Rolling in at number ten is a Korean anime that released in the fall season of 2005. This wonderful story revolves around the life of Jang Geum and her passion for cooking. Jang Geum’s dream was to become a palace chef, but she met with numerous hurdles along the way. Jang Geum has to pass all of the tests to become a refined chef while in fierce competition with her rival. No matter what, Jang Geum always managed to impress everyone with her exceptional creativity, determination, and zest. You can’t help but cheer for her as she always strives for the best and makes sure to do things the right way, and her way. One fantastic example is in episode two when Jang Geum decides to create a very simle rice dish which goes very well for her in the beginning. Rice is very delicate and must be prepared with the right amount of attention, and Jang Geum had it all complete. Suddenly an accident occurs which puts her behind the rest of the competitors, leaving her with very little time to work with. In the end, the judges tried her rice dish and were very impressed by it, despite not having much time to prepare it. We feel this show is deserving of its tenth spot because it tells a wonderful story of passion with a touch of warmth to provide meals that not only serve the hungry stomach, but to fill our empty souls.

Food will always be the gateway to our souls because of how much variety is out there to choose from. This brings us to number where Bonjour Koiaji Patisserie makes its appearance on the number nine spot. Seeking to pursue a career in pastry, Sayuri decides to enroll into an elite confecitonery academy that's surrounded by many handsome men in uniform. They all aspire to be chefs much like herself and to her amazement, can create some fantastic dishes as well. Pastry design will always be popular no matter what part of the world you reside in, and when you watch this anime you'll be blown away at what these characters come up with. The show teaches us about the importance of having a focus and sticking to it, as shown by Ryou and his supreme baking skills. Many of us are led astray by others who don't serve a purpose similar to our own, and we become distracted and end up leaving our passions behind. Bonjour Koiaji Patisserie teaches us to regain that focus and to surround yourself with wonderful like minded individuals who will not only help you strive for success, but to help build character and live the life you've decided in your heart.

Coming in at number eight is Muteki Kanban Musume. The story focuses on Miki, a poster girl who works by her mother's side at their Chinese ramen restaurant. Miki seems to have a very innocent persona at first glance, but that all changes once you get on her nerves. Whenever a conflict arises Miki tends to lose her temper, fighting with everyone in the restaurant including her mother, which end up causing mishaps. Now, we simply can’t leave out the most important dish of the entire series, and that’s ramen. When watching the series you get a glimpse of the true essence of how the popular dish is made, and the heart that goes into it. Ramen is a very delicious bowl of savory goodness that can be served in a variety of ways. In Muteki Kanban Musume, the style that is used primarily is the Chinese method of preparing which is quite simple and easy to do on your own. In Japan it is called Chuuka Soba which literally translates to Chinese Soba or Chinese Noodles. What you’ll usually find in a bowl of ramen consists of Chashuu which is sliced braised pork, Scallions, Menma (bamboo shoots), and the very popular Nori (Dried Seaweed). Other items can be added such as a boiled egg or bean sprouts which add an extra bit of texture and flavor to the meal. If you truly love ramen and would like to see more then be sure to check out Miki and her friends!

Sushi and Beyond is an anime based on the book by British travel and dining Journalist Michael Booth. Booth and his family embark on a 100-day trip to Japan where Booth takes the viewer on an adventure to several Japanese styled restaurants focusing on various dishes. Not only does the show provide you with an entry way into the world of Japanese culture, you're educated on how to properly eat and enjoy the beautiful cuisine it shares with everyone. For most of the show, it teaches us how special Japan really is and how unique much of the cuisine is with regards to Japanese tradition. This is a show that is full of great information not just about food but will educate you about Japanese culture as well. We suggest you watch it and learn more about the great restaurants that are found all around the amazing nation.

Wakako-Zake follows the audacious life of Wakako Murasaki, who truly enjoys going out alone to eat and drink where ever she desires after finishing work. Wakako takes us on a journey filled with an assortment of great food served in a very Japanese style. Each episode of the show lasts for roughly 2 minutes, making a short series that show us some very delicious meals throughout. A lot of the show introduces viewers to various Japanese methods of cooking such as the episode 11 where Wakako shows us a very popular dish named “Hokke”. Japanese custom its own method of preparing the dish and from watching this particular episode, you can see that every part of the fish is considered and not ignored. In more of the episodes we start to see more unique dishes created by various chefs in different restaurants such as Crab Miso, Goya Chanpuru, and Sea Urchin Cresson which are very delicious Japanese dishes that can only be found in certain parts of the nation. We highly recommend watching this anime to really get a true feel of Japanese style culinary.

Kofuku Graffiti comes in at number six on our list, and we'll provide reasons why we think it deserves its position. Machiko Ryou is a middle school student that decides to live with her second cousin Morino Kirin. Knowing that her passion lies in the form of cooking, she finds happiness can be created through making great dishes for everyone, including Kirin. Her late grandmother had passed down her knowledge to ensure that Ryou can not only bring inspiration into her life, but to bring satisfaction to those around her. Gourmet cooking is such a blast to watch because of its sheer attention to detail relating to taste, color texture, and more. A lot of moe is shown throughout the series which in Japanese refers to the feeling of bursting out or using a special power to make your heart burn with passion and love. You can definitely see passion and love come straight out of the hands of Ryou as she always has ideas running through her mind, ready to share great foods with her friends on their wonderful journey through the gourmet world. If you enjoy the moe-style approach along with mouth watering cookery then be sure to watch this great anime.

Making its way into our top five spot in our favorite cooking/food anime is Yumeiro Patisserie. This sweet series follows the life of Ichigo Amano who doesn't necessarily have the talent of creating a beautiful cake, but her strong palate makes up for it quite easily. Her grandmother who was a pastry chef encourages Amano to pursue a career in pastry, and tells her to find a school to study and become a chef herself. We see that throughout the series Amano uses her great sense of taste to create some very potent pastries that will have you foaming from the mouth. For those who have a sweet tooth, Amano whips up a great assortment of cakes while her competition throughout the series make some of the best pastries we've ever seen. The sheer attention to detail and accuracy are what make this such a great addition to our list. The food may be the selling point of the series, but what truly places the icing on the cake is the presentation. Have you ever walked into a pastry shop only to see everything so neatly stocked and designed? Yumieiro Patisserie will not only have you licking your lips in satisfaction, but also inspire you to truly live out your dreams and become a master of what you love doing in your heart.

Yakitate! Japan is a wonderful classic cooking anime that focused on the life of the bread obsessed Azuma Kazuma whose dream was to become the best bread maker in Japan. He was gifted by the gods with having hands that could produce natural heat and help speed up the fermenting process when making bread dough. The special power was known as “Solar Hands” which you can see him use frequently all throughout the competition. His goal is to make his Ja-Pan the national bread of Japan, and so he ventures out to ensure he secures a spot in the very prestigious Pantasia Bakery. We chose this as our number two spot because Kazuma shows determination his willingness to succeed doing what he loves, which is to make bread. Furthermore there aren't that many anime that really focus on the process of making bread from scratch, using real methods to demonstrate to the viewer. Not only does this show educate you and make you crave some sweet pastry, it is full of great humor that will keep you laughing for hours after watching one episode. One great example is how the show really focuses on exaggerating those moments when the judges taste a certain pastry only to burst out in this pseudo-orgasmic behavior that just creates a wonderful tone, and helps to balance out the more serious moments of the show. If you truly enjoy your cakes and sweet pastries like we do, then make sure to check out this very wonderful slice of life comedy.

We most certainly love diversity when it comes to the preparation of food, and so our next contestant is Ristorante Paradiso which comes in at number three. Nicoletta felt resentment towards her mother Olga, as she ran off to Rome to remarry. Nicoletta never accepted her mother's decision and throughout her youth she vowed to get back at her, that is until she comes across an Italian restaurant called Casetta Dell'Orso. As Nicoletta walked inside she was immediately greeted by very handsome gentlemen in formal clothing, and much like the employees the clientele were very well kept too. Before she could ever really let out her feelings towards her mother, the environment in which she found herself in started to grow on her leading to a love of the Italian lifestyle. The wonderful thing about this anime doesn't just come from Nicoletta’s complicated past, but from the marvelous cuisine that comes from it all. You can see that much of Nicoletta's mother's love is displayed through her fine dining being very meticulous. Once you're greeted with a glass of red wine and some of the world's best Italian pasta, every bit of hatred in your bones dissipate and you're immediately amazed with all of the many herbs and spices that blend well with each other. We suggest you take a bit of time to relax and enjoy the adventures that Nicoletta experiences, and truly take in all that Casetta Dell'Orso has to offer.

Shokugeki no Souma really turned heads and made many drool when it made its debut back in the spring of 2015. Yukihira has had a dream since he was very little to become a world renown chef, but never had much opportunity to showcase his talents. His father one day decides to close the restaurant and encourages Yukihira to enroll in the Tootsuki Culinary Academy to sharpen his skills as a chef. This elite cooking school is home to some of the world's best and it has now become the purpose of Yukihira to fulfill his dream to becoming the best the world has ever seen. The first season of the series really left us craving for more as each episode that aired was full of an abundance of information pertaining not just cooking, but Japanese style cuisine. With a variety of culinary techniques we were amazed at just how well prepared these dishes were and how remarkably similar they are to their real life counterparts. In the second season Yukihira makes his triumphant return continuing from where it left off in the very tense culinary finals, where he squares off against highly skilled chef Alice. While we don't want to giveaway much of the episode, much of it focuses on the very popular Bento. This new season is already shaping up to be a very intense one which is why we had to give it the number one spot.