12 best cookbooks by Black chefs and authors 2021

There are so many powerful books to read during Black History Month. Similarly, there are plenty of cookbooks out there paying homage to Black history. Award-winning chefs like Lazarus Lynch, Marcus Samuelsson and Ayesha Curry, to name a few, are all sharing their perspectives through food. Their recipes — covering the African continent, Southern comfort food, BBQ and much more — satisfy the appetite. Their stories satisfy the soul. Here are 12 new cookbooks from Black chefs to buy this month and use year-round.

Author and celebrated chef Marcus Samuelsson uses every page to share part of his story and to broaden the definition of soul food. Expect more than 150 recipes including spiced catfish with pumpkin leche de tigre, saffron tapioca pudding and steak frites with plantain chips and green vinaigrette.

Debuting in October, “The Rise” is already the 5th best-selling book on Amazon’s list of Best Sellers in Soul Food Cooking, Food and Wine. It has a 4.8-star average rating from more than 1,000 reviews. In one review, The New York Times says “it reads like a response to the racial awakening that has defined the tumultuous spring and summer of 2020.”