Gastro Obscura: A Food Adventurer's Guide by Cecily Wong

4.7 (3)
$42.50

Product details

Web ID: 13391233

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.

  • Product Features

    • Author - Cecily Wong
    • Publisher - Workman Publishing Company, Inc
    • Publication date - 10-12-2021
    • Page count - 448
    • Hardcover
    • Adult
    • Cookbooks
    • Product dimensions - 10.6 W x 7 H x 1.3 D
    • ISBN-13 - 9781523502196
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    • This item may not be shipped to Hawaii, Armed Forces Europe, Federated States of Micronesia, Puerto Rico, Armed Forces Pacific, Guam, U.S. Virgin Islands, Northern Mariana, Alaska, Marshall Islands, Armed Forces Americas, American Samoa, Palau and the Philippine Islands.
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Ratings & Reviews

4.7/5

3 star ratings & reviews

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4 years ago

Food nerds NEED this book

If you are a travel buff and a food nerd, you NEED this book. It would be perfect sitting on your coffee table to have all of your friends ooh and ahh at. It is perfect to read while planning a trip. It is basically a food lovers wish list around the world. No stone was left unturned in it's development. . I would not recommend trying to tackle this in a day. Seriously, it's worth your money; it's monstrous. It took me 3 months to get through it. Like everything from this team: the research is impeccable, the pictures lend themselves to the section, the font isn't distracting to the eye, and the writing is immersive. I promise you will learn something new. If you need ideas for your food related travel, this book will spark hundreds of ideas for you. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Recommends this product

Customer review from barnesandnoble.com

4 years ago
from California

Get ready for some exotic travel!

Gastro Obscura is a worldwide trip down memory lane and into some strange corners of the globe. Sort of a more fleshed out Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives with an emphasis on the weird or historical. Want to visit the oldest tavern in America? See the White Horse Tavern in Rhode Island. Bored with the Midwest’s butter art? Visit the Salo Art Museum in Ukraine for bacon fat art. There is even a photo of a bust of a bust. However, this book can teach you stuff without even leaving your chair. Who knew that giant, and thankfully extinct, sloths spread avocado trees throughout Mexico by pooping out their gigantic seeds basically everywhere. As faraway as Russia and colonial America made shelf-stable alcohol from sour milk. Besides making “milk vodka” those same Russians threw a live frog in their milk to keep it fresh. In 2012, a Russian scientist with a childhood of frog milk proved that a certain type of frog would indeed preserve milk. Another fun fact is that ketchup was created in Southeast Asia. Macadamia nuts all descended from a single tree in Queensland Australia. I could go on and on. It’s all fascinating. Sorted by continent and then by country/region, there is a brief description of the food or place, a bit of its history, and a photograph or drawing. I had great fun reading about the strange foods and rituals from around the world. Gastro Obscura would be a great gift for the newly retired, those looking for exotic places to travel, or anyone who enjoys reading about different cultures. 5 stars and one of my favorites! Thanks to Workman Publishing Company and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Recommends this product

Customer review from barnesandnoble.com

4 years ago
from Kernville, CA

Whets the appetite for travel & foodie adventures

This is a book for people who relish little-known history about little-known foods and out-of-the-way places. It's not called Gastro *Obscura* for nothing. It's a book to dip in and out of, not so much for devouring in a single sitting. Color photos and drawings provide enticing illustrations, and a "how to try it" feature lets people know how to give the weird and/or new-to-you foods a go. For foodies and armchair travelers (aren't we all that right now?), this is an excellent volume to nibble at, whetting our appetites for curiosity and wonder. [Thanks to Workman Publishing Company and NetGalley for an opportunity to read an e-ARC of this book in exchange for my opinion.]

Recommends this product

Customer review from barnesandnoble.com