1. Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
A touching and powerfully written food memoir that touches on so much that is dear to me: finding cultural belonging through food, complicated relationships with mothers and trying to discover who you are.
2. Never Eat Your Heart Out by Judith Moore
A really honest, simple memoir about good old food and eating values but also bad food memories! What I love most is the fact that she doesn’t make it into a precious food story, it’s about the grittiness and grime too.
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3. The Gastronomical Me by MFK Fisher
Written by a food-writing legend, this is the first food memoir I ever read, and it inspired me to write. An honest story of the times told through food, including sexual taboos and wartime food.
4. Climbing the Mango Trees by Madhur Jaffrey
An exquisite childhood and the connection of food and family told with authenticity and love. Knowing Madhur personally, I could almost hear her telling me her food memories in person – there is much in the memoir that resonates with me deeply.
5. Tender At the Bone by Ruth Reichl
A coming-of-age story told with such delicate beauty – how the love in the kitchen began, and how Ruth made sense of the world through food.
