The Best Recipes in the World

“I know of only one person who could put together such a treasury of the best recipes in the world: Mark Bittman.” —Chef José Andrés, founder of World Central Kitchen

Join iconic, six-time James Beard Award–winning food writer Mark Bittman on a journey across the globe—not to the fanciest, most-acclaimed restaurants in the world, but to the good bars, little joints, mom-and-pop operations, and home kitchens that serve up common, everyday food.

Here you’ll find streamlined, modernized, updated versions of authentic dishes, recreated in ways that don’t rob them of their integrity, but that make them more accessible. China’s Jook, Mexico’s Chile-Fried Shrimp, India’s Red-Braised Chicken, and Sweden’s Sweet Almond Buns are just a few of the easy-to-prepare, traditional dishes in these pages. Relying on the techniques common across cultures, Bittman helps you become familiar with a wide range of ingredients and distills the recipes down to their basic ingredients. His vast knowledge and expert advice help you bring the world to your table.

“The amount of research and recipe testing that went into compiling this cookbook is awe-inspiring. The end result is a brilliant anthology of world cuisine—global recipes that are delicious and, in the best Mark Bittman tradition, easily recreated at home with minimum fuss but maximum flavor.” —Daniel Boulud

“Mark Bittman is among our most important and influential food writers. I respect his work enormously, which is why I’m greatly looking forward to cooking from his new book, a collection of recipes that would take me a decade to discover on my own.” —Paula Wolfert, James Beard Award–winning author of The Cooking of Southwest France