It's not surprising that food - being an essential part of life - features in many books. One of the earliest in this genre was Home Cooking by Laurie Colwin. Next came Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel. Her exuberant tale of Mexican food and love was made into a major film.
Elizabeth Luard's account of life in Andalusia, Family Life, is subtitled Birth, Death and the Whole Damn Thing.
Ruth Reichl, the restaurant critic of the New York Times, has written three books on her life - each one peppered with recipes.
A Drizzle of Honey by David Gitlitz and Linda Kay Davidson links the tragedy of Spain's secret Jews with the food they cooked.
Apricots on the Nile by Colette Rossant is a gentle account of a child growing up at the table of her Egyptian grandparents.
Toast - the story of a boy's hunger by Nigel Slater is a story of childhood remembered through food. In a time when Britain hadn't heard about the Mediterranean diet, he talks of treacle tart and Irish stew, but the food is linked to feelings of rejection.
Finally, the ultimate book about food - or the lack of it. Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt, tells the painful story of a boy growing up with a drunken father and real hunger.
Comments