14 Essential Cookbooks by Black Chefs and Authors

It has been said a million different ways, a million different times. People connect over food. Here, we'll say it again, in a different way. If you want to get to know someone better, eat the food they eat. And another way. Food is always more than just food. This is a moment of uprising. On an individual level, there's an easy way to stay connected to the anti-racism movement—you can learn to make the recipes in these cookbooks.

Written by Black authors and chefs, these books crisscross the country and the globe, exploring the African diaspora, the history of Black cooking, and modern adaptations of old traditions. They celebrate wonderful dishes that are all too often ignored in contemporary cuisine, and represent voices that are cut off from sharing their stories widely. They will improve your cooking at home. This is by no means a complete list, but these 14 books are essential examples of remarkable food writing and recipe creation by Black authors and chefs. Start here (and look here to stock your ingredients from black-owned food businesses).