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14 great books for foodies, recommended by the James Beard Foundation

The James Beard Foundation, an organization committed to culinary education and achievement, selected 14 books for food lovers to explore this summer. Chosen by the Foundation's Book Awards Committee, these titles – which include works of humor, history, and fiction – are almost guaranteed to help readers work up an appetite.

1. "The Art of Eating," by M.F.K. Fisher

  • By Josephine Massey Monitor contributor

Written during World War II as a guide to advise wives cooking with few supplies, "The Art of Eating" conveys M.F.K. Fisher's love for making and eating food in a sampling of essays, musings, and historical accounts. 

Julia Child once praised this culinary classic, writing, "How wonderful to have here in my hands the essence of M.F.K. Fisher, whose wit and fulsome opinions on food and those who produce it, comment upon it, and consume it are as apt today as they were several decades ago, when she composed them. Why did she choose food and hunger she was asked, and she replied, 'When I write about hunger, I am really writing about love and the hunger for it, and warmth, and the love of it ... and then the warmth and richness and fine reality of hunger satisfied.' This is the stuff we need to hear, and to hear again and again." 

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Mark Sappenfield
Editor

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