Holiday gifts for book lovers about all things food

Old or new, books about food and eating are always welcome gifts. 

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Here's a short selection of books, including some Canadian ones, to help you tick the boxes on your holiday shopping list:

Yotam Ottolenghi and Ramael Scully, Nopi: The Cookbook (Random House, 2015).

From a chef who has helped revolutionize the way we appreciate and cook vegetables, the recipes and stories in Nopi are from Ottolenghi's so-named Soho brasserie, which was written with the chef, Scully. It's a place where Asian flavours blend with the Middle East: sumac meets star anise, miso meets molasses and Thai pandan meets pomegranate.

Lindy Mechefske, Sir John's Table: The Life and Culinary Times of Canada's First Prime Minister (Goose Land Editions, 2015).

This book takes a look at the life of Canada's first prime minister from the perspective of what was on his dinner table — chock-full of Canadian food history.

Peter McClusky, Ontario Garlic: The Story from Farm to Festival (The History Press, 2015).

Though garlic and garlic festivals are popular, this is a sui generis text, to say the least. McClusky founded the Toronto Garlic Festival and his one-of-a-kind book offers a social history of garlic — along with how to grow it and how to cook it. Recipes are also included.

Mairlyn Smith, Ed., Homegrown: Celebrating the Canadian Foods We Grow, Raise and Produce (Whitecap, 2015).

Saskatchewan lentils, British Columbia blueberries, Nova Scotia scallops: More than 160 recipes from coast to coast to coast — and using only ingredients grown, raised or produced in Canada.

Bob Desautels, Winesense: The Three Keys to Understanding Wine (Friesen Press, 2015).

A Wellington County and Waterloo Region hospitality businessman and sustainable and "green" restaurant pioneer, Desautels teaches you how to find a wine that suits your style and he keeps it simple while he does it.

Emily Richards, Per La Famiglia: Memories and Recipes of Southern Italian Home Cooking (Whitecap, 2015)

Guelph-based author Emily Richards delves into her southern Italian heritage and shares her family stories and recipes, the latter of which are both time-honoured classic preparations and dishes with a modern spin.

Hidden treasures

While there are plenty of wonderful new food books published each year (and this year was no exception), there are lots of older hidden treasures — including first editions and copies signed by the authors — on the shelves of used and antiquarian book stores in Waterloo Region.

Scott Hunter of K-W Bookstore (on King Street at Water Street) in Kitchener pulled the following works from the shelves as a short sampling:

Christine Schwartz Hartley, Specialites de la Maison (Harper, 2010).

Originally published in 1940, this slight volume — "Compiled by the American Friends of France" — is a quirky book that features recipes from celebrities such as Charlie Chaplin, Katharine Hepburn and Salvador Dali. It certainly pre-dates the work of Julia Child as an introduction to French cuisine for North America. 

Edna Staebler, Cookies and Squares with Schmecks Appeal (McClelland & Stewart, 1990).

Part of the oeuvre of this Waterloo County-based author, Staebler helped define our culinary roots. Search around a bit and you might find a copy signed by the author (as the one at K-W Bookstore is).

Paul Richards, Breads, Rolls & Sweet Doughs: A Baker's Reminder (Baker's Helper Company, 1937).

A comprehensive volume of classic baking recipes and techniques in old-school styles. A charming volume.

Gourmet magazine tomes, Basic French Cookbook: Techniques of French Cuisine (Gourmet Books, 1961).

Chef Louis Diat of New York's Ritz-Carlton was the force behind these hefty, in-depth volumes which contextualize classic French cooking detail by detail. The early 20th century was an era of the grand hotels which, like the Ritz, for instance, roasted their own coffee and stored their live trout in large fresh water tanks.

Unique reads

At A Second Look Books on King Street in Kitchener (across from TheMuseum), Charles Foley unearthed a few unique books. The store has an interesting cook book and food book section.

Susan Matheson and Lauren Chattman, The Gingerbread Architect: Recipes and Blueprints (Clarkson Potter, 2008).

That's right: blueprints to construct gingerbread houses.

Margaret Visser, The Rituals of Dinner: The Origins, Foundations, Eccentricities and Meaning of Table Manners (Penguin, 1991).

From the use of toothpicks, chopsticks and table conversation to cannibalism, Visser's book is a look at the way we eat and why.

Maria Eliza Rundell, A New System of Domestic Cookery; Formed Upon Principles of Economy and Adapted to the Use of Private Families by a Lady (John Murray, 1806).

Rundell has been referred to as an original "domestic goddess." Her early cook book helped move cooking instruction from the professional sphere to the domestic realm. Foley estimates that the copy at A Second Look Books is worth about $150.

Gloria Kaufer Greene, The New Jewish Holiday Cookbook: An International Collection of Recipes and Customs (Clarkson Potter, 1991).

When it's Hanukkah (or any other festive occasion), this book will help you enjoy kugel and gefilte fish, potato latkes and brisket. It also has an international perspective on Jewish holiday fare.