If it's spring, the award season in the food world has begun to bloom. Last week the James Beard Foundation announced its winners in the cookbook awards, and the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) provided its a bit earlier. Both lists of best books serve as a serious prompt to head to the bookstore right now — and the kitchen soon after.

James Beard Foundation Book Awards

Cookbook of the Year: "Yucatán: Recipes From a Culinary Expedition," David Sterling (University of Texas Press)

Cookbook Hall of Fame: Barbara Kafka

American: "Heritage," Sean Brock (Artisan)

Baking and dessert: "Flavor Flours: A New Way to Bake With Teff, Buckwheat, Sorghum, Other Whole & Ancient Grains, Nuts & Non-Wheat Flours," by Alice Medrich (Artisan)

Beverage: "Liquid Intelligence: The Art and Science of the Perfect Cocktail," by Dave Arnold (W. W. Norton)

Chef David Sterling focuses on traditional and contemporary Mayan cuisine in his new cookbook titled “Yucatan: Recipes from a Culinary Expedition.”

Cooking from a professional point of view: "Bar Tartine: Techniques & Recipes," by Nicolaus Balla and Cortney Burns (Chronicle Books)

Focus on health: "Cooking Light Mad Delicious: The Science of Making Healthy Food Taste Amazing," by Keith Schroeder (Oxmoor House)

General cooking: "The Kitchn Cookbook: Recipes, Kitchens & Tips to Inspire Your Cooking," by Faith Durand and Sara Kate Gillingham (Clarkson Potter)

International: "Yucatán: Recipes From a Culinary Expedition," by David Sterling (University of Texas Press)

Photography: "In Her Kitchen: Stories and Recipes From Grandmas Around the World," by Gabriele Galimberti (Clarkson Potter)

Reference and scholarship: "Butchering Poultry, Rabbit, Lamb, Goat, and Pork: The Comprehensive Photographic Guide to Humane Slaughtering and Butchering," by Adam Danforth (Storey)

Single subject: "Bitter: A Taste of the World's Most Dangerous Flavor, With Recipes," by Jennifer McLagan (Ten Speed Press)

Vegetable Focused and Vegetarian: "At Home in the Whole Food Kitchen: Celebrating the Art of Eating Well," by Amy Chaplin (Roost Books)

Writing and Literature: "The Third Plate: Field Notes on the Future of Food," by Dan Barber (Penguin Press)

IACP Book Awards

American: "Down South: Bourbon, Pork, Gulf Shrimp & Second Helpings of Everything," by Donald Link and Paula Disbrowe (Clarkson Potter)

Baking/Savory or Sweet: "The Baking Bible," by Rose Levy Beranbaum (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)

Beverage/ Reference/ Technical: "Butchering Poultry, Rabbit, Lamb, Goat, and Pork: The Comprehensive Photographic Guide to Humane Slaughtering and Butchering," by Adam Danforth (Storey)

Chefs and Restaurants: "Bar Tartine: Techniques and Recipes," by Nicolaus Balla and Cortney Burns (Chronicle Books)

Children, Youth and Family: "FutureChefs: Recipes by Tomorrow's Cooks Across the Nation and the World," by Ramin Ganeshram (Rodale Books)

Compilations: "The Great Outdoors Cookbook: Adventures in Cooking Under the Open Sky," by Elaine Johnson and Margo True (Oxmoor House)

Culinary History: "Precious Cargo: How Foods From the Americas Changed the World," by David DeWitt (Counterpoint Press)

Culinary Travel: "Cyprus: A Culinary Journey," by Rita Henss (C&C Publishing)

Julia Child First Book: "Heritage," by Sean Brock (Artisan)

Food Matters: "Citizen Farmers: The Biodynamic Way to Grow Healthy Food, Build Thriving Communities, and Give Back to the Earth," by Daron Joffe with Susan Puckett (Stewart, Tabori & Chang)

General: "Twelve Recipes," by Cal Peternell (Harper­Collins Publishers)

Health & Special Diet: "At Home in the Whole Food Kitchen," by Amy Chaplin (Roost Books)

International: "Ikaria: Lessons on Food, Life, and Longevity From the Greek Island Where People Forget to Die," by Diane Kochilas (Rodale Books)

Literary Food Writing: "In Search of the Perfect Loaf: A Home Baker's Odyssey," by Samuel Fromartz (Viking)

Photography: "The Slanted Door: Modern Vietnamese Food," by Charles Phan, photographed by Ed Anderson (Ten Speed Press)

Single Subject: "Mrs. Wheelbarrow's Practical Pantry: Recipes and Techniques for Year-Round Preserving," by Cathy Barrow (W.W. Norton)

Wine, Beer and Spirits: "Proof: The Science of Booze," by Adam Rogers (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)

Global Design: "A New Napa Cuisine," by Christopher Kostow (Ten Speed Press)

E-Cookbook: "The Tutka Bay Lodge Cookbook: Coastal Cuisine From the Wilds of Alaska," by Kirsten Dixon and Mandy Dixon (Alaska Northwest Books)

Jane Grigson Award: "Liquid Intelligence," by Dave Arnold (W.W. Norton)

Design Award: "Relae: A Book of Ideas," by Christian F. Puglisi (Ten Speed Press)

Judge's Choice: "Good and Cheap: Eat Well on $4/Day," by Leanne Brown (Self-published)

Judge's Choice: "North: The New Nordic Cuisine of Iceland," by Gunnar Karl Gíslason and Jody Eddy (Ten Speed Press)

People's Choice: "Vegetarian Dinner Parties: 150 Meatless Meals Good Enough to Serve to Company," by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough (Rodale Books)

Cookbook of the Year: "A New Napa Cuisine," by Christopher Kostow (Ten Speed Press)

More awards for past books

IACP also presented its first list of Culinary Classic books, as well as an honor for a historical volume.

"Book of Great Cookies," by Maida Heatter, published 1977, (Knopf)

"The Greens Cookbook," by Deborah Madison, published 1987 (Bantam Books)

"The Making of a Cook," by Madeleine Kamman, published 1978 (Atheneum)

"Greene on Greens," by Bert Greene, published 1984 (Workman)

"The Taste of Country Cooking," by Edna Lewis, published 1977 (Knopf)

Historical Cookbook Award: "Bartolomeo Scappi's Opera," by Terence Scully, first published 1570 (University of Toronto Press, Scholarly Publishing Division)

Follow Lee Svitak Dean on Twitter: @StribTaste.