Cook books · Cook your way round the world
World cuisines
The standard works on Italian, French, Middle Eastern, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Persian, Turkish and Mexican cooking.
- 12 books
- 4 award-winners
- UK & US Amazon links
Each book has a short review in our own words and a link to Amazon; award notes appear only where a winners' list confirms them.
- Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking
- The Silver Spoon
- Jerusalem
- Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art
- The Food of Sichuan
- Food of Life
- A New Book of Middle Eastern Food
- Curry Easy
- The Essential Cuisines of Mexico
- Made in India
- Falastin
- Classic Turkish Cookery
Book links go to Amazon (affiliate links). As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking
Marcella Hazan · 1992
The Classic Italian Cookbook: André Simon Award, 1980; James Beard Cookbook Hall of Fame, 2000
From our old book list
Hazan's two classic books combined: the definitive guide to Italian home cooking, with sauces, pasta, risotto and her famous tomato sauce with butter and onion. Firm, clear and reliable.
View on Amazon UKView on Amazon US : Essentials of Classic Italian CookingIn the US? amazon.com
The Silver Spoon
Phaidon (from Il Cucchiaio d'Argento) · 1950 · English edition 2005
Italy's best-selling kitchen reference in English, with more than 2,000 regional recipes. Instructions are brief, so it suits cooks who already know their way around.
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Jerusalem
Yotam Ottolenghi & Sami Tamimi · 2012
James Beard Award, International, 2013
Recipes from the city where both chefs grew up, one in the Jewish west and one in the Arab east. Bright, generous food that made za'atar, sumac and tahini everyday ingredients in Britain.
View on Amazon UKView on Amazon US : JerusalemIn the US? amazon.com
Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art
Shizuo Tsuji · 1980
From our old book list
The classic English guide to Japanese technique: knives, dashi, rice, sushi, grilling and simmering, with careful drawings. Still the best single book on the subject.
View on Amazon UKView on Amazon US : Japanese Cooking: A Simple ArtIn the US? amazon.com
The Food of Sichuan
Fuchsia Dunlop · 2019
Fortnum & Mason Cookery Book of the Year, 2020
A fully revised and expanded edition of Land of Plenty, from the English cook who trained at the Sichuan cooking school. Clear guidance on the ingredients, techniques and the region's classic flavour combinations.
View on Amazon UKView on Amazon US : The Food of SichuanIn the US? amazon.com
Food of Life
Najmieh Batmanglij · 1986 · 40th anniversary edition
From our old book list
The essential book of Persian cooking: rice dishes with their prized crusts, slow stews, herbs and celebrations. It is beautifully illustrated, and the anniversary edition is a lovely thing.
View on Amazon UKView on Amazon US : Food of LifeIn the US? amazon.com
A New Book of Middle Eastern Food
Claudia Roden · 1968 · revised 1985
A Book of Middle Eastern Food: James Beard Cookbook Hall of Fame, 2010
The book that introduced Britain to Middle Eastern cooking, mixing recipes with stories and history from Egypt to Iran. Still a cornerstone, half a century on.
View on Amazon UKView on Amazon US : A New Book of Middle Eastern FoodIn the US? amazon.com
Curry Easy
Madhur Jaffrey · 2010
Simplified Indian dishes from the writer who taught the West to cook curry, many ready in under an hour. Practical and well-tested, for every day rather than special occasions.
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The Essential Cuisines of Mexico
Diana Kennedy · 2000
Diana Kennedy's first three books combined: decades of travel and research in the regional kitchens of Mexico. Authoritative and uncompromising, with sauces, tamales and moles to keep you busy for years.
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Made in India
Meera Sodha · 2014
Gujarati family cooking from a British-Indian kitchen in Lincolnshire, quick and fresh rather than restaurant curry. Warm, approachable and easy to cook from.
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Falastin
Sami Tamimi & Tara Wigley · 2020
Palestinian home cooking, with stories from the people and places behind each recipe. Fresh salads, rice and bread dishes and slow-cooked meat.
View on Amazon UKView on Amazon US : FalastinIn the US? amazon.com
Classic Turkish Cookery
Ghillie Basan · 1997
From our old book list
A well-researched tour of Turkish cooking from Anatolian village food to the Ottoman palace kitchens, with plenty of history. We first recommended it more than 20 years ago, and it still holds up.
View on Amazon UKView on Amazon US : Classic Turkish CookeryIn the US? amazon.com
New guide 1 November 2026. Awards checked against published winners' lists; Amazon listings checked on 1 November 2026.