The top 25 food memoirs of all time

Grub Street "factored in a book's originality, lasting appeal, influence on the genre, and — most important — how enjoyable it is to read" to come up with the top 25 food memoirs of all time.

One title to make the grade:

Heat by Bill Buford

Bill Buford's 2006 book is as much a memoir about his time working at Babbo — first as research for a story, soon after as a means of dealing with a midlife crisis — as it is a look at the culture of celebrity chefdom. The book focuses much of its attention on Mario Batali, contrasting his shows and jovial personality with the hard realities of life in a professional kitchen. It all moves at a brisk clip, and is interspersed with amazing, hilarious tales of culinary legends (Batali recalls Jeremiah Tower asking for a hand job when the two first meet) — and it might just be the most readable work on the list.

Read about the other books on the list.

Heat is on the Barnes & Noble Review's list of five top books about pasta.

--Marshal Zeringue