief, National Geographic Magazine.

"For those who appreciate the pleasures of the table, there are no happier reasons to travel than to explore the world's great culinary traditions. Every cuisine tells a unique story about the local landscape, climate, history, and culture - "Food Journeys of a Lifetime" will introduce you to the farmers, fishermen, bakers, and chefs who transform nature's bounty into a thousand gustatory delights. And once you're appetite has been whetted, you'll be able to try your own hand at some of these culinary delights, as the book features recipes you can try at home. In addition, "Food Journeys of a Lifetime" will provide detailed, practical travel information to help make your dream food pilgrimage a reality. So what's your pleasure? A pastrami sandwich in one of New York's bustling delicatessens or homemade jerk chicken from a local street vendor in Jamaica? Learning to cook delicious Chinese dumplings in Beijing or munching on hand-picked apples amid Vermont's fall foliage? Whatever your taste, "Food Journeys of a Lifetime: 500 Extraordinary Places to Eat Around the Globe" will have something on the menu for you." (Real Groovy)

Eat my globe, by Simon Majumdar.

" Go everywhere, eat everything. Simon's unstoppable wit and passion for all things edible (especially those things that once had eyes, and a face, and a mom and a pop) makes this an armchair traveller's and foodie's delight -- Majumdar does all the heavy lifting, eats the heavy foods (and suffers the weighty consequences), so you don't have to. He jets to thirty countries in just over twelve months, diving mouth-first into local cuisines and cultures as different as those of Japan and Iceland. His journey takes him from China, where he consumes one of his "Top Ten Worst Eats," stir-fried rat, to the United States, where he glories in our greatest sandwiches: the delectable treasures of Katz's Delicatessen in Manhattan, BBQ in Kansas and Texas, the still-rich po' boys of post-Katrina New Orleans. The meat of the story -- besides the peerless ham in Spain, the celebrated steaks of Argentina, the best of Munich's wursts as well as their descendants, the famous hot dogs of Chicago -- is the friends that Simon makes as he eats. They are as passionate about food as he is and are eager to welcome him to their homes and tables, share their choicest meals, and reveal their local secrets. Also a poignant memoir, Eat My Globe is a life told through food and spiced with Majumdar's remembrances of foods past, including those from his colourful childhood. Eat My Globe will make you laugh -- while it makes you hungry. It is sure to satiate any gastronome obsessed with globetrotting -- for now." (Amazon)

World food: make the most of your time on Earth, edited by Andrew Rosenberg.

"Whether you're planning the trip of a lifetime, dreaming about going, or have already booked, check out Rough Guides selection of the 25 ultimate world food experiences and push your taste buds that bit further on your next adventure. From having fondue in Switzerland and eating a snake village meal in Hanoi to tasting Arabic sweets and eating Pizza in Naples. Covering well known and more off-beat food experiences this book gives you 25 reasons to grab your passport, stop what you are doing and go. One of 25 Rough Guide Ultimate Experiences - collect the set of 25 pocket-sized books and make the most of your time on Earth!" (Amazon)

Country New Zealand: a culinary journey, by Ian Baker; text by Geraldine McManus.

"A sister volume to the bestselling Simply New Zealand, Country New Zealand is a gastronomic journey through the rural heartland of New Zealand, showcasing the culinary delights of top chefs from a selection of the country's finest - and more remote - eateries. With more than 70 recipes, each unique to the region and shot in full colour, as well as some 150 scenic photographs that capture New Zealand's rural ambience, Country New Zealand can be enjoyed at home or used as the ultimate touring guide." (Real Groovy)

The hairy bikers food tour of Britain, by Si King and Dave Myers.

"With their irrepressible enthusiasm for great food, Si King and Dave Myers AKA the Hairy Bikers travel the length and breadth of Britain to discover our finest traditional foods. Touring the counties of Britain on their trusty triumphs, Si and Dave celebrate local recipes and chefs from the villages and towns they explore. Creating delicious meals from local produce they inspire with their bubbling enthusiasm. Find out where the best sausages are made, why Ludlow has become the foody Mecca of the Shires and discover the century-old recipe for gingerbread with a hint of rum and port. Si and Dave are self-confessed life-long foodies. They celebrate each ingredient and create delicious dishes while providing some laughs along the way. THE HAIRY BIKERS' FOOD TOUR OF BRITAIN puts the passion back into cooking and inspires readers to eat the best of British." (Amazon)

Noodle Pillows: a journey through Vietnamese food and culture , by Peta Mathias.

"Travel with Peta Mathias on a culinary journey through Vietnam, from crowded Hanoi and Ha Long Bay in the north, through the ancient imperial city of Hue and romantic Hoi An in the centre, to the food capital Saigon and the country's bread basket, Can Tho, in the south. Everywhere she goes she walks the markets, meets the people and samples the local fare - in homes, on the street and in a variety of restaurants. She discovers a rich culture and an engaging people who, despite occupation by the Chinese and the French, have retained a unique cuisine that is fresh, healthy and tasty. With more than 20 recipes, this book is designed for the armchair traveller and for anyone who wants to know more about Vietnamese food and culture." (Real Groovy)

Her fork in the road: women celebrate food and travel, edited by Lisa Bach.

"Women's relationships with food are passionate and obsessive, embracing and comforting, complex and frustrating. This savoury sampling of stories - by some of the best writers in and out of the food and travel fields - journeys to the heart of these age-old relationships, taking readers from the familiar kitchens of contemporary America to the far reaches of the globe. In France, an over-enthusiastic waitress serves M. F. K. Fisher the lunch of a lifetime to sustain her on a walk to Avallon. In Tunisia, Ruth Reichl dines at the home of a local, where the meal is eaten with the hands and a dash of sensuality. And in Fiji, where the women are big and beautiful and walk like royalty, Laurie Gough encounters food as a grand and constant celebration. The lively, literate tone of Her Fork in the Road makes it both an enduring read and an ideal companion for the kitchen or the road." (Amazon)

Al dente: the adventures of a gastronome in Italy, by William Black.

"In Al Dente, William Black travels the length and breadth of Italy to get to the roots of Italian food. His quest for the most delicious and authentic cooking and the very finest ingredients takes him to wonderfully familiar places and hidden delights. He drinks great coffee in Turin, and views the mattanza, the annual tuna catch, off the coast of Sardinia. And as he eats his way to the country's culinary heart, he unearths the fascinating story of his own family's role in Italian history." (Amazon)

Ant egg soup: the adventures of a food tourist in Laos , by Natacha Du Pont De Bie.

"Natacha Du Pont De Bie is no ordinary tourist. She'll trek for hours or even days in search of a good lunch. Her obsession with food is such that, while others are lying comatose on the beach or cycling up mountains, she'll be down at the local market, elbow deep in produce, grilling people on where to find the best indigenous restaurants and cafes and jotting down recipes. She is a self-proclaimed food tourist - she can't think of a better way to experience a country and its culture than through its cuisine. And the more obscure the better. So when Natacha found out that there was only one cookbook on Lao cuisine by the late king's chef, she promptly decided that the challenge of hunting down recipes and discovering a new gastronomy was just too tempting. "Ant Egg Soup" is the result of her adventures in Laos, the stories of the people she met, the places she visited and, of course, the food she tasted: drinking raw turkey blood with herbs in a tribal village, cooking Paradise chicken in a little guest house by the Kung Si waterfalls and sampling fried cricket during the Festival of the Golden Stupa. Funny and refreshing, fascinating and enlightening, "Ant Egg Soup" will awaken the senses while redefining the art of travelling and eating abroad." (Amazon)

Plats du jour: a journey to the heart of French food, by William Black

"There is more than a slight malaise in the air these days about French food and cooking. While the rest of the world delights in the intricacies of molecular gastronomy, in France the years of worship at the temple of the great god Michelin seem to have blinded them to change and evolution. What is it about the French that causes them to think so narrowly about their food? William Black explores the highways and byways of French cooking in an attempt to answer that question. Taking as his starting point the great tradition of French food, William tackles years of received wisdom and parochial food snobbery head on, with his mind (and his mouth) firmly open. He eats tête de veau and fried cow's udder with his French wife's family. He samples the dubious (and illegal) delights of ortolan and has the most painfully disappointing gastronomic experience of his life. He combs the beaches of Brittany for seafood and is chased away from a festival by an enraged Basque villager. His dedication to the culinary cause knows few bounds. Perhaps not a book that the French will like very much, it's a highly entertaining and irreverent look at the world's greatest culinary tradition." (Amazon)

No reservations: around the world on an empty stomach, by Anthony Bourdain

"Anthony Bourdain has been everywhere: From the legendary Paris markets to the backstreets of Mumbai, he's crisscrossed the globe in search of adventure and great meals. Now, the beloved chef and TV host returns from the read with this illustrated journal of his far-flung travels. Featuring more than four-hundred stunning, never-before-seen photos and all-new commentary, it's a hell-for-leather world tour of food and mayhem in exotic places." "Whether lounging on the beaches of Tahiti, eating his way through food-mad Singapore, or surviving a particularly life-threatening massage parlour in Samarqand, Bourdain is an always entertaining guide." (Book Jacket - Library Catalogue)

Eating up Italy: voyages on a Vespa, by Matthew Fort

"Fort examines Italy through its food and the people who produce it. He discovers a land where regional differences are still alive and uncovers the rich connection between history, tradition and cuisine. The enticing sum of these parts--the food, producers, ingredients, consumers and eating occasions--is nothing less than a contemporary portrait of the country." (Real Groovy)

FOOD TRAVEL DVDs