Just in time for Thanksgiving menu planning: a list for the culinarily curious among us looking to crack open a visually stimulating read alongside a cold one at the end of the day.
Cookbooks
Cook Like Your Ancestors: An Illustrated Guide to Intuitive Cooking With Recipes From Around the World by Mariah-Rose Marie (Silver Sprocket)
Recommended for: Anyone with fond memories of watching their parents or grandparents in the kitchen and want to continue the tradition of cooking from the soul—or, as your grandmother might say, “just eyeballing it.”
Let’s Make Ramen!: A Comic Book Cookbook by Hugh Amano and Sarah Becan (Ten Speed)
Recommended for: When instant ramen just won't cut it.
Our reviewer says: “Chef and writer Amano and illustrator Becan team up again (after The Adventures of Fat Rice) to celebrate ramen in this fun and accessible graphic guide.”
Noodles, Rice, and Everything Spice by Christina De Witte and Mallika Kauppinen (Ten Speed)
Recommended for: Thai food lovers and those who want to delve deeper into some Southeast Asian cooking that isn’t as well-known but still just as delicious.
The Poorcraft Cookbook by Nero Villagallos O’Reilly (Iron Circus)
Recommended for: College students and recent graduates, and anyone looking for kitchen tips that won’t have them regretting their wallet size the next day.
Our reviewer says: “This charming third outing from the Poorcraft comic series (after Poorcraft: Wish You Were Here) offers cooking advice geared toward those setting out on their own for the first time.”
History
The Art of Sushi by Franckie Alarcon, trans. from the French by Peter Russella (NBM)
Recommended for: Anyone who’s ever returned from Japan and told their friends how “the sushi is, like, just so much better there.”
Our reviewer says: “Alarcon returns to the culinary world with this informative and appetizing comics chronicle covering every aspect of the Japanese sushi experience from growing rice and making soy sauce to the many ways fish are caught and prepared.”
The Incredible Story of Cooking by Benoist Simmat and Stéphane Douay (NBM)
Recommended for: Those who asked “why” a lot when they were younger and liked watching the adults in their life struggle to answer. This one won’t just tell you why, but who, what, where, when, and how, too.
A History of Desserts (Yummy #1) by Victoria Grace Elliott (Random House Graphic)
Recommended for: The sweetest people with the sweetest of sweet teeth.
Our reviewer says: “In this vibrant visual tour of favorite modern-day treats, brown-skinned, green-haired sprite Peri, clad in spectacles and a yellow apron, along with colorful companions Fee and Fada, offer a global and historical overview of seven desserts: ice cream, cake, brownies, donuts, pie, gummies, and cookies.”
The Jewish Deli: An Illustrated Guide to the Chosen Food by Ben Nadler (Chronicle)
Recommended for: When you’re missing your favorite deli.
Our reviewer says: “This appetizing graphic guide from Nadler lays out a humorous and informative history of the Jewish deli in North America.”
How-To
To Drink and to Eat by Guillaume Long (Oni Press)
Recommended for: People who found inspiration in that scene from Ratatouille, when Colette tells Alfredo that if he wants to get the best ingredients, “grow it yourself, or bribe a grower.”
The Comic Book Guide to Growing Food by Joseph Tychonievich and Liz Anna Kozik (Ten Speed)
Recommended for: All the garden gals and plant pals who love saying “I grew this myself” when showing up to the annual potluck.
Our reviewer says: “Equally charming and useful, this illustrated introduction to gardening is a delightful resource for anyone looking to dig into homegrown veggies.”
Memoir
In the Kitchen with Alain Passard: Inside the World (and Mind) of a Master Chef by Christophe Blain (Chronicle)
Recommended for: Anyone who has ever daydreamed of becoming a master chef and running a successful restaurant one day instead of gutting through another day at their unglamorous office job.
Our reviewer says: “What’s life like for a renowned chef running one of the top-rated restaurants in the world? To find out, cartoonist Blain shadowed culinary virtuoso Alain Passard, in this delightfully engaging glimpse into the world of high-class Parisian cuisine.”
Family Style: Memories of an American from Vietnam by Thien Pham (First Second)
Recommended for: Seeing food not just as sustenance, but as an appreciation of culture, family, and personal history.
Our reviewer says: “Pham employs food as a vehicle to chronicle his and his family’s treacherous experience as Vietnamese refugees in this arresting graphic novel memoir, a debut.” Read more here.
Feeding Dangerously: On the Ground with José Andrés and the World Central Kitchen by José Andrés and Steve Orlando (TKO)
Recommended for: When you’re trying to convince your stingy neighbor that donating food is actually as important an act of community care as they come.
Our reviewer says: “ ‘Feeding is power,’ remarks chef Andrés in this uplifting team-up with Orlando that shines a light on the World Central Kitchen’s food relief programs, which use food as a tool for bringing community together in the wake of natural disasters.”
Hot Dog Taste Test by Lisa Hanawalt (Drawn & Quarterly)
Recommended for: When you’re scrolling through your social media feed full of gluttonous mukbangs scarfing down unsavory pairings and wonder if foodie culture really is as ridiculous as you think it is.
Our reviewer says: “Hanawalt, the author of My Dirty Dumb Eyes and designer for the animated series Bojack Horseman, turns her cartooning eye toward food and foodie culture—among other topics—in her second collection.”
Emma Dreams of Stars by Kan Takahama, Emmanuelle Maisonneuve and Julia Pavlowitch (Vertical)
Recommended for: Food critics, and anyone with an impeccable palate who’s dreamed of one day putting their taste buds to the test.
