Take a Bite: Eat Your Way Around the World

by Aleksandra Mizielińska, Daniel Mizieliński, Agnes Monod-Gayraud (Translator)

Where did corn come from? And wheat? And potatoes? What have people in Turkey been eating for centuries? Find out, in this delicious new book from the award-winning duo behind the bestselling Maps.

Learn how to make Vietnamese pancakes, Brazilian pralines and Hungarian lecsó in this delectable book which will take you on a feast-filled adventure! Be a guest at a Moroccan feast, sail along a Vietnamese floating market and indulge in the haute cuisine of France's master chefs. Not only will you find new delicacies, but you'll also learn about their remarkable history and cultural roots along the way.

Genres: Childrens, Cooking

Hardcover

First published November 25, 2020

About the author

Aleksandra Mizielińska and Daniel Mizielinski graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, Poland, in 2007. In 2010 they were nominated for the Bologna Ragazzi Award and the IBBY Honor List.

Reviews

[fer · Rating 5 out of 5]

ENORME E LINDAO. Acho que é dos mesmos autores do livro de Mapas que eu comprei a um tempo atras, tem o mesmo tamanho enorme e as ilustraçoes sao parecidas. Estou deixando esses dois livros quase que em exposiçao numa mesinha que tenho aqui em casa, qualquer momento sento, dou uma folheada. Livros muito legais, educativos, deixam a gente curioso pra ler mais sobre outros paises e nesse caso se aventurar tentando fazer alguma das receitas.

[Miriam Smith (A Mother’s Musings) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is worth every penny, in content, quality and informative text. Beautifully laid out with an endless amount of interesting and entertaining info about many different countries and their eating history, I was honestly astounded. Such a HUGE book too, hardback, every page packed to the gills with colourful pictures, historical and geographical info and food descriptions and recipes to boot. This book isn’t just for youngsters, this is also perfect for any adult who is interested in world cuisine and it’s origins and I am convinced to read fully, it will take many many hours of enjoyment before I come to the end. Well worth buying. And a fab book to have in a kitchen for visitors to pour over too while you do the cooking!
Highly recommended and an ideal Christmas gift for any friend/member of the family and any age group too.
My rating - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Natalie Mackay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book from Reader’s First in exchange for an honest review.

First thing’s first, this book is huge! Which I think is brilliant, and I think being this size really helps to highlight the awesome illustrations. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It is full of fun, facts and history concerning food from around the world.

I’ve said it before but who doesn’t enjoy reading about food? The book is obviously aimed at a younger audience (which I’m basing on the large format) and the the bite sized history lessons are the perfect format to deliver information, and again, the illustrations help to keep you engaged. I will be passing this onto my son for him to enjoy!

I enjoy how in reality, the book can be enjoyed by any age group, and that because of the format of the book, you can dip into a section or food that takes your fancy, or you can read it all in one go like I did. I enjoy learning new things, and there were a few new facts about food that I’ve learned.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic Food

A wonderful book that takes a culinary and cultural journey around the world.

This book is aimed at children and fits the audience very well. With gorgeous illustrations, a clear format for each page and easy to understand language. However, I think this book can be enjoyed by anyone! It's very accessible and one to delve in and out of.

I loved the inclusion of some recipes from each country. It's nice to have a mixture of a classic cook book with some history behind each dish. I can't wait to have a go at some of the dishes.

It was very interesting to learn how the culture and history of each country is reflected in the food people eat. It was beautiful to see the variety of dishes around the world - the endless options to try.

I heartly recommend this book to anyone. It's very easy to dive into or pick up every now and again. A perfect coffee table book.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can imagine that younger children will enjoy browsing through this wonderful book with an adult to guide them through the cornucopia of facts contained on each beautifully-illustrated page, whilst older readers (including adults!) will be able to negotiate their own reading-journey in a way which suits them best. The end papers at the front of the book feature global maps which show where each of the twenty-six featured countries (I’m a bit surprised that the UK isn’t one of them!) is located and gives the relevant page number. The following two pages allow the reader to browse the recipes which are included, whilst the final page and inner-back cover provide a comprehensive index of recipes, ingredients and other facts. The penultimate two pages offer a fascinating, illustrated timeline which features key historical moments between 1207-2020. As I’m sure this isn’t a tome meant to be read cover to cover, these features certainly make ‘navigating’ the book much easier. The bite-sized pieces of history, cultural references and culinary traditions offer ‘easy to digest’ information about each of the countries, some useful insights into the history of food and help children learn about where particular ingredients come from.
With its beautiful illustrations, its age-appropriate text and such a wide range of recipes for children (and adults!) to try, this is a book which makes learning fun … and tasty!
With thanks to Readers First and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

[Kristina the Book Forager · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where do I even start?! This book was such a delight to read. I wasn't expecting the massive size for starters and the extensive detailed information on each page.
I really loved their info graphics and the layout on every page - it was very clever how they created a story on every chapter.

Each country has four pages of information on food history, tips and tricks and my favourite part after reading all of this - a recipe!

I also think this is such a family friendly book. My 11 year old brother ended joining me and we dived into this together. Needless to say that very soon we picked a recipe and started creating magic in the kitchen. We thoroughly enjoyed this book and we feel that we now possess a really fun and informative book in our house where everyone in the family can read and be amazed.

I loved their choices of the recipes, they are very easy to follow and also relatively good on time.

Thank you Readers First and the publisher for such a delightful opportunity to have this book in our home.

[semmilieee · Rating 5 out of 5]

soooo unfassbar gute Rezepte! Dazu eine wunderschöne Illustration und informative Seiten zum jeweiligen Land!🌯🍛🥗🧇🌶️

[ninawkrainieksiazek · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Uwielbiam tą książkę! Choć jest ona przeznaczona dla dzieci, świetnie się przy niej bawiłam. Całość dopełniają śliczne ilustracje. Zamierzam własnoręcznie wypróbować kilka przepisów z niej. Polecam nie tylko dzieciom.

[Jane Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Take a Bite by Aleksandra and Daniel Mizielinski is a beautiful large format book which is simply stunning. Each double page spread contains information about a different country, covering their culture, history, food and ingredients that are particular to that area.
It is ideal for parents to share at children as there is so much to capture their imagination. Not only can they learn the usual things such as where a country is, and a little of their history, but they can also learn about that most common of things – enjoyment of food. Young readers will learn how now common ingredients in the UK often originated in other countries.
The book is very brightly coloured with many illustrations for each country. Readers will be able to look at this book time and again finding a new fascinating fact each time.
Having the recipes at the bottom of the page will add to the enjoyment for young budding cooks, and will give parents the opportunity to share something new with their children.
This would also make an ideal book for childminders or schools, where it could possibly be used to take an holistic approach to learning about a particular country.
The only possible drawback I could see was that the size of the book might make it impractical for using as an actual recipe book, and there is a risk of damage to the book. However, there are many ways of getting around that particular issue to avoid this.
This is a truly imaginative and eye-catching book that would make a great gift for anyone (of any age) interested in exploring new countries and/or cooking.

[tumbleweedemoji · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're interested in food and its history, 'Take a Bite' is definitely going to be your cup of tea.

This A3-sized behemoth of a book is a vibrant kaleidoscope of stunning art and diverse cultures. I found myself in wonderment as I delved into facts about the origins of modern culinary staples (such as tea, sugar, chocolate and much more), eager to learn about these foods that I have been eating on a daily basis. Information is delivered in short paragraphs with large text, allowing people like me (with short attention-spans) to digest and retain them more easily. Not only do we learn about these specific foods, but also the cultural significance of their ingredients. As a result, I'm definitely going to write some of these dishes down as must-try, when I eventually travel to their country of origin. This book gives a gentle nudge to food-lovers to explore cuisines outside of their comfort zones.

My only criticism of this book is its poor functionality as a "recipe book". Due to its large size and weight, it is not ideal in the kitchen. Furthermore, as a result of its lovely aesthetic of hand-drawn art, understanding how the final dish is supposed to look in real life is up to your imagination (or google).

Despite saying this, I believe this book's intent is to educate children (and adults!) about the cultural significance of different cuisines. Personally, I believe it has definitely delivered on this front.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing recipe book with a twist - geography, culture and cooking all in one

This gorgeous book is an absolute gift for culinary lovers, curious travellers and children everywhere.

When I saw the first look I was totally enamoured with it and luckily I had enough Readers First points to claim a copy so I was thrilled when it came through the post and it was larger than life! It is a very large book, not thick but tall and wide, and a lot is packed into the pages.

The pages burst with colour and the gorgeous illustrations take us on a trip round the world through various cultures and their cuisine.

You can find recipes for various national dishes which are simple to follow and will delight your tastebuds.

This is one of those books that’s sure to become a firm favourite, as it’s packed with wonderful pictures and fun facts, as well as the recipes.
It would be a great resource for schools and promotes a celebration of diversity and curiosity about the world.

The dishes chosen are some of the most traditional from each country featured and it is written in a positive way, shining a light on the best aspects of each place explored in the book.

For example, the featured recipe for Brazil is a chocolate truffle called Brigadeiro, which is a favourite at all celebrations, I experienced it first hand when I lived there some years ago, so I trust that the rest of the book is authentic too.
I can’t wait to make some of the recipes!

I love it!

[astrid— d · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lively and colourful book that will help entertain any budding foodie. Good to dip into from time to time. The comic book style of illustrations will appeal to children of all ages, but I would say that this book is more appropriate for the older child.

This is a large format book (A3) size, which takes various countries from around the world and gives a brief explanation of the culinary history and popular foods and dishes from each country. Every country has it’s own double page which is generously illustrated and packed full of interesting facts. A recipe is given for the preparation of one dish for each country. The World Map contents page and Foodie Timeline at the end are an added bonus.

However the large format does make the book a little unwieldy and it is not really practical to use as a recipe book so it is probably best to copy each recipe out as needed.
On reflection I think that the book is perhaps more appropriate for the classroom/nursery. The large format makes it easy for an adult with a small group of children to look at it together.

Thank you to Readers First for providing a copy of this book.

[Swords & Spectres · Rating 5 out of 5]

Take a Bite is a charming, well-produced book (and a big book at that) that is ideal for any child starting to learn about food and world history, any young adult starting out on the same journey and, in my case, an adult with a general interest in all things history. 


The general layout is 2-3 pages per country, with each country getting a couple of signature dishes and a large dollop of history surrounding food and, simply, the country in general. There's even a recipe for each country so you can try the signature dishes yourself. If anyone's seen the You Tube channel 'Tasting History', it's like a book version of that. I found it to be incredibly easy and addictive reading, even during a period where I was in a bit of a reading slump.


The artwork is easy on the eye and very colourful. The depictions do a good job of showing day to day life, how foods were made/grown etc ... For me, it really brought the history to life.


As far as I'm aware, this is only available in hardback. It would certainly make for an ideal gift for any inquisitive young mind. Just be ready for random trips to the grocery store for odd ingredients after every turn of the page.

[Gill Chedgey · Rating 4 out of 5]

…….is in the eating! And I intend to eat! I’ve already earmarked several of these recipes to try. Ostensibly this is a cookery book for children.But I defy any food loving adults not to be captivated by the book. It’s beautifully presented with an excellent table of contents that offers up each recipe with a brief description, so as a vegetarian, I could easily flip to those recipes that interested me the most. When do you get past the table of contents the pages are quite busy but well suited to the enquiring child. Yes, it’s a cookbook, but it’s also a history book, a geography book with some natural sciences thrown in too. It’s multi-disciplined and multicultural. Whilst it’s large size format doesn’t render it as a stocking filler it would make a wonderful Christmas present for many a child. I would think adult supervision for the cookery is required obviously but there’s much in the book to keep a child occupied without adult intervention. And there is a brilliant foodie timeline at the end of the book before the index.
Ticks all my boxes!

[Jasmine Guffick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was not expecting the brilliant size of this book when I received it but it is everything and more than what I expected. However I think the size of the book is perfect for lot of eyes to look at once and to be able to share.
It is wonderfully colourful and perfectly illustrated. Take a bite covers a whole host of different countries and cultures explaining a little about the history as well as in depth information about some of the ingredients.

It encourages cooking at home from around the world in such a fun and educational way and is laid out in a way you could easily pick one recipe and area and focus on that and create such a brilliant segment of learning for all ages. The pages seem quite busy to begin with but if you focus in one area at a time it makes sense and does not seem too overwhelming.

I am not sure on the practicality of using it to cook in the kitchen however there are numerous ways around this and I think the book is so well researched and clearly well thought about when writing it.

[Bookread2day · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have never seen such a extra large beautiful book. Take A Bite Eat Your Way Around The World is a large book that is fabulously colourful with the amazing beautiful illustrations.

Inside is a big map of around the world taking you on a trail across the globe with recipes telling you the name of certain foods and where they come from.

This book is aimed cooking food from all types of food from around the world, and offering you some history facts.

One of my favourite part in the book was reading about the United States in how food used to be served by delivering food to customers on roller skates, until the fast food drive through stores became popular.

Take A Bite Eat Your Way Around The World is great for the classroom with its history fact and in how food used to be cooked and served. It is also a fantastic book edition to keep in libraries around the world. If any child or teenager is looking for that special school project then I guarantee they will certainly find a topic in this book.

[Sam Todd · Rating 4 out of 5]

With recipes from over two dozen countries around the world (including Polish dumplings, Brazilian pralines and Hungarian stew) there's no shortage of new delicacies for readers to digest in this comprehensively-illustrated large format book. However, there's more to this title than cooking, as alongside the dish-making instructions are factoids about the origins of foods such as corn, wheat and potatoes as well as what people in nations like Turkey have been eating for centuries.

At first glance the A3 size of the book can be quite overwhelming, but once inside it's easy enough to navigate the Moroccan banquets, Vietnamese floating markets and French master chefs as (depending on your interest) you can use the map and catalogue at the beginning, as well as the timeline and index towards the end, to transport you to your chosen ingredients or a particular moment in history.

[Ramsha Rukhsar · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book looks so amazing and I learnt a lot,! Was a lot bigger than I expected and I love the layout. there is also a tablet of contents at the start so you can easily flick to what catches your eye. My most favourite thing about this book is definitely the illustrations on the cover and throughout all the pages, and it makes it so much more fun to flick through. I liked learning little facts about different countries along the way and foods specific to them. The recipes are fairly straightforward and explained well, so I could easily follow them with my younger siblings. The only improvement I would say is that there could have been some better recipes to try as I am aware of some very tasty meals/snacks from some of the countries discussed which were not mentioned. It would make a very nice gift for people who love to cook or even those generally interested in food and history.

[Louise Hjelmbjerg · Rating 3 out of 5]

An exciting journey for food lovers

Wow, this is a big book, A3 sized, an issue fitting on the recipe book shelf but not insurmountable. This is an interesting format for a cookery book and we (as a family) loved it. It involved a journey around the world stopping off at various countries to investigate their traditional recipes and love of food. It was a joy to read about the back story of the ingredients in each place and how they came to used as we now utilise them. Each place gave us a recipe or two to try encompassing some familiar and some new recipes. The book is very well illustrated and this keeps younger family members more interested and involved. The recipes are quite easy and basic to do so would suit all abilities and some are perfect for little ones starting on their food preparation journeys. This book is one I have enjoyed receiving as a gift but not normally one as a seasoned cook I would have purchased.

[Runa Begum · Rating 4 out of 5]

This large, hardback book is beautifully illustrated and ideally written for children to explore food eaten around the world.

The contents double-page shows a world map that highlights the countries that are explored in the book. The next double-page explores recipes. Then each two double-pages focus on a country, exploring some history and their traditional cuisines using colourful illustrations as well as recipes.

At the back of the book, there is a food timeline highlighting the food in context to historical events and there is also an Index.

I would definitely be trying out some of these recipes in the weekend or holiday with my son.

I think the book would have been even better if there were pages about the United Kingdom. It could have had battered cod fish with chips, curry and Yorkshire pudding to name a few dishes because it be more relevant to children living in the United Kingdom.

[Alex Hamon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the look of this!!!!!
I can’t be believe the size and the fact it’s in hardback
The front cover looks busy and bustling with bright and bold images, I love the concept and think it looks both very educational and a lot of fun.

I love the idea and think it’s so important for children to learn more about other countries, and to be able to cook recipes from them is just wonderful!!!

I didn’t read it but I gave it away as a gift to my nephews for Christmas my brother loves to cook so he will be thrilled to be able to try new things from different countries and teach his kids at the same time. I think this is a wonderful surprise to win. I will update my review when I know how the book went down at Christmas and I get to try some of the offerings the 5 and 7 year old cook with him.

I gave it 4 based on all of the above but that could change accordingly in the future when I have knowledge.

[Nathan Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

(No title)
I was expecting this to me a smaller book but it is GINORMUS!

It's very colourful and the large pages allow for a lot of information on food from around the world. It's varied enough so they'll be at least one dish that you recognised, but also it works as a guide to discover new and exciting recipes.

My kids can be a bit picky, so I think this will be good to go through the history of food, then actually make the dish together as family. Food is in all our history, not just war and industry, and it's not something I've really considered before.

The Authors have done a good job of trying to fit everything in though it is a shame that they missed out the UK. It would be good to learn out how different food cultures migrated to the UK. I'd really like to learn about the history of Fish and Chips. Maybe that could be saved for Volume 2.

I can't wait to get stuck into this book. I've had a quick scan and I know already that I'm going to love it!

[Stephanie Whyte · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is big, probably A3 size and packed full of fascinating illustrations and information about the food of 28 countries around the world. Each country has four pages dedicated to it in the book and two recipes. The four page spread for each country covers information about the country including the history of the country, religion and popular food in that country (eg Israel features a recipe for hummus, Japan has a recipe for onigiri and France has one for mille feuille).

It is the type of book I could imagine my 8 year old son flicking through, selecting a country to read about and then asking if we could cook a recipe from that country.

The book is laid out in a way that allows you to dip in and out of it. The illustrations are eye catching and would be interesting to a child as there were lots of different things to look at and learn about.

[Lisa M · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is so much more than just a cookery book. From the illustrations, (which are beautiful - you can tell the authors are talented graphic artists), I think the book is aimed more at a younger reader but there is so much interesting information that I am sure it would be appreciated by any age.
The book is large – about A3 in size and jam-packed with recipes, history, geography and fascinating pieces of information about food and cultures. The illustrations are amusing and I can imagine it would be a great teaching aid for many subjects. The layout allows you to dip in and out at various points.
I particularly loved the way the history and traditions behind each recipe were explained and as a more mature reader I found that I learnt so much. I am looking forward to trying some of the recipes out.
The book would make an excellent and unique Christmas or birthday gift.

[Kelly Hollingworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Take a Bite is a large, information packed book journeying around 26 countries and detailing their foods, cultural ways and dietary facts. Whilst aimed at a young person’s reading list I think anyone of any age would enjoy it, as I certainly did. The illustrations are beautiful, the facts interesting and the themes of food/recipes/ingredients fascinating. What a wonderful way to learn and then try making some of the foods yourself.

From France to Argentina, Indonesia to Ethiopia the amount of facts and trivia make the book an English, Numeracy, Geography, History and Home Economics complete learning experience.

My only criticism would be it made me hungry and wanting to try some of the recipes or moreover travel to some of the countries to try the foods authentically in person!

A great big book to read, enjoy and experiment with as a family. Delicious!

[Jane Blake · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book, would have given it five stars but I found the size of it, about A4, quite difficult to read, the bottom half had no problems but the top half was difficult.
I love the idea of this book though, not just giving out random recipes but going to different places, learning about the people and the kinds of foods that are eaten there and then you have the recipes from that country/region and they are written very clearly and easy to understand, if you cook with a child, this would be the perfect book to show them how you follow the recipes and make something wonderful and tasty.
On each page it is beautifully illuminated, the colours just make you look deeper and deeper in and the more you look, the more you will see but again, all fitting in with the country the recipes come from.
I would most definitely recommend this book to anyone that loves to cook.

[Ing Swan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I rate it 4.75. It is definitely book that tugs my heartstrings, brain, eyes, heart and stomach if you know what I mean. It is colourful, illustrated very artfully to catch young readers as well. It is an encyclopaedia really, of culture, history and food. A 2-page a day for a year that’s your history, living skills, reading skills, done! It is however a big heavy book, very hard to read if you are using one hand, so a big flat table or somewhere for the book to lean on whilst you tend to your children will be good. Oh I like the structure of the book too, it has index recipe, index according to map/geography. The reason why I couldn’t give it 5/5 is, as a Malaysian, I am slightly disappointed Malaysian cuisine is not in the book, even though I read the fine print that say a food can only appear once in the country as there isn’t unlimited space in the book!

[Sabrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is full of stories and history about the food from all over the world, including how it evolved over time. I love food and it's history, there were tons of things I wasn't yet familiar with and some quite surprising facts. There's a great recipe index at the start so you don't miss anything. The recipes are mostly fairly simple so can be made with children but sound delicious. I will be trying quite a few of these out for myself, particularly the jollof rice, papas rellenas (potato croquettes) and banh xeo (crispy stuffed crepes). I really wouldn't mind travelling the world just to try all these wonderful things, this is a great way to plan your round-the-world trip! The look and design of the book is such fun too, really eye-catching graphics and artwork, though it is quite large and heavy so not really one for bedtime reading.

[Hazel Tyson · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderfully illustrated book this is, and not only just a book but an awesome recipe cookbook! Each page is a different country, giving you in great detail lots of fun and informative facts about that particular country, and to top it off there are very detailed recipes for all the foods that are unique to that country. For any young budding chefs out there this is the perfect gift to give them! And for any young minded adults that love a little bit of cooking and the odd childs book then this is also the perfect gift to give them! The bit I love the best is all the interesting facts about the different countries around the world. And there is a handy timeline at the end of the book, describing when certain foods first came to be discovered. Chocolate for instance has been around for years! Well done to the authors and illustrators for making an awesome and exciting book!

[Nicola · Rating 4 out of 5]

Take A Bite: Eat Your Way Around the World is a brilliant book of facts about food from various different countries. It's a lovely large format book, I think it's about A3 in size, and is absolutely chock full of illustrations, history, foodie information and even lots of fabulous recipes to try. The drawings are cute and colourful, done in a modern, cartoonish style. It's not the sort of book you sit and read through like a story, it's really something you'll be dipping into - just select any random page and there'll be something of interest there. Although it's primarily aimed at a younger audience I was still fascinated by it as an adult, I learned a lot of interesting information about the things we eat, and about food related customs and traditions from all over the globe. I'd highly recommend this book for anyone with an interest in all things foodie.