Listen to Your Stomach — Downloadable Audiobooks for Food Nerds

Food is big business these days: celebrity chefs, foodie travel, restaurant insider exposés: the media world can’t seem to get (and give) enough. From travel TV to the bestseller list, the last number of years of have been the story of food.

I have to admit having caught the bug and have found myself digging more and more into books about food. Recently I’ve noted how much I enjoy listening to a good book about food (or a book about good food) and thought I’d share a few food related titles that are available via the library’s download service Overdrive. Many of these are not new, showing that this is trend that’s been with us for a while.

(Each of these books is available as a downloadable audiobook, but most are available in other formats as well. The first link is direct to the audio download, the 2nd to the library catalogue where you can view other formats including print, ebook, and in some cases CD).

Ferran: The Inside Story of El Bulli and the Man Who Reinvented Food by Colman Andrews (print edition): A look at the career of the world famous chef who is credited with the rise of “molecular gastronomy”.

In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto by Michael Pollan (other formats). Pollan’s website describes him as a writer who focuses on the “places where nature and culture intersect” and he has written extensively on food topics. Here he merges culture and health in a book that is a sort of follow up to his wildly popular The Omnivore’s Dilemma. (Of note as well, the audiobook is read by award winning audiobook narrator Scott Brick.)

Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly by Anthony Bourdain (other formats). Everything you ever wanted to know (and much that you didn’t) from behind the scenes at busy restaurant kitchens. Sarcastic, irreverent and endlessly entertaining: it’s a great introduction to Bourdain’s style and experiences.  If you’ve already read it, you might want to also check out the follow up Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook. (other formats) Both audiobooks are read by the author.

My Life in France by Julia Child (other formats). Does our current food obsession all come back to Julia Child? Maybe, but certainly our current food obsession has taken many people back to Julia Child. Beginning in the late 1940s, this is the story of how she discovered French culinary traditions and shared these discoveries with North America.

Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us by Michael Moss (other formats) Though many of these books appeal to what might be called a foodie sensibility, Moss’ book is an exposé of the processed food industry and what this industry is doing to eaters.  Wonder why you can’t eat just one potato chip? Moss has an answer to that and much more.

Yes, Chef: A Memoir by Marcus Samuelsson (other formats) From orphan to celebrity chef, Samulsson’s memoir takes you from Ethiopia, to Sweden to North America with a fascinating story of culture, cooking and achievement. The audio book is read by the author.

Never used the library’s download service? Click here to find out more information.