Dear Kitchen,
I am Latina and wanted to check out some South American dishes or Puerto Rican dishes. I went to my local Barnes & Noble and was extremely disappointed with their selection. There were only two books. Uh, I was in total disbelief!
Where are the cookbooks from other Spanish countries like Venezuela, Panama, Peru, Argentina, Nicaragua, Colombia, Cuba etc.? Does anyone know if such cookbooks even exist?
- Cielo
Cielo,
Thanks for sending in your question. There are many cookbooks covering these regions and I hope our readers can help you find the best ones. Any suggestions?
Chain book stores like Barnes and Noble and Borders are huge, but keep in mind that they do not stock especially large selections of cookbooks. Online bookstores like Powells.com and BarnesandNoble.com have a far broader selection than the bricks and mortar stores.
You can also find some discounts on used cookbooks on Half.com. I found this Old Havana Cookbook for $8.99, and South American Food & Cooking: Ingredients, Techniques and Signature Recipes from the Undiscovered Traditional Cuisines of Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Chile, Peru, Bolivia for $12.21.
Finally, ask Bonnie Slotnick Cookbooks, (212) 989-8962, for some help. Slotnick sells out-of-print and rare cookbooks. If you call her shop or stop by if you're in New York City, they are sure to have some suggestions for you.
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As much as I like supporting bricks and mortar businesses, try Amazon. I just entered "South American cuisine" and came up with 240 entries!
And at the risk of seeming self-serving [well, maybe just a little] I just had a Brazilian food blogger do a guest post on my blog today. There's a link to her blog on it--she does two versions, one in English and one in Portuguese. I'm sure she might have some ideas.
The bible of Carribean/Puerto Rico cuisine is probably PUERTO RICAN COOKERY by Carmen Aboy Valldejuli. The original Spanish-language version of the book is titled COCINA CRIOLLA.
I'll second eddie's suggestion for the Puerto Rican Cookery book. I'm half Puerto Rican, and that was the book I grew up with. My mom would always consult it when she was cooking Puerto Rican food. It's dog-eared and food-splotched but the recipes are the best.
I recommend "Puerto Rican Cuisine in America: Nuyorican and Bodega Recipes" by Oswald Rivera. I've used it often, with great results.
I've seen this book, which is beautiful (and out-of-print, I believe): "Taste of Colombia" by Benjamin Villegas. On Amazon, folks are selling it for $150+.
There is also this one, which got rave reviews: Secrets of Colombian Cooking by Patricia McCausland-Gallo. Apparently, the pictures are few/small, which probably explains is low price ($17.22 for hardcover).
The Strand is great for used cookbooks - if you're in NYC.
the other fantabulous online resource (in addition to those above) is Jessica's Biscuit
http://www.ecookbooks.com/
i sympathize. i was looking for the same thing. try looking for books on west african cooking or malaysian cooking. same headache.
some rich culinary countries are being ignored in the cookbook department. i think there's more than enough french and italian cookbooks out there.
Hi:
I just want to let everyone know that I have written two cookbooks: Homestyle Puerto Rican Cooking and Sabrosuras Boricuas. They are a collection of family recipes with a lot of photos. Sabrosuras Boricuas won in the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards 2006" in the category "Best Latino Cuisine Cookbook" in Latinoamerica. It can be bought at various places. There are four websites selling the book: www.elcolmadito.com; www.myBorinquen.com; www.mylibros.com; www.kitchenartsandletters.com and in various stores. Please contact to check whether it's being sold where you live.
Thank you.
Gieris
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The canon on Puertorican cooking is Cocina Criolla by Carmen Aboy Valldejuli. First published in the 1950's, it is the cookbook you will find on every kitchen in Puerto Rico. It has been reprinted many times and also been translated into English. You can find it in Amazon on this link:
http://www.amazon.com/Puerto-Rican-Cookery-Carmen-Valldejuli/dp/0882894110/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1198093630&sr=1-4
Enjoy!!!!
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