Best Books 2021: Publishers Weekly Publishers Weekly

Black Food: Stories, Art, and Recipes from Across the African Diaspora [A Cookbook]

Bryant Terry (4 Color)

This exuberant work cooked up by James Beard Award–winning chef Terry is way more than a notable collection of recipes. Stuffed with essays, poetry, and artwork from a cast of brilliant creatives with their finger on the pulse of Black culture and the culinary world, it sweeps readers from West Africa to Jamaica to New York with sumptuous stories that feed the soul.

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Flavors of the Sun: The Sahadi’s Guide to Understanding, Buying, and Using Middle Eastern Ingredients

Christine Sahadi Whelan (Chronicle)

This transportive tour through the flavors of the Middle East couldn’t be steered by a better captain: as the co-owner of the beloved Brooklyn market Sahadi’s, Whelan’s been in the family business for years, and it shows in the recipes she confidently doles out. From familiar regional staples such as tahini to the more obscure Urfa pepper, no ingredient is given short shrift in this exemplary guide.

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Let’s Make Dumplings!: A Comic Book Cookbook

Hugh Amano and Sarah Becan (Ten Speed)

Combining quirky illustrations with recipes from across the Asian continent, this festive and freewheeling outing deconstructs the dumpling for adventurous home cooks craving more fun in the kitchen. Folding techniques are offered alongside snackable trivia (surprise: the Chinese takeout classic crab rangoon most likely isn’t Asian at all) and doused with sauces both savory and sweet.

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The New York Times Cooking No-Recipe Recipes

Sam Sifton (Ten Speed)

New York Times food editor Sifton gives home cooks permission to forgo the rules and wing it in this cookbook that’s less about getting things right than it is about listening to one’s gut. It’s a liberating take on cooking that yields delectably satisfying results.

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Zero Proof: 90 Non-Alcoholic Recipes for Mindful Drinking

Elva Ramirez (Mariner)

Ramirez’s debut lifts the spirits with cocktails that are free of alcohol. While that concept may cause some revelers to pause, the drinks here are nothing to scoff at—exotic ingredients meet boozy flavors to make sobriety a delicious affair.

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