Hispanic Heritage Month is observed from September 15 to October 15. In recognition of this, I will offer a short booklist of cookbooks in Spanish, English, and bilingual languages.
I looked at a few of the titles in English, but one quickly grabbed my interest: “The Latin American Cookbook” by Virgilio Martinez. I also paged through: “The Cuban Table” by Ana Sofia Peleaz and Ellen Silverman, “The Chilean Kitchen” by Pilar Hernandez and Eileen Smith, “Peru: The Cookbook” by Gaston Acurio, “My Mexico City Kitchen” by Gabriela Camara and “Mexico: The Cookbook” by Margarita Carrilo Arrante. It’s a long list, though nowhere near complete, but I wanted a wider representation of the variety of ingredients and approaches. Though I think the previous titles are all good and will be referenced for future meals, I ended up focusing on “The Latin American Cookbook.”
First, a bit about the author: Virgilio Martinez is the Executive Chef of Central (located in Lima, Peru), named one of the 50 Best Restaurants in the world (#1 Best in South America).
The pages are packed with clearly-written recipes, and there is very little wasted space. There is a short introduction to the varied cuisine, as to be expected for a topic covering such a wide subject. Some of the dishes have historical background information, I thought that was a nice touch. The pictures are standard for Phaidon (matte and simple, to the point). There could be a few more photos of dishes, but that is a small issue. Speaking of small, the type is quite small. Combined with the compact format, there can be up to four recipes on a single page! Though, I never felt it was too messy or too dense.
The material is arranged sensibly, provided you are not solely interested in a specific country. Included is a helpful legend that explains relevant symbols used to designate a recipe as gluten-free, vegan, five ingredients or fewer, etc. The range of dishes is comprehensive (some reviewers called it “encyclopedic”, I agree in the best way). For example, material is separated by main ingredient type: from corn, quinoa, protein type, desserts, breads, to even native meats and insects(!), etc. Imperial and metric measurements, as well as volumetric cup measurements, are given for each recipe. Lastly, and maybe most importantly for the majority of readers, the recipes are written to be made by home cooks, they’re not too “restaurant-y”. In my opinion, this is a great introduction to Latin American cooking, an introduction that pulls no punches, and an introduction that does not pander to U.S. audiences.
Simply put: I love this book; I must own a copy soon.
