Gastro Obscura: A Food Adventurer's Guide (Atlas Obscura)

As an Atlas Obscura user since 2018 I knew this would be a fun read. Bought this as a Christmas present for my husband and he loved it. He spent weeks interrupting me to read out facts he found interesting!

Bought for my daughter, but her review would be that this is the bee's knees., if you can say this about a book. From dipping into while she was staying with us, she reported two days later that she had read the whole thing from beginning to end. A very satisfied reader: probably she's hoping for a follow-up ASAP!

I wish there had been dyone recipes.

Very good book.

It’s a gorgeous, fascinating collection — but its tone often treats complex histories as curiosities. Indigenous and African cultures are given cursory space, while American topics dominate. At times, its ‘neutral’ voice sidesteps the colonial and political realities behind the foods and traditions it describes. I found myself wishing for more depth and honesty. Also some of the information could’ve been supplemented with more appropriate photos of the establishments themselves e.g. I’d have loved to have seen a photo of the adobe buildings in Tiwa New Mexico and instead had to keep looking things up myself.

Very interesting and unusual book. Would suit any foodie.

I really liked this book, you get to explore quirky or hidden food/food related events and restaurants of different countries. I would have preferred the focus to be either on the food or on the locations/events. The country chapters often meandered without focus, and you have reference to multiple countries out of order within randomly placed sections (eg dumplings) Generally an enjoyable book with many interesting things that i didnt know about

Lovely print..great content!

correcto

O livro não é adequado para e-book. Eu gostaria de trocar pela edição em papel e pagar a diferença de preço.

This unique book takes you all over the world as it covers historical information as well as interesting food recommendations in many different countries. The book is divided into sections by geographic region: Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceania, Canada, The United States, Latin America, and Antarctica. The regions are further divided into areas, and then specific chapters on places in that area. ( ie – The US has a subsection for New England, which contains chapters on Connecticut and Maine etc.) Most chapters are focused on a specific food from a specific place in the world. The authors write a few paragraphs explaining the history of that food in that area, and then there is a “How to try it” section where they give suggestions on where to go if you want to sample this food yourself. There are also extra chapters that deal with more general information; like “Table etiquette in the Victorian Age”, which describes specialized utensils like ice-cream forks and mustache cups. There are also plenty of beautiful pictures; showing images of the foods, pictures of the historical places, old photos, advertisements, and more. There are mini chapters about “Food Pioneers” like Tom Carvel and Sina Gerard, and even some recipes included throughout the book. Overall I really enjoyed this book, and I'm sure I will be referring to it in the future if it ever becomes easier to travel again to some of these places. There is a ton of interesting information here, and great suggestions for the adventurous food aficionado. This is a great combination of history book and food/travel guide, and I appreciate the authors collecting all of this obscure information in one place.

Love having it around to have a short break "traveling" to another country and flavor ;-).