by Whether that be Japanese, Mexican, or Italian, it’s that time of the year for the veritable feast of cuisines from around the world. World Food Day is coming.
So here I am with a brand new article to celebrate the occasion with 7 different best cooking manga from mystery gourmet action to unique every day works!
Let’s get started: 7 Best Underrated Food Cooking Manga You Are Sleeping On Right Now.
7. Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill
Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill delivers a fresh take on the isekai genre by fusing high fantasy with culinary exploration.
Its narrative revolves around the absurd yet delightful concept of a protagonist summoned to another world, armed not with combat prowess, but with the ability to order ingredients from modern Japan.
This unusual skill sets the stage for a show where food becomes the primary focus in a world full of magic and mythical creatures.
Ultimately, Campfire Cooking in Another World doesn’t just indulge in fantasy—it celebrates the universal joy of sharing a meal, showing how food, regardless of the setting, has the power to connect, transform, and even astonish.
6. Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma
“Cooking is about passion, innovation, and the courage to break boundaries,” speaks to the spirit of the series. It’s not just about following recipes but about creating new ones, breaking traditions, and embracing failure as part of the process.
The narrative is peppered with intense rivalries, where food becomes a medium for expression, ambition, and even personal growth.
In the end, Food Wars! is more than just a culinary showcase—it’s a high-octane journey through the culinary arts, where the kitchen becomes a battleground, and food is the ultimate weapon.
The manga leaves viewers with a deeper appreciation for the artistry behind cooking, proving that each dish, when crafted with heart and skill, has the power to change lives.
5. Yakitate! Japan
“Cooking is both an art and science,” is a sentiment that echoes throughout the series. It explores the delicate balance of precision and creativity needed to create something extraordinary.
The show doesn’t just delve into bread as sustenance but presents it as a symbol of cultural pride and innovation, pushing boundaries within the competitive world of baking.
Yakitate!! Japan is more than an entertaining food manga—it taps into the joy of creation and the significance of culinary achievements.
In the end, it reminds us that the process of making food is not just about the ingredients, but the heart and creativity behind every loaf.
4. Crazy Food Truck
Gordon, an unsociable middle-aged man, and Alisa, a free-spirited mysterious girl, fill their stomachs with meals, and hearts with adventure, and continue their free journey in a world buried in the sand. The crazy road story accelerates.
Crazy Food Truck is one of those rare mangas with action bullet violence and gluttony in it that depicts the journey through the wilderness by stuffing all of your favorite things into the worldview.
I previously mentioned it in my Top 10 Best New Manga to Read in 2022. Do check it out. Rokurou Ogaki is amazing. His all works have a crazy feel to them.
THE UNLIMITED Kyosuke Hyobu, Shinobi no were all good. It’s also worth mentioning he is currently in the charge of comicalization of the 2020 hit-action anime Akudama Drive.
3. The Knife and the Sword
Gourmet in the Warring States period!
Ken, a modern Western chef travels back in time to war-torn 16th-century Japan and somehow ends up being the cook of “great” Oda Nobunaga.
What will happen to Ken now? An unprecedented Sengoku gourmet story is about to weave through the window with war and food.
You have to be neither a historical nor cooking manga fan to enjoy The Knife and the Sword or Nobunaga’s Chef. It is really good. It’s so good that you will want to read more and more and won’t get enough.
The depiction of Japan’s warring state’s life entwined while firmly suppressing the key points of historical facts and world cuisine, and the illustrations are so well done that each panel has a new degree of perfection.
So give it a try. You’ll get your weeaboo Japanese History Gourmet lesson in the most entertaining way possible.
2. Dungeon Meshi (Delicious in Dungeon)
A group of adventurers, who have lost money and food after being attacked by a dragon deep in the dungeon has resorted to eating the monsters they hunt along the way.
Slimes, basilisks, bats, and even dragons…none are safe from the appetites of these dungeon-crawling gourmands!
Dungeon Meshi is a slightly unusual fantasy gourmet manga with a crisp sense of laughter and a loose-end feeling to it. The development is always uncertain, the story and illustrations are very tense from time to time, and many more.
However, it is interesting because of such an environment! With the fictitious dish’s seasoning ingredients and detailed settings, you’ll be impressed, surprised, and hungry while feeling strangely persuasive.
In 2015, the manga won the Comic Natalie Grand Prize and in 2016, it ranked first in the Kono Manga ga Sugoi award in the shounen category.
1. Kinou Nani Tabeta? (What Did You Eat Yesterday?)
“How about Western-style chirashizushi? No Chico Ramen with Roasted Chicken Dashi and Shoyu Chicken sounds better. Nah I want some Italian Sausage Stuffed Zucchini. One plate of Salmon Kushiyaki here. Spicy Steamed Baby Bok Choy is Coming!! Your Balsamic Glazed Chicken and Sesame Teriyaki Shrimp.”
If you want the ultimate manga about cooking and food. This is it!
Kakei Shirou, a lawyer who works at a small law firm in the city, and his lover, Kenji Yabuki who works as a hairdresser are gay couples in their 40s. Together with their daily lives and food, the story explores the reality of being a gay couple in Japan.
I absolutely adore “Kinou Nani Tabeta?” It doesn’t matter if it’s BL or not. To me, it’s a work that is delicate, and painful, but a warm story with a messy room and a precious peaceful sense of life.
Like Everyday Meals, it’s a wonderful manga that makes you wish that homosexuals should become common just as heterosexuals in society.
What’s more besides the wholesomeness and rich theme in the story, the manga also has many detailed cooking recipes that anyone can try in their home. Do I recommend it? Absolutely. The manga won the 43rd Kodansha Award for General Manga.
What do you think of the list? Did you like it? What are some of your favorite cooking gourmet manga? Have other cool crazy manga titles you want to share?
Let us know in the comment below! And don’t forget to hit the bell icon here somewhere to get all the latest news, featured articles, and more in your notification bar.
