Best Food Writing 2015

Whether you think of yourself as a foodie or just like to cook—or eat!—you'll find something to enjoy in this year's collection of food writing. Pieces hail from a range of print and online publications: Saveur, Food52, The Oxford American, Garden & Gun, The New York Times, Esquire, and Buzzfeed.com. A few themes emerge: the contrast between cooking and eating at home and in a restaurant; the increasing interest and frankly, fancied-up tenor, of Americans' interest in ingredients and food preparation vs. the practicalities of making daily meals amid the hustle and bustle of life; and how food and our feelings, both good and bad, find expression together—or not. From the unlikely cult of the Starbucks pumpkin spice latte to racial coding in fine dining, and from life-changing carnitas to the perfect burger, this 16th installment of the series delivers something for every reader's palate.