World Food (Series)

World Food

published by Lonely Planet
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I love Japanese and Indian food, but I known next to nothing about any of it. What is “paneer” in my saag paneer? Where did Japanese curry come from, and why is it served on top of a pork cutlet? If you’ve ever wondered what some kind of food is or where it came from, you might want to check out the World Food series from Lonely Planet.

Each book covers one or two countries, or sometimes a specific region of the United States – there’s one for India, one for Japan, one for California, and one for New Orleans, for example. Each book is a little different, since it has different authors, but all of the books introduce you to the many different cuisines in a country, and you get to learn about different ingredients and traditions that go along with food. You’ll learn about the kind of food people eat in their houses, the kind they get in restaurants, and the kind they buy from street vendors. You’ll also get some of the history of different foods. I did, for example, learn how Japan got hooked on curry.

These are mostly books about food, but sometimes they contain a few recipes, as well. Some of the information will only be useful if you plan to visit that country, but some of it will help out eating in different local restaurants, and some of it is just plain interesting.

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Where to Find Them

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