‘Tis the season… for not knowing what on earth to buy your nearest and dearest! But fear not: if they like eating and/or reading, I’ve rounded up seven of the best gifts for foodies – especially those who love books.
7 Gifts for Foodies – Cookbooks and More
About the Dutch Cookbook: If you think that the Netherlands is the ultimate underdog when it comes to all things culinary, think again! From Limburg flan, Zeeland mussels and mustard soup from Groningen to Gouda cheese, seaweed and wild oysters, the Netherlands boasts an amazing range of regional delights and products, all of which have their own fascinating stories. In this book, culinary journalist Laura de Grave jumps on her electric motorbike and takes you on a trip around the Netherlands. She visits the country’s best fishermen, farmers and food producers and takes a peek behind the scenes in the kitchens of local chefs and bakers.
- Price: €30
- Buy online: bol.com/nl/p/dutch-cookbook
- Languages: Dutch and English versions
Working Lunch by Vicky Hampton
About Vicky Hampton’s Working Lunch cookbook: Bored of overpriced ham-and-cheese sandwiches and packet soups from the canteen? If your workplace has a surface big enough to fit a chopping board, and perhaps a kettle or toaster at best, Vicky Hampton’s Working Lunch is here to help. This compact lunch cookbook is for people who are keen to make healthy, simple meals, but who don’t have the time to spend hours in the kitchen – whether at work or at home. The book features 50 easy lunch recipes (in English) covering fresh vibrant salads, cool summery soups, spicy couscous and pimped-up sandwiches. Available in both print and e-cookbook versions!
- Price: €12.50
- Buy online: amsterdamfoodie.nl/product/lunch-cookbook-vicky-hamptons-working-lunch
- Language: English only
Shortlist Amsterdam by Famke and Floor van Praag
About Shortlist Amsterdam: The English-language Shortlist Amsterdam is a completely updated version of two highly acclaimed Dutch Shortlists: the first covering the city’s best restaurants and the second its top culinary cafés. Instead of highlighting conceptual flashes in the pan, fleeting hotspots or formal fine-dining establishments, this beautifully designed book focuses on 22 authentic restaurants that will never grow stale. After years of tasting dishes and reviewing restaurants in Amsterdam, food journalists Famke & Floor van Praag have compiled their definitive list of all-time favourites. The cookbook is a genuine homage to these uncompromising places, with stunning photography by Petrovsky & Ramone. It includes 44 favourite recipes, from Rijsel’s rotisserie chicken and Toscanini’s mackerel pasta to vegetable creations by BAK, Choux, Entrepot and Bar Centraal.
- Price: €35
- Buy online: shortlist-amsterdam.nl
- Language: English (Dutch version of the original two books available)
I Heart Rome by Maria Pasquale
About I Heart Rome: A love letter to Rome, with beautiful food and location photography, classic recipes, and stories from the heart of the Eternal City. Rome is an open-air museum; it’s a modern-day marvel of a city that has seen centuries of emperors, popes, movements, triumphs, and tragedies. It’s a city where the present and past sit side by side and interact in a beautiful, yet sometimes complex, kind of way. Through quirky local stories and glorious pictures, I Heart Rome takes you on an inspiring journey through the Rome that tourists rarely get to see. In a country justifiably famous for its food, Rome boasts its own fascinating and unique cuisine that is intrinsically tied to its history. Influences from Ancient Rome through to more recent events are reflected in the food culture of the Eternal City today. And given the passionate nature of Romans as a people, it’s no wonder that dining is taken so seriously. From carbonara recipes to artichoke-frying techniques, just about everything food-related is up for—and causes much—debate in Rome.
- Price: approx. US $27
- Buy online: amazon.com/Heart-Rome-Recipes-Stories-Eternal
- Language: English only
Brunch is Hell by Rico Gagliano and Brendan Francis Newnam
About Brunch is Hell: Society is under threat. The culprit? BRUNCH. Not merely a forum for overpriced eggs, brunch is a leisure-time-squandering hellscape, embodying all that is soul-killing and alienating about modern life. How to fight back? By throwing dinner parties–the cornerstone of civilized society! Dinner parties–where friends new and old share food, debate ideas, and boldly build hangovers together. If we revive the fading art of throwing dinner parties the world will be better off, and our country might heal its wounds of endless division… all without having to wait in a nine-hour line to eat toast. To that end, BRUNCH IS HELL takes hesitant hosts through every phase of throwing a great dinner party, from guest list to subpoena. Loaded with wit, celebrity advice, and tongue-in-cheek humour–plus sincere insights about how humans can be more generous to each other – BRUNCH IS HELL is a spirited guide to restoring civility.
- Price: approx. US $15
- Buy online: amazon.com/Brunch-Hell-World-Throwing-Dinner
- Language: English only
ENERGY by Alexander Gershberg
About ENERGY: Energy & Vegan is about the positive effects that food can have on our body and mind, based on the rich tradition of Chinese medicine. With witty anecdotes and striking examples from daily life, Alexander uncovers this knowledge that’s still unknown to many. By explaining the principles in a refreshing and understandable way, every recipe becomes a key to more balance, more energy or more relaxation. The book is full of recipes such as a light salad of haricots verts and seaweed with almond cream, lotus root with tofu tartar in tempura, a hearty Tel Aviv salad, and a spicy ramen bowl.
- Price: €30
- Buy online: bol.com/nl/p/energy-vegan
- Language: Dutch only
Stuff Dutch People Eat by Colleen Geske
About Stuff Dutch People Eat: Stuff Dutch People Eat is a comprehensive celebration of Dutch cuisine. Whether you’re looking for festive sweets, traditional tastes or colonial classics, we’ve got something for every appetite! From breakfast straight through to dessert, Stuff Dutch People Eat will lead you through a culinary adventure spanning flavours—and centuries! Discover 40 easy-to-make recipes that are sure to restore your faith in the delightfully delicious Dutch kitchen! Eet smakelijk!
- Price: €17
- Buy online: stuffdutchpeoplelike.com/product/stuff-dutch-people-eat
- Language: English only
Editorial note: this post is an updated version of one I wrote in November 2017.