Best books… Yotam Ottolenghi

Chef and restaurateur Yotam Ottolenghi picks his favourite books about food. He and Helen Goh will be talking about their book, Sweet, at the Stratfordupon-avon Literary Festival on 22 September (www.stratlitfest.co.uk).

A New Book of Middle

Eastern Food by Claudia Roden, 1985 (Penguin £25). This is one of my “book end” books: the book on my shelf which holds everything together. Claudia was the person who got me out of the library and into the kitchen. Her books showed me – and constantly remind me – of the links between food, recipes and cooking on one hand, and history, geography and politics on the other.

The Flavour Thesaurus by Niki Segnit, 2010 (Bloomsbury £18.99). This book could have been big and baggy – it takes one ingredient at a time and then points to all sorts of ways it can be combined with other

ingredients – but it is brilliantly taut and precise. And funny! It delights and informs in equal doses.

How to Eat by Nigella Lawson, 1998 (Chatto & Windus £18.99). This is a book I constantly return to, as reference in the kitchen or just to read for the sheer pleasure of Nigella’s writing. There are so many people telling us how to eat these days that this book, ironically, feels like an un-dictatorial return to common sense.

How To Cook A Wolf by M.F.K. Fisher, 1942 (North Point Press £12.50). Fisher’s collection of columns can be read again and again. Her

writing is crystal clear and knowing, but also wise and warm. She cuts through whatever she’s examining as though her knife has just been sharpened, letting all the ingredients be seen in a slightly new light.

The Third Plate by Dan Abacus, 2014 (Penguin £10.99). A must-read for anyone interested in food and the future, and the relationship between the two. Dan examines the big issue of how we can keep good food on our plate in a way that’s sustainable long-term. The subject is big but Dan’s writing is accessible enough to really let everyone in and believe in the reality of the vision.