Post-Covid, travel is back on the agenda. The latest figures from the IATA show that global air traffic had recovered to 73 per cent of pre-crisis levels – but for anyone who sought to sate their wanderlust by taking to the skies this summer, the experience may have been a painful one...
Airport chaos, mile-long queues (that’s if your flight wasn’t cancelled), the Russian roulette of lost baggage, it’s understandable why not everyone is ready to squeeze themselves into an economy seat quite yet. But there is a way to get a taste of far-flung places without having to leave the warmth of your kitchen.
During the pandemic, the kitchen was a place of safety and sustenance, away from the doom loop of the pandemic. The great stay-at-home encouraged people to get creative with the contents of their kitchen, to venture beyond the microwave and the “ready in 15 minutes” recipes; to slow down and enjoy spending more time cooking.
So as people sought escapism and inspiration, sales of novels and cookbooks soared during the pandemic. As a result, a new cookbook trend has emerged – a book that can whisk you away from it all and immerse you in an entirely different (and possibly new) food culture.
These cookbooks, written or published during or since the pandemic are far more than collections of recipes. They take you away from it all and deliver you, metaphorically, to the Himalayas, the Baltic states, from Malaysia to Romania. They will tell leave you better informed about the world – and they will teach you some new delicious kitchen tricks, too.
How we tested
We rated the books on their ability to take readers on an edible journey and to introduce them to less-familiar food culture and cuisine. We also considered the quality of the prose (we were after books that were a good, solid read), the level of research undertaken and the quality of the photography, as well as the recipes: their “interestingness”, how well they worked and how much we enjoyed eating them.
The best culinary escape books for 2022 are:
- Best overall culinary escape book – ‘Red Sands’ by Caroline Eden, published by Quadrille: £18.55, Hive.co.uk
- Best culinary escape book for fermentation fans – ‘Amber & Rye: A Baltic Food Journey’ by Zuza Zak, published by Murdoch: £18.55, Hive.co.uk
- Best culinary escape book for spice lovers – ‘The Nutmeg Trail’ by Eleanor Ford, published by Murdoch: £20.66, Wordery.com
- Best culinary escape book for new discoveries – ‘Taste Tibet’ by Julie Kleeman, published by Murdoch: £20, Blackwells.co.uk
- Best culinary escape book for Indian food lovers – ‘Kolkata The Cookbook’ by Rinku Dutt, published by Smith Street Books: £21, Amazon.co.uk
- Best culinary escape book for Laksa lovers – ‘Sambal Shiok’ by Mandy Yin, published by Quadrille: £20, Blackwells.co.uk
- Best culinary escape book for baking fans – ‘Tava: Eastern European Baking and Desserts from Romania and Beyond’ by Irina Georgescu, published by Hardie Grant: £17.59, Hive.co.uk
- Best culinary escape book for travel trailblazers – ‘On the Himalayan Trail: Recipes and Stories from Kashmir to Ladakh’ by Romy Gill, published by Hardie Grant: £20.65, Wordery.com