The best cookbooks for summer picnics

Crunchy, salty, and a little playful: these are the rules of picnic food.  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ [View email in browser]( | [Manage newsletter preferences](newsletter=epi) [Epicurious]( [Epicurious]( These Summery Cookbooks Will Help You Pack a Perfect Picnic [jello blocks]( When it comes to [picnic food](, texture and simplicity reign supreme. Sturdier ingredients will travel better; tender leaves have no place here. Opt for recipes that taste good at room temperature. And focus on finger foods (even if you've got nice [bamboo travel silverware](, eating with your hands enhances the picnic experience—as long as you pack some wipes). Unsurprisingly, the cuisines of warm-weather locales make for ideal picnic food: salty Greek fare; tangy, spicy Indonesian dishes; or garlic-and-herb-specked Middle Eastern meals all just get better as the ingredients sit and flavors meld. Below, find four [summery cookbooks]( full of big-flavor dishes that will stand up to a long time spent in the picnic basket or a few hours out on the lawn. Just add watermelon. —[Lauren Joseph]( [READ MORE]( Picnic Cookbooks We Love When you buy something through our retail links, we earn an affiliate commission. [Ripe Figs: Recipes and Stories from Turkey, Greece, and Cyprus by Yasmin Khan]( [$26 at Amazon]( [Chicano Eats: Recipes from My Mexican-American Kitchen by Esteban Castillo]( [$17 at Amazon]( [Ottolenghi Simple by Yotam Ottolenghi]( [$21 at Amazon]( [Coconut & Sambal: Recipes from my Indonesian Kitchen by Lara Lee]( [$27 on Amazon]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [Epicurious]( This e-mail was sent to you by epicurious. To ensure delivery to your inbox (not bulk or junk folders), please add our e-mail address, epicurious@newsletters.epicurious.com, to your address book. View our [Privacy Policy]( | [Unsubscribe](newsletter=epi) Copyright © Condé Nast 2021. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.