This cookbook is centered around Caribbean cuisine, specifically the West Indies. This is an area I haven’t really had much experience with, and so I wanted to get an idea of what to expect in their local foods.
As usual I ran across a lot of recipes that sounded good, so over the next month or so I’ll try to cook a few and see how they go. The use of coconut, turmeric and ginger is in line with our usual weekday meals, so it should be a good fit for us. Also these are all vegetarian recipes – another good fit.
Besides the recipes there is a lot of historical background on the role of women and the slave trade in the development of some of these dishes and ingredients. While somewhat interesting I felt like I wanted to read more about the food than the history, and it was easy enough to skip ahead.
In addition, some of the recipes were a little more modern, incorporating flavors and ingredients from the author’s vacations to other parts of the world. While I am sure they are delicious I was aiming for dishes reflecting the cuisine of the area. These sort of hybrid dishes weren’t so helpful.
I’m looking forward to cooking some Caribbean dishes soon! Next I am reading And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie.
