The Must-Read Food Articles Of 2013 | HuffPost Life

The year 2013 was a big year for food in the national spotlight. From GMO debates across the country to the non-stop reign of kale , there were plenty of topics to keep cocktail party conversations flowing.

But beyond the major news stories, there were also some beautifully-written food pieces that might not have made major headlines, but are most definitely worth reading. Here are our picks for the best food articles of the year:

Editor's Note: We only included articles that are available online.

Familiarity Breeds Content, New York Times

Frank Bruni spent several years as a restaurant critic, in which he was constantly visiting new and buzzy restaurants. Here, he writes about the opposite: the joy of returning to a place that feels just right.

Read the full article at the New York Times .

An Open Letter to Paula Deen, Huffington Post

Michael Twitty, a culinary historian, offered a fresh take on the Paula Deen scandal through his clever prose and smart analysis.

Read the full article .

Dry-Aged Beef Is a New Trend in Restaurants Around the Country, Bon Appetit

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Trend pieces can be tough to write, and are often tiresome to read. Leave it to Francis Lam to offer a refreshing and informative perspective on dry-age beef. It's the kind of writing that makes you want to eat a steak, stat.

Read the full article at Bon Appetit .

TyrannyIts Whats for Dinner, Vanity Fair

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Corby Kummer's take-down of tasting menus sparked a lot of responses, including plenty that disagreed with him. No matter what side you stand on -- and even if you would never spend hundreds of dollars on a meal -- Kummer paints a clear (and slightly curmudgeonly) picture of modern fine dining culture.

Read the full article at Vanity Fair .

Fire-Eaters, The New Yorker

There is a group of people -- chiliheads, to be more specific -- that spends a lot of time thinking about really serious spice levels. While chile pepper-sparked hallucination doesn't sound like a lot of fun to most people, Lauren Collins explores why others beg to differ. It's a riveting article, but you might not be hungry after finishing it.

Read the full article at The New Yorker .

Solitary Man, Saveur

Josh Ozersky takes a break from his musings on lardcore and the state of the food world to write a deeply personal piece about his late father and his relationship with food. It's far from an uplifting piece, but you won't regret reading it.

Read the full article at Saveur .

The Way of All Flesh, Harper's

Ted Conover went undercover as a USDA inspector in a cattle slaughterhouse in Nebraska. His report is a gruesome read about how supermarket beef is made. If you eat meat, you should read this piece.

Read the article (stub) at Harper's .

You Can't Eat Love, The Wire

Sick of all those food labels that claim the product was "made with love?" Jen Doll breaks down why this feel-goodery has gotten completely out of control.

Read the full article at The Wire .

Yes, Healthful Fast Food Is Possible. But Edible?

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Mark Bittman makes the case that fast food doesn't have to be bad for you. He examines many popular chains that are hoping people will pay for something more than a greasy burger and fries. First step: make the food taste good.

Read the full article in the New York Times magazine .

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