It’s 2024—the word ‘recipe’ now evokes a Pinterest image of cookies oozing with chocolate chips with instructions emblazoned on it. Or a reel where an influencer puts together a sandwich, cutting it into half with a satisfying ASMR crunch. What the word ‘cookbook’ evokes, though, is a Tarla Dalal hardback gathering dust in one end of my mom’s kitchen shelf. These books, however, tell a different story—they're the ones you’ll keep going back to, that go beyond the recipe to tell an origin story or delve into the intricacies of an entire culture.
Amrikan (pronounced exactly the way that one uncle in the family says it) by Khushbu Shah, is full of stories from generations of immigrants and the recipes that made their adopted country a home (Makhani Mac and Cheese, for example). A memoir peppered with recipes and translated from Shahu Patole’s original Marathi version, Dalit Kitchens of Marathwada provides a look at the historical role of food in solidifying cultural identities, along with a commentary on caste-based discrimination.
For those keen to explore dishes from other cultures, Palestinian cookbook Bethlehem is filled with anecdotes about the author, Fadi Kattan’s family, and profiles of local food artisans and farmers in the ancient city who pass on their knowledge via simple recipes. Noodles, Rice, and Everything Spice is a delightful Thai cookbook, stylised as comic strips containing 50 recipes, personal anecdotes, and historical nuggets. Learn how to make Thai mainstays like pad kee mao, aka drunken noodles, and som tum aka papaya salad, and regional specialties such as pad sator (stir-fried bitter beans) and nam phrik ong (spicy pork with tomato chilli dip).
A not-so-heavy narrative cookbook of 2024 was written by none other than Dolly Parton and her sister, Rachel Parton George. Titled Good Lookin' Cookin', it gives readers a sneak peek into the food lives of the sisters, including hosting tips, menus for Mothers’ Day and Christmas, and trademark family food secrets. Scroll to see our pick of the narrative cookbooks that made 2024 delicious.
