Best Food Writing 2012

by Holly Hughes (Editor)

Our fascination with what we eat, its provenance, and its preparation just keeps growing—and food writing has continued to explode. Once again, editor Holly Hughes plumbs magazines, newspapers, newsletters, books, and websites for the year's finest culinary prose—“stories for connoisseurs, celebrations of the specialized, the odd, or simply the excellent” ( Entertainment Weekly ). Featuring essays and articles from established food writers and rising stars, as well as some literary surprises, Best Food Writing 2012 captures the trends, big stories, and new voices. From going hunting to going vegan, from soup-to-nuts or farm-to-table, there's something for every foodie in the newest edition of this acclaimed series.

Previous contributors Brett Anderson, Dan Barber, Frank Bruni, John T. Edge, Jonathan Gold, Gabrielle Hamilton, Jessica B. Harris, Madhur Jaffrey, Francis Lam, David Leite, J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, Molly O'Neill, Kevin Pang, Ruth Reichl, Alan Richman, Kim Severson, Jason Sheehan, Sam Sifton, John Thorne, and Calvin Trillin. 

Genres: Food, Nonfiction, Essays, Food Writing, Cookbooks, Cooking, Foodie

400 pages, Paperback

First published October 2, 2012

About the author

Holly Hughes has edited the annual Best Food Writing series since its inception in 2000. The author of Frommer's 500 Places for Food and Wine Lovers, she lives in New York City.

Reviews

[Ben Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even the "best" food writing straddles a very thin line between preeminent and pretentious.

[Talia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book Riot Read Harder 2022: a best ___ writing of the year

Obviously these compilations are mixed bags as far as content, and this one is no exception. Food writing is a topic that can easily fall into a "snooty" tone, a good portion of these essays didn't stick with me at all. There is an essay about maple syrup processing that was pretty funny, I still think of that one.

[Eden]

She’s having a food writing moment in 2023! I have huge feelings about “best” claims, but I love an anthology, and I really enjoyed most of the pieces in this one. Why were there so many barbecue essays though??

[E · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read in between other books. A mixed bag of genres and foods and moods

[Jackie Tilks · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a nice sampling of writing from North America in 2012. It is amazing how food speaks to so many of the emotions and the senses. It becomes a lens through which we view relationships, cultures, our inner-development, politics and so on. This was a special present from my husband and I would recommend it to anyone who likes reading about the many experiences surrounding food. Since it is a series of articles about 3-12 pages each, it isn't a quick read as you have to re-acquaint yourself with the speaker, topic and theme every couple pages and the font is small...so take your time and enjoy each story like you would each bite of a meal.

[Little-g · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Whether things were ever simpler than they are now, or better if they were, we can't know. We do know that people have always found ways to eat and live well, whether on boiling water or bread or beans, and that some of our best eating hasn't been our most foreign or expensive or elaborate, but quite plain and quite familiar. And knowing that is probably the best way to cook, and certainly the best way to live."

This was a great subway read, back and forth between Sunnyside and the Upper West Side, morning and afternoon -- whetting my appetite not so much for food but for creativity.

"'You can do this girl . . . The more you fail, the better you get. That's the fun of cooking.'"

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perhaps a little too breathless and reverential on its subject, this is a solid collection of strong writing on a favorite topic. I did end up skipping a lot of the more political pieces and also lost interest in the more emotional essays: "my Southern mother rejected me because I came out as a gay man, so now I eat her lemon cake to feel close to her..." Profiles, descriptions of technique and stories of travel/discovery were my favorite. Will seek out future "best food writing" collections in years to come.

[Jess Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book - little chapters taken from articles that summarizes a trend throughout the past year - be it fermenting, the gulf oil spill, or foraging - the article s are quick, but written from a passionate, knowledgeable author to quickly pull you into their craft. I plan on reading several years of these as I have time.

[Marissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

As you would probably expect with any anthology, especially one that is the "best of" anything, there are some hits and misses here. Most memorable is the one that made me want to read more about breeding tomatoes, though I probably have about two dozen of the articles bookmarked for later reference.

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of fun for those of us who like to cook or eat or both! Only a few essays made me skip without reading them all the way through. Most were entertaining, some funny, some more serious. Most essays were fairly short so could be read at one quick sitting. An eclectic and enjoyable collection.

[Patricia Mack · Rating 4 out of 5]

i am in awe of the writers in this collection. Their work is so carefully crafted, so lyrical and touches your heart and mind through your stomach! I love these collections which are about so much more than just eating and just cooking.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

No, not every piece was outstanding. But overall, a very enjoyable collection that I looked forward to picking up each day.

[Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read the series every year. Never disappointed.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want to give 4.5... very fun collection of food writing. Can't wait for the 2013 collection :)

[Evonne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not a cook, but I love to read about food and this is some of the best food writing of the year. Loved it!

[Amy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Insufferable.

[Melanie]

Enh. Not interested enough to finish it. (Only got about 1/3rd of the way in.) Disappointing because I usually really like this series, too. :(

[Rebecca]

Just diving into this but so far the most promising titles: On Killing, Angry Breakfast Eggs, and The 2011 Dyke March Wiener Taste Test.

[Debbie Manzanares · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of food essays... How Can you go wrong?

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A variety of food stories, from home cooks to food/restaurant reviews. Some recipes!

[Katherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unfortunately ran out of time on this book and was forced to return it to the library. It was soooooo good though - definitely would buy it and will definitely finish reading it sometime soon.

[Shawna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice collection of essays. I finished most of them, but eventually ran out of time and had to take the book back to the library.

[Angela Leung · Rating 4 out of 5]

A few great stories- others I skipped over. One of my favorites was definitely the one of the food critic and his 2 year old boy!

[PeggyVW · Rating 4 out of 5]

This compilation was quite enjoyable. I loved taking little nibbles out of this book, reading one short story at a time and savoring each one.

[Lhsmediacenter]

Available on Kindles 1-5

[Kathy]

Two articles on Athens in this book. Very good. Enjoyed every story.