Ten best international cookbooks from around the world to add global flavor and culture to your kitchen and dinner table.
Who doesn’t love cookbooks, right? Even if you are not the best cook out there, there is something so soothing about flipping through cookbooks, looking at stunning images and reading beautiful narratives around food and food culture. And international cookbooks bring a whole other element of travel inspiration to the mix. International Cookbooks are also one of the ways to add global culture to your own kitchen and dinner table. It is no surprise that food and food culture is one of the things most people enjoy about traveling.
So here is a round up of some of the best international cookbooks out there to bring global culture to your dinner table. Plus these make the perfect gift to that host or hostess in your life.
#1 Kinfolk Table
Kinfolk is one of the few magazines out there that has remained true to its mission of showcasing narratives around global lifestyle and connecting with a community of creatives from all walks of life. The aesthetics are clean with a strong emphasis on people. And their beautiful cookbook – The Kinfolk Table – is a narration of people, community and their favorite dishes. From chefs to designers to blogger, this cookbook features a variety of dishes and stories.
And as always this Kinfolk cookbook features amazing, large format photos that are sure to make your mouth water as you flip page after page.
#2 Far Afield by Shane Mitchell
Shane Mitchell’s cookbook – Far Afield – is a treasure for anyone who loves culture, travel and food. The focus of her cookbook is the travel experiences she had, and the people and communities she visited while writing this book. It is less about the recipe and more about the narrative – giving focus to the human element behind the food. Shane travels and engages with people in a refugee camp in France, a nomadic herd in India, monks in Japan and cowboys in Latin America, she documents their life and their food culture so beautifully. This is a book that you will read time and time again.
Shane has also been a guest on the CulturallyOurs Podcast and you can listen to her interview here. She shares her story and her journey in creating her cookbook.
#3 Seasons by Nik Sharma
Nik Sharma is one of our favorite cookbook authors and photographers of all times. He has a way with images that really speak to his style and his aesthetics. Nik is an immigrant from India and a scientist in his past life. So, he brings in that geeky element of science in his cooking. He also brings in his ethnicity and the color of his skin into his work by showcasing his hands in his food pictures as an ode to immigrants and people of color in the food industry. His first book – Seasons – is a wonderful compilation of Indian fusion cooking. Even the name of his blog A Brown Table is speaks to his heritage.
Nik was the very first guest on the CulturallyOurs Podcast back in 2018 and you can listen to his story here. Since then Nik has published his second book – The Flavor Equation.
#4 The Sioux Chef by Shawn Sherman
Shawn Sherman, The Sioux Chef, is a James Beard award winning chef and a native American activist who is promoting indigenous foods and indigenous ingredients in the food industry. He is also doing amazing work in promoting other Native American chefs as well as spreading the knowledge of Native American food system in the community.
His new restaurant Owamni is soon to open in Minneapolis, and we cannot wait for our next visit there to try it out.
#5 Chaat by Maneet Chauhan
A hot favorite among Indians as well as people who love Indian food, Chopped judge and James Beard Award-winning chef Maneet explores bold flavors, regional dishes, and stunning scenery of India as seen through a train journey from east to west and north to south.
Trains are an icon in India – a way for the masses to traverse this beautiful country and as people journey from state to state, they get to experience a variety of cuisines along the way.
#6 Jikoni by Ravinder Bhopal
In Swahili, Jikoni means kitchen. At its core, that’s what it is. A kitchen where people learn about culture through the lens of food. The cookbook shares recipes that highlights immigrant cuisine as seen by the eyes and childhood memories of the author who’s grandfather migrated from India to Kenya. 
She shares her culinary memories that were a huge influence in her adult years.
#7 Parwana by Durkhanai Ayubi
Parwana is a beautiful cookbook that document the life story of the Ayubi family and their journey from Afghanistan to Australia. Durkhanai shares her family’s migration journey as well as memories from life back in Afghanistan – the people, the community and the land.
She says, ‘An awareness of the history is important even necessary for understanding Afghan cuisine in a way that extends beyond the superficial.
#8 In Bibi’s Kitchen by Hawa Hassan
In this incredible volume, Somali chef Hawa Hassan and food writer Julia Turshen present recipes and stories gathered from bibis (known as grandmothers) from eight African nations: South Africa, Mozambique, Madagascar, Comoros, Tanzania, Kenya, Somalia, and Eritrea. Most notably, these eight countries are at the backbone of the spice trade, many of them exporters of things like pepper and vanilla. 
Through Hawa’s writing and her own personal story, the women, and the stories behind the recipes, come to life. With stunning photography by Khadija Farah, and food photography by Jennifer May, In Bibi’s Kitchen uses food to teach us all about families, war, loss, migration, refuge, and sanctuary.
#9 Ethiopia: Recipes from the horn of Africa by Yohanis Gebreyeus
Listed as one of National Geographic Traveller’s best new cookbooks, Yohanis Gebreyesus (James Beard and Julia Child award winner) documents the traditions, flavors, people, landscapes and foods from Ethiopia. Ethiopia stands as a land apart: never colonized, it celebrates ancient traditions. The fascinatingly distinct cuisine is influenced by a history enriched with a religious mix of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, as well as some of the most fertile land on the continent.
Along with photography of the stunning landscapes and vibrant artisans of Ethiopia combined with insightful cultural and historical details this book demonstrates why Ethiopian food should be considered one of the world’s most singular and enchanting cuisines.
#10 Gran Cocina Latina: The Food of Latin America by Maricel Presilla
This 2013 James Beard Foundation cookbook of the year features over 500 recipes from all over Latin-America. It aims to unifies the vast culinary landscape of the Latin world, from Mexico to Argentina and all the Spanish-speaking countries of the Caribbean. In one volume it gives home cooks, armchair travelers, and curious chefs the first comprehensive collection of recipes from this region. From the foundational adobos and sofritos to empanadas and tamales to ceviches and moles to sancocho and desserts such as flan and tres leches cake, this book is an explosion of color, flavor, culture and taste.
What are some of your favorite cookbooks?
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