‘Tis the season to give and get gifts. But why stick to stale candy canes stuck in a stained mug that says “World’s #2 Dad” when you could get something that, well, doesn’t suck? To wit, we here at MUNCHIES have tirelessly racked our greasy brains to compile the best food-related gifts on planet Earth, and quite possibly the universe. Behold, The MUNCHIES Holiday Gift Guide.

The Hot Bread Kitchen Cookbook
With bread recipes from around the world, The Hot Bread Kitchen Cookbook will remind you why there’s nothing better than a slice of challah, a bahn mi baguette, or a steak-stuffed empanada.
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NOPI: The Cookbook
Yotam Ottolenghi’s cookbooks are always blockbusters, and this one—from his “grown-up” restaurant NOPI—is no exception, blending his Middle Eastern repertoire with Asian flavors from his head chef Ramael Scully.

The Mission Chinese Food Cookbook
Danny Bowien’s Mission Chinese Food outposts in NYC and SF have been drawing long lines for years, but now you can skip the wait and satisfy your Kung Pao Pastrami cravings at home.

The Violet Bakery Cookbook
Claire Ptak of London’s Violet Bakery knows her way around an oven, and her cookbook is filled with simple but flawless recipes for cinnamon buns, olive oil cake, gingersnaps, and butterscotch blondies.

Olympia Provisions
To call this book a “sausage party” would be an understatement, but it wouldn’t accurately capture the sheer breadth of charcuterie styles explored by the team at Washington’s own Olympia Provisions.

The Nordic Cookbook
Swedish chef Magnus Nilsson’s The Nordic Cookbook won’t ask you to venture deep into Scandinavian forests to hand-pick every herb, but this massive bible to Nordic cuisine will teach you a thing or two about the region’s amazing bounty.

The Nomad Cookbook
Helmed by Eleven Madison Park alums Daniel Humm and Will Guidara, The NoMad has brought midcentury class back to a decidedly casual Manhattan restaurant scene, and the recipes in the new book are equally elegant.

Gjelina: Cooking from Venice, California
Gjelina’s Travis Lett may face accusations of gentrifying a stretch of Venice, but there’s no denying that he’s a supremely skilled baker whose dishes rightfully attract long lines of hungry Angelenos.

Hartwood: Bright, Wild Flavors from the Edge of the Yucatán
Having made his bones in Brooklyn, chef Eric Werner relocated to the Yucatán to open Hartwood, one of the region’s most innovative restaurants that serves fresh takes on Mexican flavors.

Asian-American: Proudly Inauthentic Recipes from the Philippines to Brooklyn
If you wish your pad Thai had crispy oysters and bacon, or dream of spicy lobster and pretzel pork dumplings, Top Chef star and Brooklyn chef-restaurateur Dale Talde‘s cookbook is for you.

Zahav: A World of Israeli Cooking
Michael Solomonov might be based in Philadelphia, but his palate lies in the Middle East, from which his restaurant Zahav draws its bright, rich interpretations of hummus, crispy halloumi, tehina, and other mezze.
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