Booksology To create this list, I thought about where the majority of my readers are (the United States) and then thought of the most mainstream cuisines around the country that would exclude them. You might think this means I’ve included a lot of cookbooks featuring non-Western cuisine on this list, and you’d be right. generally. However, some cookbooks feature dishes from cultures that are inherently American, such as Navajo and Gullah-Geechee, but whose cuisine is not widely known throughout the United States.
Whether you want to keep it local or spread it, these must-read cookbooks will take you from Navajo frybread to Ethiopian injera and beyond.
Maangchi’s Big Book of Korean Food by Maangchi
Maang Chi is apparently known as the “Korean Julia Child of YouTube,” but I didn’t know that. All I know is that following her kimchi recipe made the best kimchi of my life, and that I will follow her and her cute personality to the ends of the earth. Here, her cheerful charm shines through as she shares beginner-friendly recipes and techniques for seafood green onion pancakes and a variety of Korean dishes. banchan (or side dish). —Erica Eseifedi
My America: Recipes from Young Black Chefs by Kwame Onwuachi
Kwame Onwuachi is one of the most recognizable figures in the culinary world today. He received the James Beard Rising Chef of the Year Award. top chefhad opened five restaurants by age 30 — and he was just getting started. my america Notes from a Young Black Chef is Onwuachi’s first cookbook, but you may be familiar with his acclaimed memoir Notes from a Young Black Chef. Onwuachi, who grew up in New York City, Nigeria, and Louisiana, has a particular interest in how the African diaspora has shaped global cuisine. His recipes celebrate the flavors of Africa, the Caribbean, and the Americas, interspersed with personal travel stories and musings on the relationship between food and a sense of place. This cookbook avoids shortcuts and uses homemade sauces, stocks, and seasonings, so it’s perfect if you really want to up your “from scratch” expertise.
Recipes I want to try my america:
Ethiopian style short rib stew
Puerto Rican red bean sofrito
Satsuma chess pie
—Susie Dumond
More must-read (and must-eat!) cookbooks for all access members continue below.
Pakistan: Recipes and stories from home kitchens, restaurants and roadside stalls by Maryam Jillani
Pakistani cuisine is as diverse as the cultures that make up its people. With over 100 recipes, Pakistan It features amazing curries, chutneys, sauces and spicy vegetables. The book itself is great, with great photography and a perfect cover.
Jilani, who grew up in Islamabad, introduces each section with a short essay about the recipes she shares and her personal connections. Her writing is filled with stories of her family and how the food she cooks reminds her of home. —Kendra Winchester
“In Edith’s Kitchen: Recipes from our predominantly Mexican-American home to yours” by Edith Galvez
Social media favorite Edith Galvez distilled her abuela cooking, her mother’s kitchen skills, and summers spent on her family’s ranch in Mexico to create this mouth-watering collection of Mexican-American recipes. —Erica Eseifedi
Modern Navajo Kitchen: Homemade Recipes that Celebrate Dinner Flavors and Traditions by Alana Yazzie
It’s wild to think how little we are taught about a group of people who were on this land long before this country existed, but at least with Yazzie’s cookbook we can learn about Navajo culture in a really intimate and hands-on way. Along with beautiful photography, you’ll learn how to make traditional Navajo dishes and other recipes with a Navajo twist. Enjoy Navajo boba milk tea (!), fried bread, Navajo burgers, and more. —Erica Eseifedi
Grusha: Timeless Recipes for the Modern Kitchen by Beeji Barhani and Elisa Ng
i love love love Here, Barhani uses Ethiopian cuisine and other cuisines to express her life’s journey. Born in Ethiopia, she fled with her family to Sudan when she was four years old, then lived in Israel and eventually moved to Harlem. We learn with her how to make fusion dishes like traditional Ethiopian doro wat, Sudanese donuts, and even injera fish tacos. new york timeBest Cookbooks of 2025. —Erika Ezeifedi
Tomorrow’s Kitchen: A graphic novel cookbook by Shuangshuang Hao
This Gourmand Award-winning graphic cookbook is co-ordinated by Küche, a food-led organization in Glasgow that supports cooks navigating the UK’s immigration system, and features beautifully illustrated recipes from a range of immigrant creators. Even better, the recipes include personal stories and reflections on tradition and culture from their creators, who are professional chefs, food writers, activists, and more. Illustrated by BAFTA nominee Shuangshuang Hao, this is a powerful cookbook that will make you want to try something new. —Susie Dumond
Peru: Gastón Acurio’s Cookbook
this is possible of Peruvian cookbook. With 500 traditional recipes by renowned chef Gaston Acurio, it’s easy to see why. Although Peruvian food is a dish that I see everywhere from time to time, I have yet to make Peruvian food myself, but I’ll settle for that in a moment — the potato dumplings Acurio wrote are calling to me. —Erica Eseifedi
Gullah Geechee Home Cooking: Recipes from an Edisto Island Patriarch by Emily Meggett
The Gullah Geechee are a group of people who exist because of the transatlantic slave trade. Their location in the southern lowlands made them isolated, and as a result, the traditional West African culture they brought with them remained more intact.
Here, Emily Meat, known as the “Matriarch of Edisto Island,” shares recipes that date back hundreds of years. Her recipes have much in common with recipes from other southern regions, but are generally a little lighter and based on freshly caught seafood or local game. Let me just say, you can’t go wrong with her collard greens, fried oysters, and stone ground grits. —Erica Eseifedi
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