Far Afield: Rare Food Encounters from Around the World

Combining travel photography, immersion journalism, and recipes, food and travel writer Mitchell and photographer Fisher glaze over the lives of individual marginalized people outside North America in order to discover the traditions of their communities. For taro farmers, junior pirates, and refugees, among others, food is more than sustenance: it’s a community builder, the backbone to celebration, and a way of life, and their shared recipes are cherished as “souvenirs of this journey.” Despite this and Mitchell’s exciting promise of “venturing beyond other people’s comfort zones,” the book falls short. The promised marginal communities aren’t always that marginal. The allocation of the 40 recipes is somewhat uneven, with two given to Japan—one a drink of yuzu and sake, the other for wakame butter scallops—whereas Iceland received seven. For those whose most familiar cuisines are from the Western world, Mitchell will strap you in for a ride into the backwaters of new terrains. (Oct.)