Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation

Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation is a 2013 book by Michael Pollan. It details Pollan's attempt to learn how to cook several different foods, including barbecue pork, bread, and cheese. He said he wanted to further his culinary education to better feed his family and connect with his teenage son. In Cooked, Pollan asserts that cooking helped modern man evolve and become culturally sophisticated. The book is divided into four sections—Earth, Air, Fire, and Water—and he details how they influence the cooking process.