Which are the best cookbooks ever written, the ones cooks and chefs themselves turn to again and again? Over the years, we’ve asked many of our favourite cookery writers to recommend their own favourite cookbooks. The ones that came up most often are listed on the left.
You can also browse below for cookbooks listed by country/national cuisine, including the best Greek, Persian, French, Italian and American cookbooks.
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1
Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human
by Richard Wrangham -
2
Historia General y Natural de las Indias
by Gonzalo Fernandez de Oviedo y Valdes -
3
Leipoldt’s Cape Cookery
by C Louis Leipoldt -
4
Seven Fires
by Francis Mallman with Peter Kaminsky -
5
Thrill of the Grill
by Chris Schlesinger and John Willoughby
The best books on Barbecue and Grill, recommended by Steven Raichlen
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1
Mastering the Art of French Cooking
by Julia Child & Louisette Bertholle and Simone Beck -
2
The Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking
by Marcella Hazan -
3
The Key to Chinese Cooking by Irene Kuo
by Irene Kuo -
4
A Platter of Figs and Other Recipes
by David Tanis -
5
The Cake Bible
by Rose Levy Beranbaum
Wonderful Cookbooks, recommended by Madhur Jaffrey
The best books on Persian Cookery, recommended by Jila Dana-Haeri and Shahrzad Ghorashian
In this interview two celebrated chefs discuss the best books to help you capture the complex flavours and colours of Persian food. Along the way they describe their favourite Persian treats, including mouth-watering lattice window syrup cakes and rice with saffron and morello cherries.