7 of the best cookbooks for experiencing authentic global cuisines from home

The following new cookbooks offer more than just recipes; they immerse you in the culture and history of a destination...

3 mins

The new year is often when we resolve to spend more time recreating some of the best dishes from our travels. The following new cookbooks offer more than just recipes; they immerse you in the culture and history of a destination.

Paon: Real Balinese Cooking

Authors Tjok Maya Kerthyasa and I Wayan Kresna Yasa shine a light on Bali’s little-documented cuisine and dish up 80 recipes, including a delicious slow-braised spiced pork and grilled spiced snapper, alongside essays and beautiful photography.

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West Winds 

This joyous tome by Riaz Phillips submerges you in Jamaican food culture and includes over a hundred recipes, ranging from vegetarian curries through to spiced tuna, rum cake and even curried goat.

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The Mexican Vegetarian Cookbook

Mexican food may not immediately strike you as being the most vegetarian-friendly, but as author Margarita Carrillo Arronte points out, traditional Mexican cuisine has deep veggie roots. Inspiring recipes include Oaxacan mushroom turnovers, tortillas with chile and chocolate sauce, and savoury carrot soufflé.

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Tava

Irina Georgescu’s elegant and beautifully written celebration of Romania’s cakes and pastries features some mouthwatering recipes, including curd cheese and golden raisin pie and damson dumplings with buttery breadcrumbs.

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Hoppers: The Cookbook

Karan Gokani, creative director of London’s popular Sri Lankan restaurant chain Hoppers, pulls together recipes from its menu and this colourful book explores the places and people that inspired them.

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The British Cookbook

Ben Mervis compiles a whopping 550 recipes of Brit classics, from bangers ‘n’ mash through to cauliflower cheese and modern favourites such as chicken balti. 

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Veganistan: A Vegan Tour of the Middle East

Sally Butcher continues her gastronomic journey along the Silk Road. In response to many requests in her Peckham restaurant, Persepolis, Sally has created a vegan cookbook celebrating plants and wholefoods with the luscious flavours of the Middle East. Written in Sally's witty and reassuring voice, Veganistan will bring something new to your kitchen and equip you with the skills to make stunning vegan food for any occasion.

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