Gift Guide: Cookbooks For Traveling

How many trips did you have to cancel in 2020?

What seemed like a tragedy at the beginning of the pandemic (a cancelled vacation to Italy, a visit you couldn’t make to see your cousins) was quickly put into perspective as we began to see the seriousness of the Coronavirus. Writing this in December 2020, I can only feel extremely grateful for my health and totally worried for my close friends and family. Sacrificing a few vacations is well worth helping to stop this from getting any worse, but if you’re like me, that little bug inside keeps whispering “where are we going, when are we going, let’s GO!”

Also if you’re like me, you agree that one of the best ways to travel when you can’t travel is cooking up a dish from a far off cuisine. This Christmas, one of the most perfect gifts might just be a cookbook that takes you to lands far, far away and serves as inspiration for future travels.

On that note, I wanted to compile some of my favorite books about both destinations I’ve loved and places I’m dying to go. They’re all gorgeous and any of them would make an amazing gift!

SARDINIA

I love this one. I also love Sardinia.

Bitter Honey, Letitia Clark, $28

 

UKRAINE

I bet you don’t know much about Ukrainian food. This book is a great place to start.

Olia Hercules, Summer Kitchens, $43.88

 
 

PARIS

While this one is not a cookbook, but I had to include this girl-powered look at the New Paris.

Lindsey Tramuta, The New Parisienne, $22.49

 
 

Basque Country

Marti Buckley, Basque Country, $23.99

Yes, by yours truly! Had to include, Basque Country is the best country!

 
 

Italy

I, along with a ton of other people, love Mimi’s seemingly perfect life (and even more perfect food styling).

Mimi Thorisson, Old World Italian, $22,45

 
 

Lisbon

Nuno is one of Lisbon’s top chefs, so who better to armchair travel with?

Nuno Mendes, My Lisbon, $27.99

 
 

Black Sea

This book is unique, as it travels around three interconnected culinary cultures and explores what they each have in common.

Caroline Eden, Black Sea, $11.99

 
 

Palestine

This one is revelatory…what a bright and beautiful cuisine.

Yasmin Khan, Zaitoun, $14.16

 
 

The baltics

Simon is one of the best photographers, and this book is full of beautifully shot modern twists on Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian cuisine.

Simon Bajada, Baltic, $11.99

 
 

Middle East & More

This is a broad overview of food “from the Muslim world”….and has some really delicious recipes.

Anissa Helou, Feast, $22.19

 
 

persia

This book of Persian recipes has a lovely homey feel to it.

Naz Deravian, Bottom of the Pot, $23.99