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Cookbooks for Aliens
Aliens land on Earth. Ahhh!
Wait, wait, good news. They only have one, oddly specific demand:
“Teach us about the food from each of your ‘countries’.”
Which cookbook would each country send?
The cookbooks on this website are:
- The books you’re most likely to find in an 80-year-old couple’s kitchen
- The “book of reference” for a country’s cuisine
- Each country’s most comprehensive cookbook
I find these kinds of books fascinating. They help a lot with cooking, of course. The way to start learning about a cuisine is sometimes to buy one.
Reference cookbooks are also interesting anthropologically; most of the recipes in them are not groundbreaking, but they can tell you about what people eat day-to-day.
Below you can see the books. Scroll to bottom of the page to see detailed criteria.
(Ah, and if you’re an alien 👽, hello! Buy these books to learn a lot about Earthly humans and what we eat.)
Note:
I have imperfect information and this is an imperfect project. As a result, not all countries here are listed. If a country is not listed, that’s because I couldn’t find a true ‘Cookbook for Aliens’ from it.
If you disagree or want to suggest a book for a country not yet listed, please email me and let me know.
Cookbooks for aliens (and humans, too)
| Country | Book | Why | Honorable Mentions |
|---|---|---|---|
| ASIA | |||
| 🇦🇿 Azerbaijan | The Azerbaijani Kitchen | hover to read Institutional authority through National Culinary Association; partial candidate | Regional cookbooks |
| 🇧🇩 Bangladesh | Ranna Khaddo Pushti (রান্না খাদ্যপুি) | hover to read Called "encyclopaedia of culinary arts for Bengalis"; Gourmand Award 2011; multiple editions | Bangladeshi Curry Cook Book (1984) |
| 🇰🇭 Cambodia | L'Art de la cuisine cambodgienne | hover to read Royal authorship; pre-Khmer Rouge heritage documentation; partial due to French language | Nhum: Recipes from a Cambodian Kitchen (modern) |
| 🇨🇳 China | Zhōngguó Míng Càipǔ (中国名菜谱) | hover to read Government-commissioned; 11 volumes 1958-60; expanded to 17 regional volumes 1988-92; Ministry of Commerce and China Cuisine Association | Zhōngguó Pēngrèn Cídiǎn |
| 🇨🇾 Cyprus | Kopiaste | hover to read Best-known traditional Greek-Cypriot reference with cultural/historical context | Community cookbooks |
| 🇬🇪 Georgia | Jorjadze Samzareulo (ქართული სამზარეულო) | hover to read National treasure; ~800-900 recipes; Restaurant Barbarestan recreates dishes from it | Georgian Cuisine and Toasting |
| 🇮🇳 India | Samaithu Paar | hover to read Tamil; 3 volumes; "given as wedding gifts to Tamil brides"; 70+ years continuous print; Gourmand Award 2011. *Regional not pan-Indian* | Tarla Dalal (170+ books, vegetarian only) |
| 🇮🇩 Indonesia | Mustikarasa (1960-61) | hover to read Government-commissioned by Sukarno; 1,207 pages; 1,600+ recipes; "Indonesia's first and only national cookbook" | Masakan Indonesia by Yasa Boga |
| 🇮🇷 Iran | Honar-e Aashpazi (یزﭘﺷآ رﻧھ) | hover to read 41st edition; 1,700 recipes; "in almost every Iranian household" | Jafari series |
| 🇯🇵 Japan | Nihon Ryōri Taizen (日本料理大全) | hover to read Post-2013 UNESCO recognition; institutional authorship | Traditional texts (Ryōri Monogatari, 1643) |
| 🇱🇦 Laos | Traditional Recipes of Laos | hover to read Royal palace chef; 124 recipes; posthumous publication in English | Limited alternatives |
| 🇱🇧 Lebanon | Fann al-Tabkh (ﺦﺑطﻟا نﻓ) | hover to read 464 recipes; continuously in print 60 years; Lebanese publisher | Man'oushe and modern chef books |
| 🇴🇲 Oman | Al-Azaf (فازﻷا) | hover to read "First comprehensive book on Omani food"; partial candidate | Limited alternatives |
| 🇵🇰 Pakistan | Dalda Ka Dastarkhwan (ناوﺧرﺗﺳد ﺎﮐ هدﻟاد) ⚠ | hover to read Corporate-sponsored (Dalda brand); de facto household reference; Urdu | Zubaida Tariq's cookbooks |
| 🇵🇭 Philippines | Recipes of the Philippines | hover to read Multiple printings over 50+ years; partial candidate | Kulinarya (Coffee Table Book) |
| 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia | Min Fann al-Tabkh al-Saudi (يدوﻌﺳﻟا ﺦﺑطﻟا نﻓ نﻣ) ⚠ | hover to read Multi-volume series; limited verification available | Regional cookbooks |
| 🇸🇬 Singapore | Mrs Lee's Cookbook | hover to read Gourmand Awards 2003; mother of Lee Kuan Yew; Peranakan focus | The New Mrs Lee's Cookbook (updated edition) |
| South Korea | Hanguk Yori Baekgwa Sajeon (한국요리백과사전) | hover to read Author held Important Intangible Cultural Property No. 38 | Eumsikdimibang (c.1670, historical) |
| 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | Ceylon Daily News Cookery Book | hover to read "The Bible" of Sri Lankan cooking; 1,672 recipes in 5th edition | A Taste of Ceylon |
| 🇹🇷 Turkey | Asırlık Tariflerle Türk Mutfağı (2021) | hover to read Official government publication; 218 recipes; First Lady's patronage; Ministry of Culture | Türk Mutfağı (various) |
| 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates | Sarareed (دﯾررﺳ) | hover to read First comprehensive Emirati cookbook by Emirati author | Emirati Cuisine (various) |
| 🇺🇿 Uzbekistan | Uzbek Traditional Dishes (Karim Mahmudov) | hover to read ~500 recipes from 30+ years fieldwork | Soviet-era publications |
| AMERICAS | |||
| 🇦🇷 Argentina | El Libro de Doña Petrona | hover to read 123+ editions; 3+ million copies; "la Biblia" of Argentine cooking; traditional wedding gift | None serious |
| 🇧🇸 Bahamas | Bahamian Cook Book: Recipes (1973) | hover to read 18+ editions across 60+ years; ~425 recipes; community-sourced | Cooking the Bahamian Way by Isolene M. Rolle |
| 🇧🇧 Barbados | Caribbean Cookbook | hover to read First cookbook by a West Indian; school textbook across Caribbean. *Covers entire Caribbean* | Bajan Fare Cook Book by Edwin Ellis |
| 🇧🇴 Bolivia | Antología de la gastronomía boliviana | hover to read Government bicentennial project; World Cookbook Award 2021; history, chronicles, recipes | La gastronomía en Potosí y Charcas |
| 🇧🇷 Brazil | Dona Benta: Comer Bem | hover to read Collective work; 78+ editions; 1+ million copies; "a bíblia da culinária brasileira"; 1,500+ recipes | None serious |
| 🇨🇦 Canada | L'encyclopédie de la cuisine canadienne / Encyclopedia of Canadian Cooking | hover to read 1.5+ million copies; 2,000+ recipes; bilingual; Order of Canada recipient | Canadian Cook Book (Nellie Lyle Pattinson, 1923) |
| 🇨🇱 Chile | Gran Libro de la Cocina Chilena | hover to read Editorial team; 41+ editions; 1,300+ recipes; "una Biblia de la comida chilena" | Enciclopedia del hogar de la Tía Pepa (1898) |
| 🇨🇴 Colombia | Gran libro de la cocina colombiana | hover to read Colcultura commission; 700+ recipes; 8 regions; most consulted in libraries 30+ years | Biblioteca Básica de Cocinas Tradicionales |
| 🇨🇺 Cuba | Cocina al Minuto | hover to read 315 recipes; hosted Cuba's TV cooking show 44 years; "el más emblemático" Cuban cookbook | Cocina Criolla (also by Villapol) |
| 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic | Mujer 2000 (4 volumes) | hover to read Vol. I: 12+ editions by 1988; "el mayor fenómeno de la bibliografía gastronómica dominicana" | Cocina Criolla by Amanda Ornes (1955) |
| 🇪🇨 Ecuador | La Cocina del Ecuador: Recetas y Lecturas | hover to read Preeminent researcher; recipes with historical documentation. *No overwhelming canonical status* | Gran Libro de la Cocina Ecuatoriana (1987) |
| 🇬🇹 Guatemala | La cocina popular guatemalteca: mitos, hechos y anécdotas | hover to read Universidad de San Carlos; 445+ pages; comprehensive anthropological analysis | Cocina Guatemalteca (De Museo) |
| 🇯🇲 Jamaica | The Real Taste of Jamaica | hover to read 150,000+ copies; "best-selling Jamaican cookbook from the island"; Ian Randle Publishers | Traditional Jamaican Cookery by Norma Benghiat |
| 🇲🇽 Mexico | Diccionario Enciclopédico de la Gastronomía Mexicana | hover to read 4,000+ terms; Gourmand Award 2012; Premio CANIEM 2013; called "prophet of culinary tradition" by Time | Larousse de la Cocina Mexicana; El cocinero mexicano |
| 🇵🇦 Panama | Cocina Panameña | hover to read 2+ editions; bilingual; 110 pages—relatively short | Limited alternatives |
| 🇵🇾 Paraguay | Tembi'u Paraguai – Comida Paraguaya | hover to read 20+ editions; founded Paraguay's first culinary institute (1964); bilingual with Guaraní | Cocina paraguaya by Sarita Garofalo |
| 🇵🇪 Peru | ¿Qué cocinaré hoy? Recetario Nicolini (1959) ⚠ | hover to read Corporate-sponsored but "referente infaltable"; practical guide not academic encyclopedia | El Arte de la Cocina Peruana by Tony Custer |
| 🇸🇷 Suriname | Groot Surinaams Kookboek | hover to read 750 recipes; all ethnic traditions; "DE kookbijbel" of Surinamese cuisine; republished 2016 | SuriMAM Cooking series |
| 🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago | The Multi-Cultural Cuisine of Trinidad & Tobago | hover to read Institutional authorship; 500+ recipes; "household staple" and "rite of passage"; all ethnic traditions | Celebrate Food! |
| 🇺🇸 United States | Joy of Cooking | hover to read 20+ million copies; 9 editions; NY Public Library top 150 books. *Strong authorial voice* | Better Homes & Gardens New Cook Book; Fannie Farmer Cookbook (1896) |
| 🇺🇾 Uruguay | Manual de Cocina del Instituto Crandon (1957) | hover to read Institutional; 32+ editions; 200,000+ copies; "pauta la cocina del Uruguay"; Premio Morosoli 2010 | El Mantel Celeste by Hugo García Robles |
| 🇻🇪 Venezuela | Mi Cocina: A la manera de Caracas ("El Libro Rojo") | hover to read 500+ recipes; 28+ editions; 450,000+ copies; "la Biblia gastronómica de Venezuela" | Mi Cocina II (1994, "libro azul") |
| AFRICA | |||
| 🇩🇿 Algeria | La Cuisine Algérienne | hover to read State-published (SNED); 400 recipes; collector's item at €64-400 | Le Livre d'or de la Cuisine Algérienne |
| 🇧🇼 Botswana | Taste of Botswana: A Cultural Journey Through Food | hover to read Best African Cookbook of the World 2023 Gourmand; Setswana heritage author | Botswana Traditional Recipes |
| 🇧🇫 Burkina Faso | La cuisine au Burkina Faso | hover to read Closest to institutional reference in West Africa; multiple editions | Livret Mets Nationaux (government) |
| 🇹🇩 Chad | Les saveurs de chez nous: 111 recettes de cuisine du Tchad | hover to read First and only Chadian cookbook by Chadian author; 111 recipes | 35 entrées à savourer (follow-up) |
| 🇰🇲 Comoros | Cuisine des îles Comores | hover to read Comorian author; 100+ recipes; 30+ years documentation | Les Recettes des Comores eBook |
| 🇩🇯 Djibouti | La Cuisine Djiboutienne | hover to read Djiboutian author; traditional recipes with cultural context. *Emerging candidate* | TBD |
| 🇪🇬 Egypt | Kitab Abla Nazira (ﻲﮭطﻟا لوﺻأ) | hover to read Ministry of Education winner; 1,800 recipes; 14+ editions; standard wedding gift; "first Arabic cooking encyclopedia" | Nasihat al-Anam (1893) |
| 🇪🇷 Eritrea | Auntie Tsehai Cooks | hover to read Eritrean lead author; 100+ recipes. *Combined with Ethiopian; US-published* | Taste of Eritrea by Olivia Warren |
| 🇪🇹 Ethiopia | Ethiopian Traditional Recipes | hover to read The best I could find written within the country | Exotic Ethiopian Cooking |
| 🇬🇦 Gabon | Gastronomie Gabonaise | hover to read "1st Collection on Authentic Gabonese Cuisine"; 9 provinces. *Only 38 recipes* | La cuisine gabonaise de A à Z |
| 🇬🇭 Ghana | The Ghana Cookbook | hover to read Gourmand Award; Barbara Baëta is "national treasure." *US-published with American lead author* | Earlier works by Bill Odartey |
| 🇰🇪 Kenya | Alice Taabu's Cookery Book | hover to read Gourmand Award 2002; hosted Mke Nyumbani TV 20+ years; "household name in Kenya" | Explore the Kenyan Kitchen by Mary Wayua Plancherel |
| 🇱🇸 Lesotho | Cuisine of the Mountain Kingdom: Cooking in Lesotho | hover to read First and only documented Basotho cookbook; Best African Cookbook 2012 Gourmand; Queen's foreword | None prior existed |
| 🇲🇬 Madagascar | Ma cuisine de Madagascar | hover to read Author born in Madagascar; anthropological approach. *Not in Malagasy* | La Cuisine Malgache by Jeannot Randroso Ikalapiso |
| 🇲🇼 Malawi | Malawi Cookbook | hover to read 170 recipes; Malawian author. *Too recent for canonical status* | Government nutrition materials |
| 🇲🇺 Mauritius | The Best of Mauritian Cuisine | hover to read Mauritian authors; Gourmand Awards; multi-ethnic documentation | The Island Kitchen by Selina Periampillai |
| 🇲🇿 Mozambique | Cozinha Moçambicana | hover to read First cookbook of traditional Mozambican cuisine; published at independence; official government | Sabores do Índico by Maria Fernanda Sampaio |
| 🇳🇦 Namibia | My Hungry Heart: Notes from a Namibian Kitchen | hover to read Best Cookbook in the World for African Cuisine 2009 Gourmand. *More personal than encyclopedic* | Life on a Table (2015) |
| 🇳🇪 Niger | Trésor Culinaire du Niger | hover to read Government-recognized; 40 recipes; additional volumes planned. *Emerging candidate* | Cooking Hali blog |
| 🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo | La cuisine congolaise | hover to read EU Regional Bantu Cultural Program; all regions; 216 pages | None significant |
| 🇷🇼 Rwanda | Uruhimbi: Rwanda's Gastronomy and Culinary Arts | hover to read First book on Rwandan cuisine; Gourmand Special Award 2025; foreword by First Lady | None prior existed |
| 🇸🇳 Senegal | Cuisine Sénégalaise | hover to read Senegalese author; 65 recipes; L'Harmattan publisher | Sénégal, cuisine intime by Youssou N'Dour |
| 🇸🇨 Seychelles | Discover Seychelles Creole Cuisine | hover to read Locally published; 156 pages; classic recipes. *Small nation, limited formal publishing* | Tourism materials |
| 🇸🇴 Somalia | Somali Cuisine | hover to read First Somali cookbook; 70 recipes; critical preservation (Somali became written only in 1970s) | None—conflict prevented documentation |
| 🇿🇦 South Africa | Kook en Geniet / Cook and Enjoy It | hover to read 1+ million copies; 75+ years continuous print; 700+ recipes; "South Africa's most famous cookbook"; generations learned to cook from this | Rainbow Cuisine by Lannice Snyman |
| 🇹🇿 Tanzania | Eva Pendaeli's Original Tanzania Cookbook | hover to read "First cookbook with recipes for authentic Tanzania cuisine"; founding member Tanzania Food and Nutrition Centre | Taste of Tanzania by Miriam Kinunda |
| 🇹🇬 Togo | 50 recettes du Togo | hover to read First cookbook in Togo; NGO-published; 50 recipes. *Limited scope* | TBD |
| 🇹🇳 Tunisia | La Cuisine Tunisienne d'Ommok Sannafa | hover to read 612 pages; 250+ recipes; "indémodable et indétrônable"; standard trousseau | La Pâtisserie Tunisienne d'Ommok Sannafa |
| 🇺🇬 Uganda | Taste of Uganda: Recipes for Traditional Dishes | hover to read Fountain Publishers (Uganda); 192 pages; comprehensive coverage | A Cookbook of Uganda's Traditional Foods by PELUM Uganda |
| 🇿🇲 Zambia | Recipe Book on Traditional Zambian Foods | hover to read Official government publication. *Weak distribution* | ZambianKitchen.com (online) |
| EUROPE | |||
| 🇦🇱 Albania | Kuzhina Shqiptare: 600 receta tradicionale | hover to read Most substantial traditional Albanian reference available; post-communist cookbook tradition still developing | None strong |
| 🇦🇹 Austria | Die gute Küche / Plachutta Wiener Küche | hover to read Quintessential Austrian classic; widely used national reference though somewhat regionally fragmented | Regional Austrian cookbooks |
| 🇧🇪 Belgium | Ons Kookboek | hover to read "Culinary bible of Flanders"; 2.5–3 million copies; ubiquitous wedding gift | Wallonia lacks equivalent |
| 🇨🇿 Czech Republic | Vaříme zdravě, chutně a hospodárně | hover to read Best-selling Czechoslovak cookbook; Czech “Joy of Cooking” analogue | Other Czechoslovak standards |
| 🇩🇰 Denmark | Frøken Jensens Kogebog | hover to read 1M+ copies; classic authority for traditional Danish cooking | Almanak by Claus Meyer (modern comprehensive) |
| 🇪🇪 Estonia | Eesti köök | hover to read Authoritative Soviet-era ethnographic documentation; not truly encyclopedic | No clear mass-market equivalent |
| 🇫🇷 France | Larousse Gastronomique / Je sais cuisiner | hover to read Two-book tradition: professional encyclopedia + home-cooking bestseller | None comparable |
| 🇩🇪 Germany | Dr. Oetker Schulkochbuch | hover to read 19M+ copies; century-long household standard | Backen macht Freude (baking) |
| 🇬🇷 Greece | Vefa’s Kitchen (Η Κουζίνα μου) | hover to read Nationally recognized doyenne; 700+ recipes; TV + bestselling authority | Diane Kochilas cookbooks |
| 🇭🇺 Hungary | Gundel’s Hungarian Cookbook | hover to read Gundel name synonymous with national gastronomy; long-lasting classic | Ilona Horvath (home cooking) |
| 🇮🇸 Iceland | Matur og Drykkur | hover to read Decades-long household bible; tied to housewife schools tradition | Matarást (modern successor) |
| 🇮🇪 Ireland | Ballymaloe Cookery Course / Irish Traditional Cooking | hover to read Author-driven but nationally recognized; comprehensive reference from iconic cooking school | Other Irish author cookbooks |
| 🇮🇹 Italy | Il cucchiaio d’argento | hover to read 70+ years; definitive national cookbook; widely owned and updated | Il Talismano della Felicità by Ada Boni |
| 🇱🇻 Latvia | Mājturības un Vārīšanas Māksla | hover to read Interwar definitive household reference; republished; heirloom status | Exile publications |
| 🇱🇹 Lithuania | Valgių gaminimas | hover to read First Lithuanian culinary book; huge Soviet-era circulation; basic reference | Birutė Imbrasienė (post-independence) |
| 🇳🇱 Netherlands | Het nieuwe Haagse kookboek | hover to read Cooking-school origin; 90+ years in kitchens; 82nd printing | Margriet Kookboek |
| 🇳🇴 Norway | Den rutete kokeboken | hover to read 250k+ copies; national household standard; famous TV authority | Gyldendals store kokebok |
| 🇵🇱 Poland | Uniwersalna książka kucharska | hover to read Monumental pre-war reference; “mandatory in every kitchen” | 365 Obiadów (predecessor) |
| 🇵🇹 Portugal | Cozinha Tradicional Portuguesa | hover to read Bestselling national classic; near-ubiquitous in households | Portugal: The Cookbook (modern) |
| 🇷🇴 Romania | Carte de Bucate | hover to read Most reprinted Romanian publication; household-standard canonical work | Radu Anton Roman |
| 🇷🇺 Russia | Книга о вкусной и здоровой пище | hover to read USSR Institute of Nutrition; state-endorsed household bible | Molokhovets (pre-revolutionary) |
| 🇷🇸 Serbia | Patin Kuvar / Veliki narodni kuvar | hover to read Century-long “Serbian culinary Bible”; crowdsourced national treasury | Yugoslav era references |
| 🇸🇮 Slovenia | Slovenska kuharica / Velika slovenska kuharica (Pleiweis/Kalinšek) | hover to read National consciousness book; many editions; long-term household standard | Modern Slovene cookbooks |
| 🇪🇸 Spain | 1080 Recetas de Cocina | hover to read 3.5M+ sold; unchallenged national kitchen bible | None at this level |
| 🇸🇪 Sweden | Vår kokbok | hover to read 2.1M sold; cooperative test kitchen; standardized modern cookbook | Rutiga Kokboken; Sju sorters kakor (baking) |
| 🇨🇭 Switzerland | Das Fülscher-Kochbuch | hover to read Classic since the early 1900s | Betty Bossi series |
| 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | Delia's Complete Cookery Course | hover to read Foundational British domestic/cooking reference; massive early sales; still in print | Mrs Beeton’s Book of Household Management |
| OCEANIA | |||
| 🇦🇺 Australia | The Common-Sense Cookery Book | hover to read Probably the closest Australia has to a mass-market reference book | The Australian Women’s Weekly Cookbooks |
| 🇳🇿 New Zealand | Edmonds Cookery Book | hover to read Staple in the country since 1908. | A Treasury of New Zealand Cooking |
Criteria and FAQs
I mostly approached this with the question: What would be the most classic book to find in a family’s kitchen?
This meant I prioritized books that were written by someone from the target country, to people in the target country, in the target country’s official languages. And when faced with a choice between a modern book and an older book I went with the older book. If you suggest a book to me, try to follow those criteria too.
How can I buy these books?
Not all of these books are easy to find. Some you could get on online bookstores (better) or Amazon (last resort) but many you may need to search harder for if you would like the physical copy. Used book websites work, as do used marketplaces where individuals might be selling their family’s copy. And of course if you just want a digital copy, there are plenty of websites (do some searching!) where you may be able to find that for free.
What’s the point of this website?
Well it’s for me, really. I want these books. I’m sharing because you might want them, too.
What if I disagree or have another book to add?
Email me!
* * *