Wafu Cooking

From the origins of agriculture to contemporary debates over culinary authenticity, Ways of Eating introduces readers to world food history and food anthropology. Through engaging stories and historical deep dives, Benjamin A. Wurgaft and Merry I. White offer new ways to understand food in relation to its natural and cultural histories and the social rules that shape our meals.

Wurgaft and White use vivid storytelling to bring food practices to life, weaving stories of Panamanian coffee growers, medieval women beer makers, and Japanese knife forgers. From the Venetian spice trade to the Columbian Exchange, from Roman garum to Vietnamese nớc chấm, Ways of Eating provides an absorbing account of world food history and anthropology. Migration, politics, and the dynamics of group identity all shape what we eat, and we can learn to trace these social forces from the plate to the kitchen, the factory, and the field.

Hardcover |  ‎University of California Press | 256 pages

Julia Turshen is a home cook’s best friend. Known for her simple, no-frills, yet utterly satisfying recipes—as well as her authentic, relatable, problem-solving approach—hers are the cookbooks we all turn to when we want to know what else we can make with some ground turkey, or if we can pull off dessert with a few basic pantry ingredients. In essence, we look to Julia when we want to know What Goes with What: to understand how we can transform the seemingly boring contents of our fridge into an exciting meal.

Now, in her latest book, Julia offers readers a new way to think about cooking, one that focuses on mastering the alchemy of a meal—and then offers endless iterations. Organized into six sections (salads and sandwiches; soups, stews and braises; rice, more grains, and pasta; vegetables; mains; and baked goods), Julia arms readers with 20 charts and 100 recipes that teach them how to build a successful dish, while making ample room for creativity and personal preference.

For readers of tried and true cookbooks like Melissa Clark’s Dinner and Deb Perelman’s Smitten Kitchen series, as well as fans of Molly Baz and Alison Roman’s breezy yet craveable recipes, What Goes with What will become an instant classic and find its place as a foundational cookbook for a new generation of home cooks.

Hardcover | Flatiron Books | 320 pages

From the chef and owner of Agi’s Counter in Brooklyn comes 100 classic Hungarian and Jewish recipes reinvented for a new generation.

Growing up a second-generation Hungarian Jew meant Jeremy Salamon spent a lot of time with family, gathered around a good meal. Jeremy honored both his grandmothers, Agi and Arlene, in 2021 by opening up his restaurant Agi’s Counter in Brooklyn where he carries on the culture, flavors, and recipes from his heritage. He’s reimagined those traditions with an eye towards seasonality, market-driven ingredients, and a touch of American influence, plus the technical expertise of a career spent in some of New York’s best kitchens.

In Second Generation, traditional Hungarian classics like Meggyleves, a Sour Cherry Soup, are updated with a twenty-first-century point of view. Agi’s Counter staples like the Tuna Melt, Caraway Caesar Salad, and the Chilled Buttermilk Borscht bring your favorite diner counter straight to your kitchen. And Jeremy’s reinventions like Nokedli Cacio e Pepe and Körözött-Stuffed Squash Blossoms reimagine Hungarian flavors for the forward-thinking cook.

Second Generation covers not just main and side dishes, but desserts, drinks, noshes, pantry staples, and remedies—the secret recipes to reach for in times of need. With tips from a professional chef curated for the home cook, these recipes are streamlined and accessible for all levels of expertise in the kitchen. This book is made for anyone, whether you hold Eastern-European flavors near or are looking to expand your weekly rotation. Second Generation is a testament to a grandmother’s wisdom, cooking from the heart, and sharing it with the next generation.

Hardcover | Harvest | 240 pages

This book presents to an American audience the cuisine of Liguria—the Italian Riviera—full of dishes that are inventive, inherently seasonal, waste-conscious, plant-forward, and geared toward the home cook.

Italian cuisine never goes out of style. Yet while many are familiar with various regional cuisines of Italy, one of its most gastronomically rich regions has been largely overlooked: Liguria, home of focaccia, pesto, and the Cinque Terre.

Award-winning author and food writer Laurel Evans has been immersed in the cuisine of Liguria for 15 years, ever since her Italian boyfriend (now husband, and the photographer for this book) brought her to his family’s hillside villa in Moneglia on the Mediterranean coast. There, Evans immersed herself in kitchens, restaurants, and markets, building relationships with the chefs, shopkeepers, producers, and nonne who drive the local cuisine. This book showcases all that she discovered: a cuisine that is beautiful but humble, plant-based and waste-conscious at its core, with a particular spirit and history that she unravels for readers new to the region.

From the ultimate pesto, to the definitive focaccia recipe coaxed out of local bakers, to recipes for lesser-known Ligurian specialties like Cappon Magro, Liguria: The Cookbook offers readers a personal journey into the heart of the cuisine of this timeless yet ever-evolving region.

Hardcover | Rizzoli | 224 pages

Bring the bold, spicy, beautiful world of Southern Thai cooking to your kitchen through 100 recipes and stories from the James Beard Award–winning chef and celebrated ambassador of Thai food in the U.S.

Growing up in the tropical region of Southern Thailand, Nok Suntaranon helped her mother make the fresh curry pastes she would sell at their local market. But decades later she returned home and saw that the food had become sweeter and watered down, victim to shortcuts and appealing to tourists. So, her life mission became clear: to find and preserve the old flavors of Thai food and to show home cooks how delicious and intricately flavored Thai cooking is.

Kalaya's Southern Thai Kitchen is organized so home cooks can master this food with confidence and ease. With suggested recipe pairings featured on each recipe, traditional and modern recipe names, and beginner materials such as the Sauce and Paste or the Foundations of Southern Thai food chapters—Nok is there with you every step of the way in mastering Thai cooking at home.

Nok dispels the stereotypes that Thai food is hard to make, or that it is synonymous with cheap takeout. From fragrant lemongrass and pungent shrimp paste to simple curry pastes, this is the fiery, refined cuisine of her homeland. Through over 100 recipes, you'll find new favorites such as Som Tom (Papaya Salad with Tamarind Paste and Dry Chili), Gaeng Ghai (Southern Style Chicken Curry), Nua Yang (Grilled Beef with Thai Chili Dipping Sauce), and Khao Niew Ma Muang (Mango Sticky Rice). With easy-to-follow visuals, beginner-friendly tips, and stunning on-location photography, Kalaya's Southern Thai Kitchen allows cooks of all experience to bring a piece of Thailand into their homes and kitchens.

Hardcover | Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed | 272 pages

A collection of more than 100 of the best, most emblematic recipes of German and Austrian home cooks, from the author of Classic German Baking.

To many, German food is humble comfort food, the kind of food that may not win a beauty award, but more than makes up for it with its power to soothe, nourish and cheer. In Classic German Cooking, Luisa Weiss—who was born in Berlin to an Italian mother and American father, and married into a family with roots in Saxony—has collected and mastered the essential everyday recipes of Germany and Austria. 

Classic German Cooking features traditional and time-honored recipes that are beloved in homes across the region, such as Rinderrouladen (Braised Beef Rolls), Quarkauflauf (Fresh Cheese Soufflé), Hühnerfrikassee (Chicken Fricassee) and authentic Viennese Gulasch or Alpine Germknödel (Plum Butter-Stuffed Steamed Dumplings). Cozy Apfelküchle (Apple Fritters) bring warmth to an afternoon snack, while tangy Spargelsalat (White Asparagus Salad) signals the sweet start of Spring.

Luisa gives history and context to the cooking of Germany and its influences worldwide. Sprinkled with both personal stories and historical insights, Classic German Cooking will leave you with a well-rounded understanding of the cuisine and its lasting influence.

Hardcover | Ten Speed Press | 272 pages