“There’s so much to learn about a country’s culture via its food,” suggests the world’s largest guidebook publisher Lonely Planet on the release of their new series of culinary guides entitled Eat. Launching simultaneously with Eat Italy, Eat Japan and Eat Vietnam, this series is a primer for the food scene of that destination and promises to take readers on a delicious journey regardless of whether they’re intending to travel there or not.
“These three volumes are important releases for our Lonely Planet Food imprint,” says the travel publisher. “With each volume in the Eat series we’ll cover all aspects of that country’s vibrant food and drink culture. From must-try regional specialities to etiquette and essential phrases, we’ve created a companion to equip the reader on a culinary journey…whether that’s on-the-road or from the comfort of your living room.”
Showcasing a food obsessed culture, Eat Japan profiles the best of Japanese regional cuisine styles as Izakaya, Yakatori, Tempura, Soba & Udon and Okonomiyaki amongst others. “There’s also an abundance of rich information on the staples within Japanese cuisine,” Lonely Planet explains. “From the varieties of rice, beans and noodles to breaking down Japanese drinks such as Sake, Biru (beer) and Ume-she (plum wine),” the travel publisher continues. “We also want to help readers navigate tricky questions such as ‘can I eat Sushi with my hands?’ or ‘what is the best way to drink Sake?’”
“Everyone loves Italian food, but how did the Italians come to eat so well?” asks Lonely Planet. With the release of Eat Italy the travel publisher attempts to answer this question. “Eat Italy includes a cheese lexicon, a coffee decoder, an essential wine primer and breakdown of the most popular fresh and dried pasta. There’s a showcase of various Salumi (cured meats), a deep dive into Italy’s popular Aperitifs and Digestifs and an analysis of regional cooking styles and specialities.”
As the much-missed globetrotting gourmand Anthony Bourdain remarked of his life-changing trips to Vietnam: ‘The food, culture, landscape and smell; they’re all inseparable. It just seemed like another planet a delicious one that sort of sucked me in and never let me go.” Therein lies the ambition with Eat Vietnam; bring this sentiment to the page. “Highlights within Eat Vietnam include a showcase of Vietnamese fusion food, an easy-to-use guide to must-try street food, an outline of the host of different cooking methods used in Vietnamese cuisine and a comprehensive breakdown of the types of Vietnamese tea.”
Each volume of the Eat series is broken into the following sections…
- History & Culture
- Where & How to Eat
- Staples
- Drinks
- Regional Cuisine
- Phrases
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