forestofglory

Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking was so good! And I have had salat olivier (from a deli, not made myself) several times as a result.

I just read Salt and Saffron by Kamila Shamsie -- literary fiction, set some in London but mostly in Pakistan, and the food is both beautifully described and somewhat twined into the plot.

Sweetbitter is new-adult-ish (IMO), 20something woman in New York making bad personal choices -- she's working in a restaurant so there is a lot about the excitement of discovering new foods and the status appreciating them gives you and so forth. I loved it but I know a lot of people who hated it passionately.

Probably I will think of 10 more when I am trying to fall asleep tonight, so another set of recs may be forthcoming...