11 Delicious Food Novels to Savor

From food critic, chef, and bestselling memoirist Ruth Reichl comes a delectable fiction debut about a young woman who moves to New York to write for a food magazine that folds unexpectedly almost the moment she arrives. Staying on as the magazine’s sole employee to staff the subscriber-complaint hotline, she finds that the lonely job soon becomes a gateway to discovery.

A young woman with a once-in-a-generation palate finds her solace and salvation in the flavors of her native Minnesota. From Scandinavian lutefisk to hydroponic chocolate habaneros, each ingredient represents one part of her journey as she becomes the star chef behind a legendary and secretive pop-up supper club, culminating in an opulent and emotional feast that’s a testament to her sprit and resilience.

By turns tragic, witty, and romantic, this is magical realism at its finest. Set in turn-of-the-century Mexico, youngest daughter Tita is forbidden by tradition to marry, so when she falls in love, she expresses her passion the only way she knows how: through cooking. Blessed with a truly magical touch in the kitchen, the food Tita prepares is imbued with the emotion she feels as she cooks, leaving those who eat it overcome by tears or overwhelmed with longing.

A chance meeting between talented chef Luella and British transplant Al leads to a budding romance. But when Luella discovers her new paramour is the writer behind the anonymous food column whose scathing review of her cooking left her restaurant facing closure, can their relationship survive? A charming tale of mistaken identity and unlikely love, this delightful tale will surely satisfy your sweet tooth.

Two young spies—one Russian, one American—engage in a high-stakes game of deception, control, and forbidden lust. But just who is manipulating who? Featuring a recipe at the end of each chapter, Jason Matthews’s debut is a tense and intriguing spy thriller that will leave you hungry for more.

The basis of the Oscar-nominated film starring Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp, this book explores what happens when a beautiful newcomer and her exquisite chocolate shop arrive in a tiny, old-fashioned town during Lent, accidentally sparking a dramatic face-off between Easter solemnity and the pagan gaiety of a chocolate festival. A delightful, hedonistic romp from start to finish, it is a sweet treat full of charm, wonder, and, of course, truffles.

This fresh and folksy classic is brimming with good barbeque and Southern charm while tackling heavy subjects with grace and subtlety. In 1930s Alabama, two women run a small-town cafe with love and integrity, surviving visits from the local sheriff, the terror of the Ku Klux Klan, and the rigors of the Great Depression.

The healing power of food is revealed in all its glory in this spellbinding novel set in a master chef’s kitchen. Eight students sign up for weekly cooking lessons with Chef Lillian, but what she ends up teaching them is something far greater than any recipe.

A recent and wary transplant to the bustling island of Macau, Grace’s marriage is on the rocks and she is struggling with the devastating news of her infertility. Finding solace in her love of baking, she opens a café where she begins to learn that family can be found even in the most unfamiliar of places. This delicious, melt-in-your-mouth novel is an evocative journey through love, friendship, and macarons.

When recently heartbroken Holly inherits her grandmother’s Italian cooking school, she takes on the challenge of teaching her mouth-watering family recipes to a new set of students, despite the fact that she cannot cook. Garnishing recipes with her grandmother’s essential ingredients of memories and wishes, a determined Holly soon comes to learn a thing or two about her own recipe for happiness.