Gastro Obscura: A Food Adventurer’s Guide

Traversing the globe may not feel like the move right now (not to mention, that would be a pricey gift), so get your wanderlust-suffering friend Gastro Obscura instead. In nearly 500 pages, they’ll learn about everything from a pecan pie vending machine in Texas to the onion soup mango in Malaysia, all without leaving home.

Taste Makers: Seven Immigrant Women Who Revolutionized Food in America

Mayukh Sen’s Taste Makers is a work that sets the record straight: With seven biographies of immigrant women who influenced how Americans eat today, it’s a cultural deep dive for the history buff in your life — or just someone who loves to read and think about food origins.

Mooncakes and Milk Bread: Sweet and Savory Recipes Inspired by Chinese Bakeries

In Kristina Cho’s first cookbook, she celebrates the Chinese bakery: from the char siu buns to the custard egg tarts to the intricate seasonal mooncakes. For the baker who loves to recreate everything they find behind a pastry case, Cho’s book is a delight of treats — both savory and sweet — that will appeal to all ranges of baking skill levels.

High on the Hog: A Culinary Journey from Africa to America

This year’s impactful Netflix documentary, High on the Hog, is an essential exploration of the origins of African American cooking, and for the friend who couldn’t get enough of the historical series, consider giving them the Jessica B. Harris book that inspired the show.

Foodheim: A Culinary Adventure

You may know Eric Wareheim as an actor and a director, but in actuality he’s more of a bon vivant — a man about town who has learned how to make pizza, pasta, drinks, and even wine from some of the world’s greatest culinary experts. His cookbook is, as you can expect, extremely funny, full of illustrations, and with dishes like the Sexy Scraps Pasta and the Fish Freak, it’s a great gift for the cook who doesn’t take the kitchen too seriously.

Pasta: The Spirit and Craft of Italy’s Greatest Food, with Recipes

There seem to be as many pasta cookbooks as there are types of pasta, but accept no substitutes. For the friend who obsesses over the luscious texture of homemade pasta, Lilia and Misi’s Missy Robbins is about to become their patron saint.

Disclosure: Pasta is co-authored by Talia Baiocchi, the editor-in-chief of Punch, which is a media property of Eater’s parent company, Vox Media.

Arty Parties: An Entertaining Cookbook

Does your favorite party host seem a little rusty on the entertaining front? Julia Sherman’s Arty Parties is just what they need to turn on the fun again. From michelada recipes to cake decorating, Arty Parties is a one-stop shop for having a grand ole time.

Black Food: Stories, Art, and Recipes from Across the African Diaspora

It’s a rare cookbook that feels just as at home on the coffee table as it does in the kitchen, but Bryant Terry’s Black Food is not only a compendium of recipes that reflect on and center the idea of Black cooking, it also contains essays and artwork from over 100 Black icons on what the idea of Black food even is. A must-have for cooks and culturally curious non-cooks alike.

Supra Endura beeswax food wraps

A cling film habit can be hard to break, but artist Gabrielle Mandel’s beeswax food wraps will at least help soften the transition. Decorated in vibrant illustrations of bananas, papayas, and colorful abstract designs, Supra Endura’s beeswax wraps not only have the benefit of being more sustainable than single-use plastic wrap — they’re better looking, too.

The (mini) ReBoard cutting board

Every kitchen has a cutting board organization problem, where watermelons end up tasting like garlic and slices of bread like jalapenos. Give the gift of color-coded delineation with Material Kitchen’s sustainable mini cutting boards, made in bright colors with no virgin plastic. They’re just the right size for cutting garlic and onions.

Bamboozle compost bin

Due to their utilitarian nature, compost bins are frequently unattractive and undistinctive. And you know what, that’s fine! But for that one family member who is both eco-conscious and obsessed with design, this sleek variation on the theme is a few steps above the rest.

Click and Grow smart garden

The risk in buying a friend a plant is that you never know if they’ll actually keep it alive. Consider that problem solved with the Click and Grow smart garden, which has automatic watering technology and grow lights that will keep their veggies and herbs prospering, no matter what shade of green your gift-receiver’s thumb is.

Kale & herb razor

A perfect stocking stuffer to make life easier: a stainless-steel “razor” that de-stems kale and herbs without any of the fussy mess and mangled leaves. Buy it for the laid-back chef — but even a high-maintenance cook will appreciate the extra assistance.

Maine Grains pantry staples pack

If you know someone who got really into baking over the pandemic, it might be time to upgrade their pantry past grocery store flour. Maine Grains’ pantry staples pack is an excellent entry point to whole grains and stone-ground flours: With a bag of organic whole-wheat flour, a bag of all-purpose sifted wheat flour, and a bag of organic rolled oats, they’ll be upping their baking game in no time.

Heilala vanilla extract and paste bundle

Sourced sustainably from farmers in Tonga (who are also paid a fair wage), Heilala’s vanilla extract is a baker’s delight for its versatility and sustainability. Add vanilla paste to the gift box and you’ll impress your ice cream-making friend with the secret ingredient they always default to when they’ve run out of vanilla beans.

CRUXGG The ZONE air fryer

Air fryers had their moment in the spotlight recently, but this CRUXGG version takes the form to new heights. That’s because it’s a partnership between Crux Kitchen and Bronx-based culinary collective Ghetto Gastro, making it an essential cooking tool that looks cool, gives back, and frys well. A true triple threat.

Tofubud tofu press

Kitchens these days seem to have a tool for every task, but some are undeniably more useful than others. That one friend who laments that their tofu doesn’t crisp may be loathe to add a unitasker to their arsenal but their waterlogged tofu would do well with a tofu press: Squeeze all the liquid out and they’ll be on the path to tastier tofu in no time.

Tilit recycled work chef apron

The friend who has an abundant collection of chic chef clothes will love this Tilit apron, made from recycled hemp and cotton. Its pen pocket and hip pocket are practical, and the contrasting apron strings are fanciful. The best of both worlds.

Perla Valtierra 4 Color Plates

Made in Guanajuato, Mexico, by artisan Perla Valtierra, these beautiful four-color plates are perfect dinner party dishes, but they’re also pretty enough to put on display. Available in small, medium, and large sizes, any table would be lucky to have them.

Siafu Home olive wood serving spoons

Every house needs a beautiful set of serving spoons (is a salad even worth the effort without them?) and this Siafu Home pair are as lovely as they come. They’re hand-carved by artisans in Kenya from local olive wood, with handles engraved by hand.

Tepotztli hand-hammered cocktail set

Bar tools tend to be workaday: After all, a cocktail shaker is merely an intermediary to a cocktail. But Tepotztli’s hand-hammered cocktail sets will make any mixologist feel special, all the way from shake to strain.

Remark Glass pint glasses

Remark Glass wants to remind you that glass is infinitely recyclable, which is why its barware is made from melting down post-consumer glass and starting over again. The pint glasses are made from recycled kombucha bottles in Philly. Drinking beer never felt better.

Glass salt bowls

Portland glass artist Lynn Read is known for all manner of gorgeous works of glass, but if they aren’t in your budget, Read’s salt cellars are made from the leftover glass from his large-scale projects. It’s like gifting a piece of precious art — just on a smaller scale.

Sustainable Threads tablecloth

This tablecloth is handwoven by physically disabled artisans on manual looms in India, and it reflects Sustainable Threads’ mission to create textiles that are both beautiful and supportive of marginalized tribal communities. It’s a great addition to any dinner table.

The Qi x Sophie Lou Jacobsen Bloom teapot

As if flower tea rituals weren’t beautiful enough, designer Sophie Lou Jacobsen and the Qi, an herbal tea brand dedicated to all things floral, collaborated on a wavy-handled teapot to add whimsy to more meditative moments. Bonus: It comes in a clear and a multicolored option.

Dusen Dusen blue cloth napkins

While it is certainly possible to have too many tea towels, every house seems to, at one point, suffer from a shortage of cloth napkins. Dusen Dusen’s blue cloth napkins come in handy sets of four, with distinct patterns, so there won’t be a paper towel to be found at your friend or family member’s dinner party.

Pasta Life pasta straws

Here’s an easy way to avoid deciding between the moral quandary of a plastic straw and the soggy mess of a paper one: Drink iced coffee through a straw made from rice-flour pasta. Pasta Life straws are gluten-free and biodegradable, and take upward of 40 minutes to break down in a cold drink. Pasta saves the day once again.

Umeshiso Little Dipper coffee cupping spoons

For the coffee devotee in your life who feels alienated by the exclusivity and gatekeeping of third-wave coffee culture, Umeshisho’s coffee cupping spoons are the antidote. Designed in rainbow, rose, gold, and goth black colors, the spoons are a welcome pretension-free choice for anyone already invested in — or hoping to get into — coffee tasting at home. But they also work just as well for soups, ice cream, or anything else that would benefit from a great spoon.

Matiz seafood variety pack

Tinned fish is so hot right now and we’re not talking about Starkist. If you know someone who is getting really into the colorful, flavorful, interesting varieties of sardines, tuna, anchovies, and more that are being imported to America from all over, a Matiz seafood variety pack — wild-caught off the coast of Spain — is a great entry point.

Eater Wine Club

When in doubt, give the gift of wine. Luckily, the Eater Wine Club means you don’t have to worry about whether the bottle you chose is the right one for the occasion. Every month, Eater-approved experts from around the country will deliver their selections to the lucky person on the other end of your holiday card.

Sze Daddy Chili Sauce

Eater New Guard member Eric Sze is known for cooking dishes inspired by his Taiwanese heritage with a New York twist at his restaurant 886, which is why his Sze Daddy sauce is unique in its own right. Buy it for the person you know whose fridge door is all condiments.

Ordinary Habit x One Stripe Chai puzzle and chai duo

Long before Netflix and chill, there were puzzles and chai. Prepare for the colder months inside with your partner by gifting them this puzzle and chai duo. Coziness incarnate!

Vesta vegan luxe chocolate box

Chocolate is the perfect go-to stocking stuffer, but when it comes to Vesta’s luxe chocolate box, it should be the main event. Packed with every kind of chocolate the heart can imagine — hot chocolate! chocolate almonds! chocolate spread! — it’s really more like several gifts in one.

Honeycup Uniquely Sharp honey mustard

Honey mustard can get a bad rap, for being a too-sweet version of an already excellent condiment. Honeycup’s Uniquely Sharp Stone Ground Mustard is just the right amount of sweet while still having the bracing flavor of spicy mustard. Leave the hummus and pita chips at home and bring a bag of extra-dark hard pretzels and a jar of Honeycup to the holiday party instead.

Hana Makgeolli Hwaju 12

At this season’s holiday get-togethers, bring something different and more exciting than a bottle of red. Hana Makgeolli’s hwaju is a Korean rice wine fermented with organic rice and infused with hydrangea and chrysanthemum flowers. Just prepare slightly in advance: The New York-based brewery recommends storing the wine in your fridge for 24 hours before opening.

Yesfolk kombucha vinegar

Vinegars are having a moment and Yesfolk’s tea flower kombucha vinegar will delight all the fermentation-friendly cooks in your life. Fermented for seven months longer than Yesfolk’s kombucha of the same style, a few splashes can elevate cocktails, braised meats, or anything in need of a little livening up.

Le Puzz Oops Puzzle

If they’re the type to spill milk (and then cry over it), get them the Oops puzzle from Le Puzz. A 500-piece puzzle of frozen-in-time spills, pours, and splatters, it’s much more entertaining — and much tidier — than making a mess in the kitchen.

Sabobatage

More than just an extremely cute name, the game Sabobatage is the perfect party favor, too. In the game, players act as boba shop owners, competing to complete five drink sets with ingredients like lychee jelly and passionfruit.

Russ & Daughters lox hoodie

Filed under collaborations we never expected to see, Jake Gyllenhaal popped up over the pandemic in a partnership with New York appetizing shop Russ & Daughters, wearing a black-on-black hoodie emblazoned with the word LOX. Turns out, the streetwear is for a good cause — it helps raise money for NYC theater workers — so it’s guaranteed to please the friend who loves a Sunday bagel board but wants to look and feel good eating it, too.

Down North pizza shirt

Philly’s Down North Pizza is a pizza place with a mission: They hire formerly incarcerated folks at a fair wage, and it’s a directive that is as admirable as the crispy Detroit-style crusts. Even if you can’t make it to Philly, this long-sleeved tee supports Down North’s ongoing work, and it features a map on the back to end mass incarceration.

C’Mere gold food necklaces

Forget wearing your heart on your sleeve: Try wearing food around your neck. These C’Mere-brand 14k gold necklaces are the gift to give jewelry-inclined friends in your life for when they don’t want to choose between looking luxe and showing how much they truly love challah.

NY Food Bank x Liz Barclay prints

If you live on planet Earth, you’ve seen Liz Barclay’s photography of celebrities, food, and ephemera in action somewhere. With her Food Bank collaboration, that somewhere could even be your house: Each print (of classic New York foods like challah and cake from Sylvia’s in Harlem) raises money for the Food Bank For New York City. Looks good, feels good.

Microwavable nested storage bowls

Chef Sophia Roe swears to never bring a host gift that she knows the host will never use. Thus, one of her go-tos is a set of microwavable nested storage bowls — it might not be the most glamorous thing to give, but for the home cook, oftentimes function far outweighs fancy.

Tony’s Chocolonely rainbow tasting pack

When chef and TV host Pati Jinich wants to do something indulgent for her and her boys, she buys Tony’s Chocolonely milk chocolate bars to share. Tony’s bars are fair trade and slavery-free, and they make for an excellent stocking stuffer.

Biscuiteers iced biscuits

If you know someone who got really into Bake Off over the pandemic, take a tip from big vegetable gardener and Twitter celeb Gerald Stratford and surprise them with a bouquet of delightfully iced biscuits. It was one of the best food gifts Stratford received recently, and though his biscuits were of vegetables and a mini version of himself, they can be personalized to your liking.

Sabering sword

To celebrate the Tim and Eric holiday party, Eric Wareheim’s pal John C. Reilly bought him a champagne sabering sword. “It was put to good use,” Wareheim recalls. No doubt if you show up to a holiday party with the gift of a sabering sword in tow, it will be put to good use there, too.

Cantabrian anchovies

Ruth Reichl’s go-to host gift is any kind of food that is “absurdly expensive but really great.” Cantabrian anchovies — 10 bucks a jar and so good that they’re worth every penny — fit the bill.

A box of passionfruit from Rincon Tropics

Julia Sherman, author of Arty Parties and Salad for President, hopes that this year someone (hint hint) will send her a box of passionfruit from Rincon Tropics, a Carpinteria, California-based farm that has been growing fruit without pesticides since the 1870s. Rincon’s passionfruit are one of its specialties, and if you go for a large 7-pound box, you can divvy up the tart and juicy fruits to all the lucky people on your list.

Kokak chocolates celebration tower

From Eater SF: Kokak Chocolates opened in the Castro during the pandemic and has been wowing the neighborhood with chocolate rainbows and frogs. Chocolatier Carol Gancia is taking it over the top this year with a tower layered with 70 chocolates, from holiday gems like pumpkin spice and peppermint patty, to her favorite Filipino flavors like tropical kalamansi. Of course, there are also smaller boxes available, as well.

Lady Falcon coffee beans

From Eater SF: All those who swing by the vintage truck on their way to the Sunset farmers’ market know that Lady Falcon has got the good coffee. For caffeine fiends, the “All the Painted Ladies” gift set includes five beautiful bags of beans, from Mexican to Ethiopian blends. And you could throw in a pretty pastel sweatshirt, with the same Art Nouveau–inspired designs.

Red Boat Holiday Gift Box

From Eater SF: The dark horse gift this holiday season just might be this full fish sauce set from Red Boat, headquartered in Hayward, making it a hometown condiment. Because who doesn’t need a bottle of fish sauce for the pantry? It would be pretty hard to go wrong with nuoc chom and kho sauce for dipping and grilling, a bowl, tote bag, and recipe booklet, too.

Bklyn Clay Saturn cereal bowl

From Eater NY: Prospect Heights ceramics studio Bklyn Clay is a community favorite with pottery classes for all experience levels. But if you’d like to leave clay-building to the experts, the team launched its first-ever in-house line of ceramic bowls, plates, and more in colors that run the gamut from saffron to celadon. Though this dish is referred to as a cereal bowl on the site, we think it’s well-suited for everything from a bowl of chicken and dumplings to vegan adobo — at all times of day.

Porcelain dinner plates

From Eater NY: For more than a half-century, Wing On Wo & Co. has been selling enamel tea sets and porcelain ware from this storefront on Mott Street. The shop, which started as a general store in the 1890s, is the oldest operating business in Manhattan’s Chinatown and one of the last to specialize in Chinese porcelain. Now overseen by fifth-generation owner Mei Lum, Wing On Wo continues to sell hand-painted products at a variety of prices, including chopstick rests ($3), soup spoons ($5), and dinnerware ($25 to $45).

Mushrooms in the Middle: A Smallhold Cookbook

From Eater NY: Smallhold, New York’s first-ever indoor mushroom farm (that also supplies to restaurants like Maison Yaki), has put together its own cookbook. The farm tapped several New York- based chefs such as Woldy Reyes, Tara Thomas, and Christina Chaey to develop their own mushroom-focused recipes for Mushrooms in the Middle, from a mushroom-filled bloody Mary to a salted caramel shiitake mousse.

While Entertaining magazine

From Eater NY: Amber Mayfield, the founder of NYC-based events company To Be Hosted, is an expert on the art of the dinner party. Last year, she parlayed those skills into the formation of While Entertaining, an annual magazine bursting with recipes and essays on food and dining exclusively from Black food and beverage leaders from across the country.

Tagmo treats, evergreen collection

From Eater NY: Post-Diwali order rush, chef Surbhi Sahni’s gold and silver-flecked mithai — bite-sized, sweet Indian confections — continue to be showstoppers for any type of holiday table. The treat assortments come in a variety of options, including 9-piece and 16-piece sets that can be made nut-free or vegan.

Ube doughnut tee

From Eater NY: One of the hottest tickets in town this year was an order confirmation email from Filipino doughnut startup Kora. The pastry shop’s wildly popular ube doughnuts still sell out in minutes every week, but Kora’s ube doughnut t-shirt, however, is a little bit easier to snag.

Sahadi’s Cookbook

From Eater NY: This institution on Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn since 1948 comes alive with its comprehensive-yet-approachable cookbook. Fans of Middle Eastern cuisine will find recipes incorporating ingredients the grocery store has become known for like savory sumac to sprinkle on roast chicken and creamy labneh perfect to complement any weeknight dinner or a spread of dips for a party.

A Table in Paris

From Eater NY: Artist John Donohue’s mission includes preserving the memories of restaurants — current favorites as well as those that have permanently closed — by sketching the facades the city’s favorite dining establishments. He started off his project with New York in 2017 but has expanded to Paris and London in recent years. For those who want to pass on framing a limited-edition print, the former New Yorker editor-turned-artist also recently released a copy of drawings in A Table in Paris.

The Gourmand 52 Deck

From Eater NY: There may be countless restaurants in New York, but the 52 illustrated in this deck of cards includes some Eater all-time favorites, including Joe’s Steam Rice Roll, Via Carota, and Adda. Three Penn students — Maggie Tang, Alaina Chou, and Amy Yang — created the Gourmand 52 Deck as a way to benefit ROAR (Restaurants Organizing, Advocating, and Rebuilding), which has been helping unemployed restaurant workers throughout the pandemic.

Oh Shito Ghanaian pepper sauce

From Eater Boston: This versatile Ghanaian condiment — with a fiery Scotch bonnet base — comes from a company based in New Haven, Connecticut. It’s available in fish, chicken, beef, or vegetarian; get the fish, which is made from shrimp and herring, for a thick, spicy, funky sauce your gift recipient will want to try on anything and everything.

Runamok Sparkle Syrup

From Eater Boston: This one’s just plain fun. A little gimmicky? Sure. But the right recipient will get a real kick out of this ultra-sparkly maple syrup — it’s infused with pearlescent mica, and a vigorous shake will turn the bottle into a snow globe of glittery sweetness and a stack of pancakes into magical pancakes. It’s not just style: Even hardcore New Englanders will agree it’s a legit maple syrup.

Sparkletown Studios Teeny Weenie Beanie

From Eater Boston: Boston burlesque performer Femme Brulée, a veteran of The Slutcracker, sells rainbow-bedecked, fun apparel and accessories on Etsy under the moniker Sparkletown Studios, including t-shirts with glittery “smash the patriarchy” logos (and one with potato mashers that reads “mash the potatriarchy,” naturally). Of particular interest to food lovers, though, are the hats and shoes featuring a smiling hot dog patch.

Ploughgate Creamery butter subscription

From Eater Boston: You know there’s that one person on your gift-giving list who finds the greatest pleasure in slathering a fancy Vermont-made, European-inspired butter on a thick slice of toast. Why not treat them to three eight-ounce blocks of fancy Vermont-made, European-inspired butter every single month?

Fletchers’ Mill lighthouse salt or pepper mill

From Eater Boston: For the Maine super-fan, this six-inch mill — available for pepper or salt, with a blue or red top — hits the right Vacationland notes. It’s made in a Maine-based, family-run sawmill and manufacturing facility that has its roots in the 1970s, and it straddles that line between kitschy and elegant with its minimalist design.

Grazy New England brown butter cranberry baked brie kit

From Eater Boston: Grazy, based just north of Boston in Stoneham, specializes in snack boxes jam-packed with local fruits and berries, cheese, and accoutrements like honey and nuts. With enough food for about six cheese lovers, the kit includes a wheel of brie, toasted pecans, New England cranberries, a navel orange, crackers, a brown butter and honey mixture, and even a cute red individual baking dish. The recipe is included, too, and it’s pretty much fool-proof.