10 Foodie Books to Read About Food and Drink

The new book from one of the most viral cooks, Paulina Cocina, this time focuses on the colorful plant-based world and features over 170 recipes with all kinds of vegetables.

Verdurísima is basically designed so you can walk into a produce shop, pick up anything, and turn it into a spectacular dish. Soups and salads, stews and sauces, preserves and snacks, baked, steamed, spreads, fried, stir-fried—vegetables take center stage, along with tips for cleaning them, simple recipes, seasoning tricks, and ideas to cook with whatever you have on hand.

Highlight: Perfect for those who feel stuck buying the same veggies and are chronically bored of eating the same meals. It’ll also give you ideas to impress that vegetarian friend you never know how to host.

This book closes the trilogy that includes Café, Cuatro comidas, Manual del café, and Diccionario del café, written by journalist and coffee sommelier Nicolás Artusi—likely one of the biggest coffee experts in Argentina.

Also of interest: Nicolás Artusi, the Launch of Atlas of Coffee and the Journey Around the World in 80 Cups

Do we really know all about production in countries like Brazil, Vietnam, or Colombia? What makes coffee from Guadalupe, Malawi, or Samoa special? Can we imagine the political, economic, cultural, and climate events that led to growing it in Fiji, Congo, or Paraguay?

Highlight: History, geography, technical details, and cultivation notes shape this journey into the secret world that runs on the most loved—and hated—drink. An essential for coffee lovers’ libraries.

And of course, you can’t miss the Time Out Buenos Aires Restaurants & Bars Guide 2025, curated by food journalist Cecilia Boullosa.

With this first issue, Time Out made its debut in the Southern Cone after decades of success in cities like London, Paris, Rome, New York, and Barcelona, where the guide remains the go-to reference for epicureans seeking the best places to eat and drink. This edition is also one of the most comprehensive guides to Buenos Aires in recent years, available both online and in print.

Highlight: A gastronomic capital like Buenos Aires couldn’t go without its own guide. This edition includes a special Mendoza feature and over 500 venues considered by the editors as the best in the city.

Mushrooms have long been part of traditional cuisines in countries like Mexico, Argentina, and Uruguay, integral to Indigenous food cultures, and now, central to the booming “fungi culture” across Latin America.

Driven by curiosity and the fast rise of fungi culture, the authors compiled information into an ethical, accessible, and practical dictionary to systematize mushroom knowledge.

Highlight: From organoleptic properties to naming varieties, easy recipes, and safety tips to avoid intoxication, this dictionary is both useful and fascinating.

Although published last year, this one deserves a revisit. Contemporary Pastry is the editorial adventure of botanical pastry chef Chula Gálvez, the creative force behind Las Flores.

Also of interest: Gluten, who knows you? 11 spots to indulge in gluten-free goodies

It took nearly three years to put together and offers a fresh take on desserts—gluten-free, vegan, and dairy-free—focusing on high-quality ingredients and careful processes.

Highlight: Artistic and playful in style, the book opens with a preface on edible flowers by biologist Pablo Moroni, includes a photo session by Ana Minujin, and features over 100 recipes for cakes, creams, cookies, profiteroles, cheesecakes, nougats, and more.

AI has already been used in restaurants for inventory, reservations, seating management, food waste reduction, and sales analysis. But can AI also contribute to the creative side of cooking? That’s the question Spanish chef Eneko Axpe explores in Delicious Algorithm.

Highlight: The book shares experiments conducted by the chef, including the attempt to create the first fine-dining menu entirely generated by AI, with dishes designed using ChatGPT—suitable for a Michelin-starred restaurant.

The new book by Osvaldo Gross—chef pâtissier, French Culinary Academy member, director of pastry at Argentina’s IAG, and TV personality—takes a surprising turn. Known for chocolate, cakes, and sweet creations (and named “Best Pastry Chef in Latin America” in 2024), he now dives into the savory world.

Highlight: His first book in a decade includes 100 recipes for tarts, empanadas, focaccias, sandwiches, muffins, and more.

This is the story of Pumper Nic, Argentina’s first fast-food chain, which sold burgers and introduced the fast-food system locally—before anyone else—in the land of steak and vermouth.

Also of interest: Solange Levinton: “Pumper Nic was our American portal just a block from the Obelisk”

Journalist Solange Levinton narrates its journey: from the first downtown location in 1974 to its heyday as a hip, youth-favorite brand (Soda Stereo even launched an album there), and finally, its downfall against international chains.

Highlight: More than business history, it’s an engaging mix of politics, food, and culture—capturing the best and worst of Argentine identity.

If recipes, essays, or dictionaries aren’t your thing, here’s some food-inspired fiction. Dorayaki is as sweet and comforting as the dessert itself—a true piece of literary comfort food.

The story follows Sentaro, a lonely young man who runs a small dorayaki pastry shop, and Tokue, an eccentric older woman with unmatched skill at making sweet azuki bean paste. Their unlikely friendship unfolds as she teaches him her craft.

Highlight: A simple yet moving story you can read in one sitting, enriched with glimpses into Japanese confectionery traditions like mochi and dorayaki.

Now it’s time for fruits. In Fruitologies, Argentine science journalist Federico Kukso explores the political, cultural, economic, and biological history of fruits, narrating their past, present, and future.

Each chapter focuses on a different fruit family, weaving myths, legends, science, and curiosities—from how fruits shaped language and emojis to their representation in art.

Highlight: Did you know there’s a Global Seed Vault in Svalbard, Norway—nicknamed the “Doomsday Vault”? Kukso reveals how this secure deposit preserves seeds from crops worldwide, like a backup for future food biodiversity.