Movies about food are the only thing better than food itself, and fortunately there are plenty of tasty films to choose from. I’ve hand‑picked the ten I consider the crème de la crème of the genre and offered a quick glimpse of each below. Curious fact: only three of these titles are in English – what does that say about the culinary ambitions of the UK and USA?

10. Big Night (1996, English)

1996, English

Primo and Secondo are two brothers who have emigrated from Italy to open an Italian restaurant in America. Primo is the irascible and gifted chef, brilliant in his culinary genius, but determined not to squander his talent on making the routine dishes that customers expect. Secondo is the smooth front‑man, trying to keep the restaurant financially afloat, despite few patrons other than a poor artist who pays with his paintings.

The owner of the nearby Pascal’s restaurant, enormously successful despite its mediocre fare, offers a solution – he will call his friend, a renowned jazz musician, to play a special benefit at their eatery. Primo then begins to craft his masterpiece, a feast of a lifetime, for the brothers’ big night…

9. Chocolat (2000, English)

2000, English

Vianne Rocher and her young daughter drift into a conservative French village and set up a chocolate shop during Lent, provoking skepticism and resistance. As Vianne works her magic, the townspeople are gradually won over by her exuberance and the irresistible chocolates, except for the mayor who is determined to shut her down. When a troupe of river drifters visits, Vianne teaches the locals about acceptance and discovers love for herself along the way.

8. Kitchen Stories (2003, Norwegian)

2003, Norwegian

In post‑war Sweden, researchers discover that an average housewife walks the equivalent distance of Stockholm to Congo each year while preparing family meals. The Home Research Institute dispatches eighteen observers to a rural Norwegian district to map the kitchen routines of single men. The observers are on twenty‑four‑hour call, stationed in specially placed chairs inside each kitchen, and under no circumstances may they be spoken to or take part in the cooking.

7. Bella Martha (2001, German)

2001, German

Chef Martha Klein rules a German restaurant with an iron fist, demanding absolute perfection from her staff and tolerating no criticism of her cooking. Her life revolves obsessively around the kitchen, even when forced into therapy she continues to talk about her work. After her sister dies in a car accident, Martha takes in her eight‑year‑old niece, Lina. While grappling with Lina’s headstrong nature, a new chef named Mario is hired, threatening Martha’s dominance. The pressures of her personal and professional worlds force Martha to confront her attitudes and choices, leading to profound change.

6. God of Cookery (1996, Cantonese)

1996, Cantonese

The self‑proclaimed God of Cookery, a brilliant chef who judges any challenger to his title, is publicly humiliated when a jealous rival exposes him as a con‑man and strips him of his crown. Determined to reclaim his status, the former God embarks on a quest to out‑cook his adversary and prove once and for all who truly deserves the title of God of Cookery.

5. Tampopo (1985, Japanese)

1985, Japanese

This humorous homage to culinary delight follows trucker Goro, who rides into a small town like a modern‑day Shane, to help Tampopo perfect her fast‑food noodle shop. Interwoven with the main plot are a series of vignettes that celebrate food’s importance—from a gangster who mixes hot sex with cuisine to an elderly lady who terrorizes a shopkeeper by compulsively squeezing his wares.

4. Like Water For Chocolate (1992, Spanish)

1992, Spanish

Tita and Pedro long to marry, but Tita is bound by tradition to care for her aging mother, prohibiting her from wedlock. Pedro ends up marrying Tita’s sister, yet he confides that his true affection remains for Tita. When Tita is forced to bake the wedding cake, the guests are overwhelmed with profound sadness. Through this experience, Tita discovers she can wield strange, magical powers with her cooking.

3. The Cook, The Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (1989, English)

1989, English

The wife of a brutal crime boss embarks on a secret romance with a gentle bookseller, meeting between meals at her husband’s restaurant. The film intertwines food, color‑coded symbolism, sex, murder, torture, and even cannibalism, creating a visually stunning yet brutally uncompromising modern fable often interpreted as an allegory for Thatcherism.

2. Eat Drink Man Woman (1994, Mandarin)

1994, Mandarin

Senior Master Chef Chu lives in a spacious Taipei house with his three unmarried daughters: Jia‑Jen, a chemistry teacher turned Christian; Jia‑Chien, an airline executive; and Jia‑Ning, a student who works at a fast‑food restaurant. Their family life revolves around an elaborate Sunday dinner ritual, while each member navigates their own love lives and personal challenges.

1. Babette’s Feast (1987, Danish)

1987, Danish

In 19th‑century Denmark, two adult sisters reside in an isolated village with their father, the revered pastor of a tiny Protestant congregation. Though opportunities arise for them to leave, they remain to serve their father and church. Years later, a French refugee named Babette arrives, pleading for shelter, and becomes their maid, housekeeper, and cook. After the father’s death, the sisters decide to host a banquet to mark the centennial of his birth. Despite concerns about Babette—a Catholic foreigner—preparing the meal, they grant her full control. Babette then creates a feast of a lifetime for the villagers and an important guest, transforming hearts and palates alike.

It is no secret that I love food lists and food facts – many of my lists are indeed food related. Another of my passions is books, so combining the two seemed inevitable. This “top 10 food” collection showcases the very best titles for anyone who appreciates the world of eating, without venturing into the realm of traditional cookbooks. Some of these volumes entertain far beyond the kitchen, appealing to anyone who enjoys a good story.

Why These Top 10 Food Books Matter

10 Blood, Bones, and Butter

This New York Times bestseller, penned by Gabrielle Hamilton – the force behind New York’s celebrated “Prune” restaurant – chronicles her life from a modest childhood to extraordinary culinary experiences. The Amazon blurb paints a vivid picture: she moved to the city at sixteen, subsisted on loose change and McDonald’s ketchup packets, endured grueling 20‑hour days at a soulless catering firm, roamed Europe half‑starved, and later taught allergy‑riddled kids at a summer camp. Hamilton’s narrative talent shines, laced with sharp wit and unapologetic honesty, making the book a thoroughly enjoyable and highly recommended read.

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9 Good Calories, Bad Calories (Summary)

Gary Taubes, a prominent advocate of low‑carbohydrate diets, offers a concise version of his monumental work “Good Calories, Bad Calories.” While the full tome dives deep into scientific studies, this abridged edition distills the essence: modern dietary guidelines are built on flawed research that excluded inconvenient data, leading to widespread heart disease and obesity. Taubes explains, in plain language, how foods convert to fat, the role of insulin, and why sugars and bread – staples of the official food pyramid – are the real culprits. An appendix even names and shames the foods to avoid. The book is a powerful critique, not a diet plan, but a must‑read for anyone curious about the science behind our plates.

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8 Marie‑Antoine Carême: The King of Chefs

Marie‑Antoine Carême, hailed as the father of modern French cuisine, earned the moniker “The King of Chefs, and the Chef of Kings.” He served elite families like the Rothschilds and cooked for luminaries such as Napoleon, King George IV, and Tsar Alexander I. Renowned for his spectacular “pièces montées” – towering edible centerpieces – Carême’s legacy is captured in this beautifully illustrated biography. Readers gain insight into the birth of haute cuisine and feast their eyes on lavish drawings of his culinary masterpieces. A must‑have for anyone fascinated by extravagant food history.

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7 Food: The History of Taste

This stunning volume reads like a visual encyclopedia of humanity’s relationship with food. From prehistoric foragers to modern diners, the book surveys eating habits across eras – Ancient Greece and Rome, Imperial China, medieval Islamic kitchens, and beyond. Laden with gorgeous illustrations, it delivers exhaustive detail without feeling academic, making the journey through culinary evolution both enlightening and enjoyable. Anyone who loves both history and gastronomy will find this the definitive reference on what we’ve ever put in our mouths.

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6 The Man Who Ate Everything

Jeffrey Steingarten, Vogue’s legendary food writer, compiles his most entertaining essays into this debut collection. His warm, witty voice guides readers through absurd culinary adventures – from labeling salads as “the silent killer” to deep‑frying potatoes in horse fat in pursuit of the perfect French fry. The anecdotes are as hilarious as they are insightful, showcasing Steingarten’s knack for turning a simple tasting into a grand narrative. The book’s charm earned him a second volume, confirming his status as a master of food storytelling.

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5 It Must’ve Been Something I Ate

The sequel to “The Man Who Ate Everything,” this follow‑up gathers more of Steingarten’s razor‑sharp essays. Highlights include a daring attempt to create a Cajun turducken – a turkey stuffed with a duck, which itself contains a chicken – and myth‑busting pieces on Chinese Restaurant Syndrome and lactose intolerance. He even experiments with perfecting pizza crust in a home oven. The collection’s varied topics and humor make it an ideal bedtime read, delivering a fresh nugget of knowledge on every page.

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4 The Art of Eating

M.F.K. Fisher, a prolific author of over twenty‑seven food‑related books, blends memoir, travelogue, and culinary philosophy in this essay‑style work. She offers wartime cooking advice for WWII housewives facing rationing, paints vivid portraits of family and friends, and extols eating as an art form. The book earned the James Beard Cookbook Award and stands as a testament to Fisher’s ability to make every bite feel poetic and profound.

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3 On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore

Harold McGee, the preeminent authority on food chemistry, demystifies the dos and don’ts of cooking in this exhaustive reference. From the biology of milk and eggs to the chemistry of sugars, meats, and alcoholic fermentations, McGee covers every corner of the culinary universe. Critics praise his “immeasurable knowledge” and note how the book reshapes our understanding of everyday ingredients. It serves as an indispensable encyclopedia for both curious home cooks and professional chefs alike.

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2 Modernist Cuisine (Six‑Volume Set)

This ambitious six‑volume masterpiece blends scientific rigor with breathtaking photography to explore the very foundations of cooking. It explains the chemistry behind BBQ smoke, the exact temperatures for perfect vegetables, and the physics of emulsions. Though pricey, the series offers recipes from world‑renowned modern restaurants, each meticulously measured in grams (even liquids) for reproducible results. A bonus sixth volume provides a durable, waterproof kitchen manual. The set is hailed as the ultimate food book, pushing culinary innovation to new heights.

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1 The Physiology of Taste

Jean‑Anthelme Brillat‑Savarin’s timeless classic, first published in 1825, remains the most celebrated essay collection on food. A former Parisian judge, he muses on the rise of restaurants, the merits of low‑carbohydrate diets for the overweight, and even proposes a “fashionably plump” regimen rich in sweets, bread, and pasta. His witty observations on society, history, and gastronomy have kept readers hooked for over two centuries, influencing modern diet fads and cementing his place as a culinary philosopher.

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Just in case you do not know, an urban legend is a humorous or horrific story that is widely circulated and believed to be true, especially one that the teller claims to have witnessed firsthand or heard directly from another person, but that is actually false. There is no way we would forgive whoever told the first urban legend. Although these stories make our lives much more interesting, the fallacies they spread can also be bothersome.

When thinking about urban legends, we can only conclude that the internet age has not helped things. In the past, you could only spread an urban legend by word of mouth or by dial-up telephones, but now, you can spread an urban legend all over the world with just a few clicks on your computer or smartphone.

Video games have also had their fair share of urban legends—we find some of these stories funny, while others are strange. But worst of all, some are downright creepy. Here are ten video game urban legends that are just bizarre.

10 The Madden Curse

In 1998, video game giant Electronic Arts (EA) decided to start using images of professional football players as the cover for its Madden NFL games. Previously, the cover image was that of John Madden himself. The first professional football player to be used as a cover image was Garrison Hearst—the reason for this is not far-fetched. Garrison had just broken the record for total yards, which included both rushing and receiving in a season.

Garrison Hearst was the official face of Madden NFL ’99, but the year after, he suffered one of the most horrible ankle injuries in football history. As if this was not bad enough, football player Barry Sanders, who was on the cover for Madden NFL 2000, announced his retirement without playing a single game the following season. The Madden NFL 2000 cover probably suffered the biggest Madden Curse effect. When Electronic Arts decided that it couldn’t have a retired player on its Madden NFL 2000 game, the company re-released the game with Dorsey Levens as the cover image—he went ahead to injure his knee that season and was never the same again.

The Madden Curse appears so real that out of the 22 players that have been used as the cover of the game over the past twenty years, sixteen of them had troubling or shortened seasons immediately after their image was used by the Madden NFL franchise. The Madden curse remains an urban legend but a bizarre one.^[1]

9 Diablo: The Secret Cow Level

The secret cow-level urban legend is one about the video game Diablo. The legend claims that when a player gets to the Tristam area and clicks on a specific cow a specific number of times, a “Secret Cow Level” is immediately unlocked, and the player gains access to that level. This is actually false and a confirmed urban legend. However, there is a unique thing about this particular legend—it became so popular that the makers of the game ensured that a “Secret Cow Level” existed in the sequel to the game—Diablo II. This shows that when an urban legend becomes popular, it can become real.^[2]

8 Brutus the Bulldog in Animal Crossing

The urban legend of “Brutus the Bulldog” is a legend about the game Animal Crossing. Although the game is a very adorable franchise from Nintendo, it has its own fair share of video game myths. After the release of the game, fans started spreading a rumor of a merciless video game character named “Brutus” who would move into the village during the night if the player was away from the village for too long.

If “Brutus” moves into the village, it will do unusual things to the village, making the game crash. The legend of Brutus is completely false. There is no element of truth in it. One thing that is bizarre, however, about this entry is that the game Animal Crossing has several urban legends. We find the game’s urban legends one too many for a single video game.^[3]

7 Halo’s Unknown Ghosts

The legend of the “unknown ghosts” of the video games Halo 2, Halo 3, and Halo: Reach is that video game players encounter random video game characters appearing from thin air midway through the game. These characters are not part of the plot or regular gameplay. They have no gamertag and cannot be killed. Also, whenever these unknown video game characters score a kill, the name is credited to “The Guardians.” The question is, who are these “unknown ghosts”?

The developers of the game have explained the reason behind the appearance of these “unknown ghosts,” which is severe network lag. In addition, video game players who intentionally “overload” the map can also encounter this problem. In actual sense, there are no “unknown ghosts” in the Halo video games. They are just the effect of glitches. A bizarre thing about this scenario concerns the sight of an uncontrollable ghost that cannot be put to death appearing during your gameplay: it will likely scare any video game enthusiast. And no one wants to play a game that is already lost from the outset.^[4]

6 Duck Hunt: Shoot the Dog

In the video game Duck Hunt, a player gets to shoot ducks and score points if he aims and hits the creature. This is how the game is played. It is important to remind you that Duck Hunt is a video game that emerged in the age when video games were just testing the waters. There was one little detail about the game that we could not understand. We assume that the video game developers either forgot it or left it out on purpose. So this is the urban legend: At the start of the game, a dog walks across the screen and leaps into the grass, and ducks begin to emerge from the grass. As they emerge, a player is expected to shoot them and score points. If the player, however, misses, the dog emerges from the grass and mocks the player. The dog laughs out loud in a way to annoy players.

The untoward conduct of the dog eventually led fans of the game to concoct an urban legend that it was possible to shoot the dog and put an end to its antics. Of course, this is false as far as the game’s original version is concerned. The dog cannot be harmed. Any attempt to shoot the dog would end in futility.

Players who find it difficult or impossible to forgive the dog have to play the arcade version and wait for a bonus round, where the dog leaps out to mock the player. This is the only way the dog can be shot—BUT this is the arcade version, not the console version. We would never know why it was impossible to shoot the dog in the console version. Did the programmers forget or deliberately leave out that detail? We cannot say. All we know is that the story of being able to shoot the dog was probably the most popular video game urban legend of that era.^[5]

5 Saddam Hussein Acquired PS2 Consoles for Military Purposes

Just like the previous item on this list—this is also really weird. In 2000, an urban legend emerged that Saddam Hussein had acquired as many as 4,000 PS2 gaming consoles with the intent of developing some into a crude supercomputer for military use. Some people even speculated that the consoles were being stockpiled by the Iraqi military because of its 32-bit CPU, which might be used to develop a formidable technology that would launch long-range missiles with high accuracy.

We know that the age of Saddam was a crazy time, but we can smell the truth of this urban legend from afar. Saddam Hussein was only probably trying to entertain his soldiers with one of the best games on the market at that time. *Wink*^[6]

4 Paris Attack and the Sony PS4 Connection

The Paris terror attack that took place on November 13, 2015, was a series of coordinated terror attacks that shocked the world. Terrorists struck the city just outside Stade de France while an international football match was ongoing. These extremists also attacked a concert hall, restaurants, and bars almost simultaneously.

In the aftermath of the attack, police raided terrorist hideouts in Brussels, and at least one PS4 console was seized. This led to the urban legend that PS4 consoles were the medium of communication of the terrorists that planned and executed the attacks. This is one of the cases where an urban legend spins off an established fact. The advocates of this urban legend simply capitalized on the fact that a PS4 console was seized during the raid. At any rate, it is important for us to state that the attempt to tie Playstation 4 consoles to the terror attack has been labeled a hoax.^[7]

3 Sony Receives Note from the Grave

In 2003, Sony decided to develop a follow-up game for Twisted Metal. The proposed name for the sequel was Harbor City. Four levels of the game were completed before Sony decided to cancel further developments under the pretext that six members of the development team had died in a plane crash—we couldn’t verify the alleged incident. In 2007, Sony claimed to have received a note from the six members who died while working on the project that the four levels that were completed before their death should be released to the public. What a disturbing urban legend. If Sony could create urban legends—then it is a safe bet that urban legends have come to stay.^[8]

2 The Legend of Pale Luna

The Legend of Pale Luna is a bizarre one. The story goes that in the days before streaming became possible, independent game developers used to meet in person and swap floppy disks. There was one such game that was circulated within the San Francisco Bay Area. It was called Pale Luna. For one mysterious reason or the other, the game was never spread outside the San Francisco Bay Area.

The story goes that Pale Luna is a text-based video game with a few words on the screen at the start of the game. The player must get the correct word combinations in order to proceed. Many players attempted the game but gave up because of its difficulty. However, one player named Michael Nevins was determined to see it through to the end. After several hours of trying, he got the correct combination and was able to unlock one stage after the other till all that was left were coordinates in the form of latitude and longitude. Seeing that the game could not progress beyond this point, Nevins decided to check out the coordinates.

The next day, he went out with a map, a compass, and a shovel. He navigated the park trails till he got to the coordinates he got in the game. When he started digging, he unearthed the badly-decomposing head of a blonde-haired girl named Karen Paulsen. The remainder of the body of Karen Paulsen was never found, and the developer of Pale Luna was also never seen. As weird as this sounds, this tale is nothing but an urban legend. Whoever started the legend of Pale Luna needs to get a real job.^[9]

1 Bigfoot: The Stubborn Legend

The legend of Bigfoot is a very stubborn one. It initially haunted humanity in the physical realm, but now it haunts our video games. Bigfoot as a legend first came into public consciousness when a Northern California newspaper reported sightings of human-like footprints that were 16 inches long. A popular urban legend, Bigfoot has haunted the imagination of the American public for more than a century. Video game enthusiasts now also live in fear of Bigfoot.

Some fans of the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas reported sighting Bigfoot within the gameplay, and the urban legend caught fire on social media. In fact, so popular was the rumor that Rockstar Games had to state that there is no Bigfoot in the game.^[10]