THE ROUTE 66 COOKBOOK: The Best Recipes from Every Stop Along the Way, pretty. delicious.

THE ROUTE 66 COOKBOOK: The Best Recipes from Every Stop Along the Way
LINDA LY (photos by Will Taylor)
Harvard Common Press (non-affiliate Bookshop.org link)
$25.00 hardcover, available now

Rating: 5* of five

The Publisher Says: Embark on a colorful culinary journey traversing America’s Mother Road with stops to recreate the best eats along the way.

In The Route 66 Cookbook, acclaimed author and lifestyle blogger Linda Ly combines armchair travel with a traditional cookbook to celebrate 100 years of the United States’ most recognizable roadway. This unique compilation of recipes honors American transportation history with a location-specific focus, encouraging you to explore new flavors, places, and perhaps even future vacation destinations.

Discover fascinating historical facts and figures from the route’s early days to modern attractions as you try recipes organized by state, starting from the eastern start of the route in Chicago, Illinois, and continuing all the way through to its western endpoint in Los Angeles, California, making pit stops in Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. From cheap, quick eats to steakhouses and fine dining, this cookbook caters to varied budgets and palates. Recipes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner all make an appearance, and drinks and desserts get their time to shine too.

Throughout its recipes and destinations, The Route 66 Cookbook pays homage to America’s diverse cultural history. Of course, there are recipes for a variety of standard American fare, such as diner food, burgers, and multiple styles of barbecue, but German, Mexican, Asian, Indigenous, and fusion foods are also included:

Apple Strudel – The Berghoff, Chicago, IL

Blackberry Wine Cake – St. James Winery, St. James, MO

Egg Cream – Monarch Pharmacy and Soda Fountain, Baxter Springs, KS

Späetzle – Rock Cafe, Stroud, OK

The Elvis Ugly Crust Pie – Midpoint Cafe, Adrian, TX

New Mexican Posole – Silver Moon Cafe, Santa Rosa, NM

Halibut Ceviche – The Turquoise Room at La Posada Hotel, Winslow, AZ

Strawberry Margarita Pie – Chiquita Rosita's, Barstow, CA

Spicy Seafood Soup – The Albright, Santa Monica, CA

With 66 recipes from the Midwest to the West Coast, The Route 66 Cookbook has it all, honoring an American road trip tradition and ensuring you can enjoy it even if you’re not on the road.

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.

My Review: The decommissioned "Route 66" highway from Chicago to Santa Monica, CA, has a legacy of visual and social clarity brand managers have dreams about. Like the "Wild West" icon fixed in the world's consciousness, it only covers about twenty years of real time...from the end of WWII until the youth rebellions of the middle 1960s, ramping up to fever pitch during the "Beat Generation's" louche and unfettered prestige ascendancy. Their experiences drove tourism as much as afforded cultural cachet.

the midpoint sign and some trivia

Even to this day, people around the world know what "Route 66" means. In a world-wide sense it's still pretty powerful signifier of coolness. This collection of recipes is designed to bring out your wallet by appealing to that enduring image. The journey aspect, following the road and eating/cooking at stops is nicely calculated to make home cooks curious:

planning your journey

No place on Route 66 is more famous or iconic than California. To get there on the route, one has to go through Arizona's huge swath of the Sonora Desert:

Arizona

California

None of these recipes are terribly challenging. They're finely calculated to be a small stretch beyond the habit zone of home cooks, so they're fun to make and, not surprisingly, fun to eat.

some samples

As pretty to look at as it is practical to use, this is a gift item you'll get major points for thinking of and getting for the giftee.