The Rise of the Food Zine

It seems like a bygone era, a niche magazine — but they still abound and are even increasing in popularity in their online forms. If McSweeneys ushered in a new era of the online literary zine years ago, then reads like the Art of Eating and Gastro Obscura are doing the same for food. This is not a new trend, but there is something different going on with these publications. The current food zine trend celebrates the world of food and they do not just cater to a certain class of people or chefs, but rather the food itself, its history and its transmission into our contemporary culture.

The Art of Eating is not new. It comes out of Vermont and has been around since the 1980s in paper form, but its slow build toward a cult following made its online form a must-read. Developed and sustained by Edward Behrs, the Art of Eating will give you specialized advice on anything from cheese and wine to fruit and nuts, but its motto remains “simplicity.” They write with the conviction the best food tastes like food.

Gastro Obscura is a newer publication that stems from the well-loved Atlas Obscura. This model incorporates crowd-sourced experiences with more deeply researched pieces on the most unusual facets of life. The recently launched Gastro Obscura looks at the historical oddities of the food world, like the world’s fastest pop machine or why a village stopped holding its cheese rolling competition.

These publications combine creativity, history and the idiosyncratic journeys of food across cultures with some practical hints and recommendations on the side.