Travel Movies and Books about Food and Cooking

A Cook’s Tour: Global Adventures in Extreme Cuisines

An Embarrassment of Mangoes: A Caribbean Interlude

Author: Ann Vanderhoof

Genre: Nonfiction, Biography/Memoir, Food & Wine

Places Featured: Caribbean

When most people (including myself) think of the Caribbean, they think of sandy white beaches, pristine blue beaches, fruity drinks, and maybe some fun music…they rarely think of the food; An Embarrassment of Mangoes will change their mind. It’s the story of two career-driven Canadians tired of the rat race who quit their jobs and head out onto a sailboat to explore the Caribbean. You’ll definitely be jealous (and doing some math to see if you can swing it, too) and you will definitely be hungry, but luckily there are recipes at the end of the each chapter, too.

Blood, Bones & Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef

Author: Gabrielle Hamilton

Genre: Nonfiction, Biography/Memoir, Food & Wine, Self-Discovery/Personal Change

Places Featured: Several

This one is definitely more of a chef’s book than a travel book, but there is a lot of travel in it. Gabrielle Hamilton is an award-winning chef who owned Prune (which closed during the COVID-19 pandemic), a restaurant in New York City. In Blood, Bones & Butter, she shares details of the many kitchens she went through to get to where she is–her childhood kitchen in rural Pennsylvania, kitchens in Europe where she learned to hone her craft, and the kitchen of her Italian mother-in-law. It’s a humble well-written story.

Kitchens of the Great Midwest: A Novel

Author: J. Ryan Stradal

Genre: Fiction, Food & Wine

Places Featured: Midwest, United States of America

Kitchens of the Great Midwest is a funny, sweet, delicious read for all foodies. It’s the story of Eva, raised by her single father, who learns to explore the world around her through the food of her home, Minnesota. Again, you probably don’t equate the American Midwest with great food, but Stradal is able to take us there with complex characters, rich descriptions, and an interesting way of writing. (It’s a great one for book clubs, because there’s a lot to discuss–we’ll have a book club guide soon.)

Like Water for Chocolate: A Novel in Monthly Installments with Recipes, Romances, and Home Remedies

Author: Laura Esquivel

Genre: Fiction, Food & Wine, Romance, Magical Realism

Places Featured: Mexico

Many have seen the award-winning movie Like Water for Chocolate (we included it below), but you should also read the book. It’s magical realism (so make sure you’re ready for that), but it’s a beautiful sensuous read that covers food, life, and love with little notes about Mexico and its culture spread throughout.

Longthroat Memoirs: Soups, Sex, and Nigerian Taste Buds

Author: Yemisi Aribisala

Genre: Nonfiction, Biography/Memoir, Food & Wine

Places Featured: Nigeria

I almost didn’t include this one (it’s the one that pushed Julia Child into the Honorable Mention section…I’m sorry, Julia!), but I felt I needed to, because it’s a special one–a glimpse into a country many of us don’t know much about (Nigeria) through a medium we all know something about (food). She’s funny, insightful, descriptive, and a writer to keep an eye on. (Seriously, read this one.)

My Berlin Kitchen: Adventures in Love and Life

Author: Luisa Weiss

Genre: Nonfiction, Biography/Memoir, Food & Wine, Self-Discovery/Personal Change, Romance

Places Featured: Berlin, Germany

It’s hard not to make comparisons with the beloved Julie & Julia book (a great book for foodies, but not much for travelers) and My Berlin Kitchen, but they are very different stories–I’m a little biased (I lived in Germany for 21 years), but I highly suggest this one for fans of German cuisine and stories of searching for meaning. Luisa Weiss was living and working in New York with a serious boyfriend when she decided to start a food blog…which soon led her to make the surprising decision to start all over in Berlin. It’s a lovely story of growth, Berlin, and FOOD. (With recipes!)

Rice Noodle Fish: Deep Travels Through Japan’s Food Culture

Author: Matt Goulding

Genre: Nonfiction, Food & Wine

Places Featured: Japan

This is the first in a series by Matt Goulding (the other two focus on Spain and Italy), who is actually known for writing the health-conscious book Eat This, Not That. First, how do I get his job? Second, if you enjoy food, you need to get this book. It looks a little bit more like a travel guide than some of the others on this list (it does include some great photos) and it is great for armchair travelers–detailing Goulding’s adventures through different regions of Japan visiting famous chefs, restaurants, and dishes.

Shark’s Fin and Sichuan Pepper: A Sweet-Sour Memoir of Eating in China

Author: Fuschia Dunlop

Genre: Nonfiction, Biography/Memoir, Food & Wine

Places Featured: China

Fuchsia Dunlop was the first Westerner to train at the Sichuan Institute of Higher Cuisine, so she knows a thing or two about Chinese cuisine. Fortunately for us, she also enjoys adventure, has a curious attitude, and is a good writer. Shark’s Fin and Sichuan Pepper is a wonderful exploration of China, its people, its culture, and its food, through the eyes of a trained chef not afraid to share her (well thought-out) opinions. And, it’s another one with recipes. 🙂

The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry

Author: Kathleen Flinn

Genre: Nonfiction, Biography/Memoir, Food & Wine, Self-Discovery/Change

Places Featured: Paris, France

I loved this one (check out my review for The Sharper Your Knife, The Less You Cry) and it’s one I recommend often (especially when someone asks about audiobooks–the narrator was so good, I even enjoyed her reading off the recipes). It’s the story of a middle-aged woman who was struggling with life and decided to take a chance on a dream–and move to Paris to attend the famed Le Cordon Bleu. It’s a well-written story about her experiences in a new school, a new profession, a new country, and a new romance.

Tampopo (1985)

Rating: N/R

Genre: Comedy, Western, Food & Wine

Places Featured: Japan

First, I love that the genre of this film is actually called a “ramen western”–the Japanese equivalent to an American “spaghetti western.” (Funny, right?) It’s the story of a failing noodle shop and the attempt to bring it back to life with better noodles. There are several other vignettes interspersed throughout the film about love, food, and Japanese culture.

Babette’s Feast (1987)

Rating: G

Genre: Drama, Romance, Food & Wine

Places Featured: Denmark

Two elderly sisters, Martine and Philippa, have spent their lives living in a small town in Denmark following their father’s strict religious rules, despite having many suitors. Their life changes when one of those suitors sends Babette, a former Parisian chef, to be cook and clean for the two ladies. It’s a film about sacrifice, faith, and choices. (Fun fact: it is based on a book by Isak Dinesen/Karen Blixen, usually known for Out of Africa.)

Like Water for Chocolate (1992)

Rating: R

Genre: Drama, Romance, Food & Wine

Places Featured: Mexico

Based on the book included above, Like Water for Chocolate is a movie full of passion, emotion, and, yes, beautiful food. It’s the story of how tradition and a forbidden love affects a family and how one woman turns to food. Like the book, it is magical realism, so may not be for everyone, but it is a sensuous meaningful story.

Eat Drink Man Woman (1994)

Rating: N/R

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Food & Wine, Romance

Places Featured: Taipei, Taiwan

Mr. Chu, a widower, is a retired Chinese chef raising three very different single daughters who all challenge the ideas of Chinese culture. For this family, the Sunday evening family dinner is a time to come together, share their lives, and share a beautiful delicious meal. Through each Sunday meal, we learn more about the characters and watch as their relationships (between themselves and with others) unfold. It’s a sweet story.

God of Cookery (1996)

Rating: N/R

Genre: Comedy, Action/Adventure, Food & Wine

Places Featured: Hong Kong

God of Cookery is a hilarious take on Chinese culture–think Iron Chefs battling it out with martial arts. It’s silly, but it’s fun. It’s the story of a corrupt celebrity chef who pairs with a good-hearted street vendor to take on an evil rival in a winner-take-all cook-off. It doesn’t have quite the same “beautiful” food images as some of the others on this list, but it’s still worth checking out when you want a laugh. (Also, Alton Brown recommends it, so that should be enough to make you watch it.)

Chocolat (2000)

Rating: PG-13

Genre: Drama, Romance, Food & Wine

Places Featured: Burgundy, France

It doesn’t get much better than this–there’s a small quaint French town, a romance, Johnny Depp, and chocolate. It’s about Vianne Rocher (played by the perfectly cast Juliette Binoche), a mysterious single mother who seemingly drifts around France and moves to a small town in France with her daughter to open a chocolate shop. Her wares are tempting to the usually strict and rigid townspeople…which leads to lessons for her and them. (We included this one in our list of Ten Movies set in France, too.)

Mostly Martha (2001)

Rating: PG

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Food & Wine, Romance

Places Featured: Hamburg, Germany

Martha is an acclaimed chef in Hamburg, Germany who is so focused on her work, she seems to lack basic social skills. Her life is turned upside down, though, when a car accident kills her sister and leaves her 8-year-old niece in her care. Martha brings her niece to her restaurant where the charming and unorthodox Italian chef Mario has taken over her kitchen…which doesn’t sit well with the precise Martha. It’s somewhat predictable, but it’s sweet.

Tortilla Soup (2002)

Rating: PG-13

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance, Food & Wine

Places Featured: Los Angeles, California, United States of America

Tortilla Soup is actually an adaptation of Eat Drink Man Woman included above–this version takes place in Los Angeles, California and is focused on Mexican culture and cuisine. It’s another sweet feel-good story about family, love, and food. (Note from Jen: This could be a fun activity for a movie club–visit Mexican cuisine with this movie one week and then Chinese cuisine the following with the other.)

The Trip (2010)

Rating: R

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Food & Wine

Places Featured: England, United Kingdom

In this documentary-style dark comedy, comedian Steve Coogan is asked to tour England and write about the country’s finest restaurants for The Observer. His girlfriend backs out, however, so he is forced to take along his annoying friend, fellow comedian Rob Brydon. The food looks amazing and there’s the added bonus of some great scenery. (The movie has actually become a series with The Trip to Italy, The Trip to Spain, and The Trip to Greece also following the two comedians as they explore restaurants in each of those countries.)

Chef (2014)

Rating: R

Genre: Comedy, Drama

Places Featured: United States of America

This movie is all Jon Favreau–he wrote it, co-produced it, directed it, and starred in it. It’s another feel-good movie (aren’t all food films feel-good films?)–this one about a disgraced chef from Los Angeles who rediscovers his love for food through a food truck traveling the United States with his son and best friend. It has a star-studded cast and many gratuitous shots of food (is there really such a thing as a gratuitous shot of food?).