My Obsession With Cookbooks

And what they can provide in these digital times.

Whenever I go to a friend’s house for dinner, we invariably end up in the kitchen munching away on snacks, a glass of wine in hand, while they put the finishing touches on the meal. Without even thinking, my eyes will drift to their cookbook shelf. I can’t resist grabbing one and thumbing through it while we chat.

I’ll confess, I love cookbooks. There’s nothing I enjoy more than leafing through the pages, reading the background stories, taking in the stunning photography, and scanning through the recipes for creative inspiration. Maybe the physical cookbook, like all books, are becoming a relic of a bygone age, but to me they’re magical.

Why am I so drawn to them? After all, most people pull recipes straight from the internet for free. Heck, ChatGPT can whip up a custom recipe based on the ingredients I have on hand.

So what is it about a heavy, physical cookbook that feels so good?

The Sensory Experience

Turning the pages of a well-worn cookbook sets off a sensory experience that digital screens just can’t match. It’s an intimate, emotional bond. The dog-eared pages, with their slightly rough feel and a faint, sweet-musty smell mixed with hints of spilled oils and spices, remind me of all the meals cooked and shared over the years. These books become like personal artifacts. There’s something nostalgic about leafing through, even when I don’t plan to cook.

The Story

The best cookbooks take me somewhere new, and teach me about the culinary history of a place. They showcase local ingredients and include spices that have particular meaning for a community. Then when I make the recipe, I’m connected to that part of the world in some small way - I love how recipes can do that. I’ll often create “country theme nights” for my family, whether that’s Mexican, Japanese, Indian, etc. so we can fully immerse ourselves in a culture. Honestly, it feels like going on a vacation.

The Comfort

This is hard to put into words because it's just a feeling I have when I sit with a cookbook. It feels safe and warm - comforting. There’s a familiarity to them that you can’t get from a digital recipe. Maybe it’s the sensory experience that I mentioned before - the tactile and olfactory proximity. But it’s more than that. They give me a sense of connection and place. The reminder of simpler times when people shared family recipes out of love, and for inclusion.

The Inspiration

I get to go into the mind of a Creative. Someone has taken the time to curate a whole collection of cohesive recipes based on a given theme. That brings me so much inspiration to try new ingredients, combine them in different ways, and experience flavors I didn’t even know existed. To me good cookbooks are an art form, often oozing with innovation.

- -

I’m curious if you enjoy cookbooks? And, if so, what is it about them that draws you in? Leave me a comment and let me know.

---

This week on my podcast An Aromatic Life:

In honor of World Taste & Smell Day, in this week's whiff of wisdom, photographer, food writer, and cookbook author Saghar Setareh shares how the food of her adopted country Italy became a lantern and a mirror for her to more deeply explore the cuisine of her homeland Iran. To listen to the original full episode go to episode #88.

You can hear this conversation, and many more, on Apple podcast, Spotify, Amazon Music, or wherever you get your podcasts.