Gastro Obscura
Ratings3
Average rating4.7
15
Ratings3
Average rating4.7
A New York Times, USA Today, and national indie bestseller. A Feast of Wonder! Created by the ever-curious minds behind Atlas Obscura, this breathtaking guide transforms our sense of what people around the world eat and drink. Covering all seven continents, Gastro Obscura serves up a loaded plate of incredible ingredients, food adventures, and edible wonders. Ready for a beer made from fog in Chile? Sardinia’s “Threads of God” pasta? Egypt’s 2000-year-old egg ovens? But far more than a menu of curious minds delicacies and unexpected dishes, Gastro Obscura reveals food’s central place in our lives as well as our bellies, touching on history–trace the network of ancient Roman fish sauce factories. Culture–picture four million women gathering to make rice pudding. Travel–scale China’s sacred Mount Hua to reach a tea house. Festivals–feed wild macaques pyramid of fruit at Thailand’s Monkey Buffet Festival. And hidden gems that might be right around the corner, like the vending machine in Texas dispensing full sized pecan pies. Dig in and feed your sense of wonder. “Like a great tapas meal, Gastro Obscura is deep yet snackable, and full of surprises. This is the book for anyone interested in eating, adventure and the human condition.” –Tom Colicchio, chef and activist “This exquisite guide kept me at the breakfast table until dinner time.” –Kyle Maclachlan, actor and vintner
Reviews with the most likes.
Gastro Obscura is a compilation of fascinating, offbeat, and just plain weird tidbits about food. It's broken down by region, so you can pick a location that interests you and read up on some of their food traditions and techniques, or you can just go straight through the book for the world tour.
I enjoyed the heck out of this book! I learned so many things about food and its accoutrements. I never knew what a pickle castor was, much less that I needed one in my life. And who doesn't enjoy learning about things like the magical cheese-making cave or a museum/gallery with art made from salt-cured bacon fat? This book is filled with little gems of culinary information, with history and travel lore sprinkled in. It's an adventure from the comfort of your favorite reading chair.
Thanks to NetGalley and Workman Publishing for the delightful reading experience!
Travel all around the world and sample the most intriguing foods of every continent. This book is made to be read-at-will, to browse through, to linger over. Made by the same folks who brought you Atlas Obscura.
