Elisabeth Lambert Ortiz (1915–2003)

I grew up in a Puerto Rican household, and boy could my grandmother cook! I'm afraid we took her cooking for granted, and a lot of her techniques and recipes were lost with her death. So I bought this book because I wished to rediscover them, and I couldn't find an English language book of Puerto Rican cooking. Not really something this book did for me. It really is a book of Caribbean cuisine in general, and the recipes come from all over, and recipes from specific islands are scattered show more throughout, and the index won't tell you, for instance, where to find all the Jamaican, all the Cuban--or all the Puerto Rican food.

I only recognized a few loved foods from my childhood: Tostones, Bacalaitoes, Pastelillos, Mofongo, Pasteles, Arroz con Pollo, Picadillo (listed as Cuban) and things I turned my nose up at--like Tripe Stew and Blood Sausage (Morcilla). The Pavo Relleno (stuffing for turkey) listed as Puerto Rican isn't how I remember it. My grandmother didn't use almonds, sherry or a bay leaf, she did use thyme, and the meat wasn't a mixture of ground pork and ham but of ground pork and beef. I am glad I got this though--lots of tasty sounding recipes from all over the Caribbean to try. show less

I've only tried one recipe out of this book, for apricot chutney, and I really loved it. Some of the techniques are a little fussy. Lots of fancy and unusual recipes, not so many basic ones. A good additional book for home canners, but not a good primary one.

* Update * I tried the cranberry butter recipe for Christmas 2006 and it was terrific.

CMB

I really like this book for its simplicity and visuals. It has recipes for jams, jellies, pickles, chutneys, fruit flavoured alcoholic drinks, oils and vinegars. Most of the recipes I've tried have been successful (beetroot chutney, rhubarb chutney, cordials). The sweetcorn relish was a vinegary disaster and a handful of recipes sound a little too odd for me to believe they'll really work! (banana chutney? pickled mushrooms?)

The flavour of Latin America is a blend of delicious recipes, engaging personal anecdote and fascinating historical background. A thrilling insight into the tastes, the life and the culture of Latin America.