Field Notes: December 2025
New food & travel books, Brazilian seafood, Ilis, a new restaurant from Celele in Cartagena, La Guajira & more.
Food & Travel Books from around the Americas & beyond for the New Year
Some of these books are by friends, some are things I’ve picked up over the past year and have enjoyed. Others have just been released or will be out in the months ahead. Some may be found only in their country of origin. Reading any of them will make your 2026 better.
Is a River Alive? by Robert Macfarlane.
Wild Chocolate Across the Americas in Search of Cacao’s Soul by Rowan Jacobsen.
Floresta na boca: Amazônia ― pessoas, paisagens e alimentos by Bel Coelho.
Mayta by Jaime Pesaque.
The Mompos Project by Richard McColl.
Sabores de Resistencia by Rey Guerrero.
Ariá: Food of Affectionate Memories by Eli Minev-Benzecry and et. al.
A Feather and a Fork: 125 Intertribal Dishes from an Indigenous Food Warrior by Crystal Wahpepah.
Turtle Island: Food and Traditions of the Indigenous Peoples of North America by Sean Sherman.
Reaping What She Sows: How Women Are Rebuilding Our Broken Food System by Nancy Matsumoto.
Feed Us With Trees: Nuts and the Future of Food by Elspeth Hay.
The Absinthe Forger: A True Story of Deception, Betrayal, and the World’s Most Dangerous Spirit by Evan Rail.
Patria: Lost Countries of South America by Laurence Blair.
Rome by Katie Parla.
The Book of Yerba Mate by Christine Folch.
Noma Guide to Building Flavor by Rene Redzepi.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to New Worlder to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.