5 of my Favorite Cookbooks

Hello Friday!

I'm obsessed with cookbooks. So much so that I have a buying ban for the time being (I think I'll have to donate a few or at least not buy so many all the time.) But I really love them not only for their great recipes, gorgeous photos and food inspiration I adore them for all of the stories that accompany the recipes. I love reading through a new cookbook like a novel!

Though I adore all of my cookbooks these 5 really stand out in my collection.

The Songs of Sapa by Luke Nguyen

This book is amazing, and so heavily packed with stories, and recipes you have to carry it with two hands. I've long had an interest in Vietnamese cooking. I love the simple flavors and use of lots of fresh herbs and vegetables. Not only does this book have very authentic recipes with tons of ingredients I've never heard of (and probably will have a hard time finding in Sweden) it also acts as a travel journal outlining the differences in culture and food in the different regions of Vietnam. This book took me more than a week to fully read through, and I enjoyed every minute of it.

Every Grain of Rice by Fuchsia Dunlop

Another Asian cookbook, specifically Sichuan cuisine, I completely adored reading through as Fuchsia has spent so much time exploring and discovering Chinese cooking. (I also recommend her biography/cookbook Shark's Fin and Sichuan Pepper to learn more about Chinese cuisine and all the  funny strange interesting differences in our cultures.) These recipes also seem very authentic but are presented in a way that is easier for us Westerners to mimic. The book has lots of notes for good replacements to exotic ingredients too which is helpful. There are so many recipes in this book that I've already created and adored and there are also so many more I can't wait to create.

Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi

There is something so very exciting about Middle Eastern food. I love all of the spice mixes and the use of lots and lots of vegetables. It's healthy, hearty and never boring. This book also presents more than just amazing recipes but the premise that food goes beyond religion and brings people together. I really like that idea!

The Flavour Thesaurus by Niki Segnit

Not quite a cookbook as there are no recipes in this book, but no less helpful when creating meals. As the title suggests you can look up flavors/ingredients and it outlines all of the different taste combinations that would work really wonderful together. I'm great at looking into my fridge and creating meals from unlikely ingredients (if I say so myself) but sometimes you just need a little pinch of inspiration.

Sucré by Ladurée

Last but not least the most elegant and pretty cookbook in my collection. This book is so gorgeously packaged it's far too pretty to get anywhere near my messy kitchen. The book comes packaged in a pretty pistachio green box with light purple tissue paper and features a flocked cover and gold edged pages. Oooooo! It also houses the most elegant French desserts I've every seen. The recipes may take a lot of steps, but they're not completely as impossible as they look. I've had much success with lots of desserts especially a strawberry topped pistachio macaron cake!

What are your favorite cookbooks? I'm looking for a great vegetarian healthy eating cookbook. Recommendations? :) Also I hope you all have a really gorgeous weekend!