Caribbean cuisine: An excursion through the traditional and the contemporary
[Ms Magda Pollard asked me to review this recipe book. ]
Published in Stabroek News - 17 December, 2006
Baked eel and crapaud soup are two interesting foods which we will not find on many Guyanese menus. The recipes for these and many other interesting dishes are in the book An Adventure in Caribbean Cuisine produced by the Caribbean Association of Home Economists (CAHE).
CAHE was founded in 1972 and has membership from among home economics educators, health educators, nutritionists and dieticians from the English-speaking Caribbean, Puerto Rico and the USA. This book is a product of the Research Committee of CAHE, and it is intended also to serve as a guide through "the romance of the traditional, and the excitement of the contemporary in Caribbean cuisine."
The book is organised into two parts. The first part presents some of the traditional recipes from 17 Caribbean states. The second part, entitled 'An Invitation to Adventure' presents what appear to be the original recipes from the contributors. There are two informative sections on the fruits and vegetables in the Caribbean, as well as a detailed section on common herbs and spices. Each recipe is accompanied by a table of nutritional information. The book is attractively laid out with each recipe on a separate page, interspersed with colourful photographs. The photographs might frustrate some of us first-time cooks, when our results do not look like the photographer's work.
There are several things which are remarkable about the Adventure in Caribbean Cuisine. It is interesting to see how the different ingredients are used - apart from the eel in Anguilla and the crapaud in Dominica. Young ochro leaves are fried in batter in Antigua; pumpkin is used to make wine and the seeds are roasted in Antigua; guava is used to make duff in the Bahamas; plantains are utilised to make custard in Dominica and hibiscus blooms make a drink in St Croix.
The book acknowledges the historical and social context of the cuisine and presents the recipes for the popular foods which are a result of that context. 'Souse' incorporates seasonings to enhance the leftovers from the master's table, while preservation cooking such as jerk was done for the runaway slaves. The recipes also show the evolution of Caribbean cuisine as people moved to the Caribbean from different parts of the world, and even moved within the Caribbean.
The two recipes from Guyana which require rice flour bring up memories of a difficult period in Guyana's history when wheat flour was banned. The nutritious katahar as used by Indians and Rastafari hint at the possible linkages between the Hindu faith and early Rastafarianism, even as the katahar seems not to have made a cross-over into other sections of the Caribbean society.
Part 2 of the book invites users to an adventure in exploring alternative uses of common Caribbean ingredients. This part of the book perhaps reflects current Caribbean realities, where necessity and survival are not the sole motivators for our cooking, and creativity and experimentation have resulted in recipes which could be uniquely Caribbean. Lovers of the versatile pumpkin would be impressed by the application of pumpkin to all courses in a meal, even a drink! Traditional recipes such as avocado (pear) choka, boulanger choka and riconche are enhanced.
The recipes are simply written, and appear easy to follow. Nervous cooks should especially feel encouraged to go on the adventure with the newer recipes. Readers who are accustomed to layouts in which the recipes are organised according to use may find this book a little frustrating to browse through - this reviewer opened the contents page to look at the desserts section and was disappointed to find that the desserts were mixed up in other sections. Furthermore, there seemed to be little adventure in the desserts for the Caribbean. This could, of course, be as a result of the CAHE members wishing a healthier lifestlye for Caribbean citizens, and the presentation of the nutrition information should hopefully not scare us from the more deliciously unhealthy foods in the book.
The book is a vital contribution to our presentation of the Caribbean. No one book could showcase all of the recipes of the Caribbean, but CAHE has succeeded in giving an "enticing glimpse of the foods and flavourings that contribute to the romance of Caribbean Cuisine."
(This book is available at Universal Bookstore and Austin Book Services for $5,000)Baked eel and crapaud soup are two interesting foods which we will not find on many Guyanese menus. The recipes for these and many other interesting dishes are in the book An Adventure in Caribbean Cuisine produced by the Caribbean Association of Home Economists (CAHE).
CAHE was founded in 1972 and has membership from among home economics educators, health educators, nutritionists and dieticians from the English-speaking Caribbean, Puerto Rico and the USA. This book is a product of the Research Committee of CAHE, and it is intended also to serve as a guide through "the romance of the traditional, and the excitement of the contemporary in Caribbean cuisine."
The book is organised into two parts. The first part presents some of the traditional recipes from 17 Caribbean states. The second part, entitled 'An Invitation to Adventure' presents what appear to be the original recipes from the contributors. There are two informative sections on the fruits and vegetables in the Caribbean, as well as a detailed section on common herbs and spices. Each recipe is accompanied by a table of nutritional information. The book is attractively laid out with each recipe on a separate page, interspersed with colourful photographs. The photographs might frustrate some of us first-time cooks, when our results do not look like the photographer's work.
There are several things which are remarkable about the Adventure in Caribbean Cuisine. It is interesting to see how the different ingredients are used - apart from the eel in Anguilla and the crapaud in Dominica. Young ochro leaves are fried in batter in Antigua; pumpkin is used to make wine and the seeds are roasted in Antigua; guava is used to make duff in the Bahamas; plantains are utilised to make custard in Dominica and hibiscus blooms make a drink in St Croix.
The book acknowledges the historical and social context of the cuisine and presents the recipes for the popular foods which are a result of that context. 'Souse' incorporates seasonings to enhance the leftovers from the master's table, while preservation cooking such as jerk was done for the runaway slaves. The recipes also show the evolution of Caribbean cuisine as people moved to the Caribbean from different parts of the world, and even moved within the Caribbean.
The two recipes from Guyana which require rice flour bring up memories of a difficult period in Guyana's history when wheat flour was banned. The nutritious katahar as used by Indians and Rastafari hint at the possible linkages between the Hindu faith and early Rastafarianism, even as the katahar seems not to have made a cross-over into other sections of the Caribbean society.
Part 2 of the book invites users to an adventure in exploring alternative uses of common Caribbean ingredients. This part of the book perhaps reflects current Caribbean realities, where necessity and survival are not the sole motivators for our cooking, and creativity and experimentation have resulted in recipes which could be uniquely Caribbean. Lovers of the versatile pumpkin would be impressed by the application of pumpkin to all courses in a meal, even a drink! Traditional recipes such as avocado (pear) choka, boulanger choka and riconche are enhanced.
The recipes are simply written, and appear easy to follow. Nervous cooks should especially feel encouraged to go on the adventure with the newer recipes. Readers who are accustomed to layouts in which the recipes are organised according to use may find this book a little frustrating to browse through - this reviewer opened the contents page to look at the desserts section and was disappointed to find that the desserts were mixed up in other sections. Furthermore, there seemed to be little adventure in the desserts for the Caribbean. This could, of course, be as a result of the CAHE members wishing a healthier lifestlye for Caribbean citizens, and the presentation of the nutrition information should hopefully not scare us from the more deliciously unhealthy foods in the book.
The book is a vital contribution to our presentation of the Caribbean. No one book could showcase all of the recipes of the Caribbean, but CAHE has succeeded in giving an "enticing glimpse of the foods and flavourings that contribute to the romance of Caribbean Cuisine."
(This book is available at Universal Bookstore and Austin Book Services for $5,000)
Published in Stabroek News - 17 December, 2006
Baked eel and crapaud soup are two interesting foods which we will not find on many Guyanese menus. The recipes for these and many other interesting dishes are in the book An Adventure in Caribbean Cuisine produced by the Caribbean Association of Home Economists (CAHE).
CAHE was founded in 1972 and has membership from among home economics educators, health educators, nutritionists and dieticians from the English-speaking Caribbean, Puerto Rico and the USA. This book is a product of the Research Committee of CAHE, and it is intended also to serve as a guide through "the romance of the traditional, and the excitement of the contemporary in Caribbean cuisine."
The book is organised into two parts. The first part presents some of the traditional recipes from 17 Caribbean states. The second part, entitled 'An Invitation to Adventure' presents what appear to be the original recipes from the contributors. There are two informative sections on the fruits and vegetables in the Caribbean, as well as a detailed section on common herbs and spices. Each recipe is accompanied by a table of nutritional information. The book is attractively laid out with each recipe on a separate page, interspersed with colourful photographs. The photographs might frustrate some of us first-time cooks, when our results do not look like the photographer's work.
There are several things which are remarkable about the Adventure in Caribbean Cuisine. It is interesting to see how the different ingredients are used - apart from the eel in Anguilla and the crapaud in Dominica. Young ochro leaves are fried in batter in Antigua; pumpkin is used to make wine and the seeds are roasted in Antigua; guava is used to make duff in the Bahamas; plantains are utilised to make custard in Dominica and hibiscus blooms make a drink in St Croix.
The book acknowledges the historical and social context of the cuisine and presents the recipes for the popular foods which are a result of that context. 'Souse' incorporates seasonings to enhance the leftovers from the master's table, while preservation cooking such as jerk was done for the runaway slaves. The recipes also show the evolution of Caribbean cuisine as people moved to the Caribbean from different parts of the world, and even moved within the Caribbean.
The two recipes from Guyana which require rice flour bring up memories of a difficult period in Guyana's history when wheat flour was banned. The nutritious katahar as used by Indians and Rastafari hint at the possible linkages between the Hindu faith and early Rastafarianism, even as the katahar seems not to have made a cross-over into other sections of the Caribbean society.
Part 2 of the book invites users to an adventure in exploring alternative uses of common Caribbean ingredients. This part of the book perhaps reflects current Caribbean realities, where necessity and survival are not the sole motivators for our cooking, and creativity and experimentation have resulted in recipes which could be uniquely Caribbean. Lovers of the versatile pumpkin would be impressed by the application of pumpkin to all courses in a meal, even a drink! Traditional recipes such as avocado (pear) choka, boulanger choka and riconche are enhanced.
The recipes are simply written, and appear easy to follow. Nervous cooks should especially feel encouraged to go on the adventure with the newer recipes. Readers who are accustomed to layouts in which the recipes are organised according to use may find this book a little frustrating to browse through - this reviewer opened the contents page to look at the desserts section and was disappointed to find that the desserts were mixed up in other sections. Furthermore, there seemed to be little adventure in the desserts for the Caribbean. This could, of course, be as a result of the CAHE members wishing a healthier lifestlye for Caribbean citizens, and the presentation of the nutrition information should hopefully not scare us from the more deliciously unhealthy foods in the book.
The book is a vital contribution to our presentation of the Caribbean. No one book could showcase all of the recipes of the Caribbean, but CAHE has succeeded in giving an "enticing glimpse of the foods and flavourings that contribute to the romance of Caribbean Cuisine."
(This book is available at Universal Bookstore and Austin Book Services for $5,000)Baked eel and crapaud soup are two interesting foods which we will not find on many Guyanese menus. The recipes for these and many other interesting dishes are in the book An Adventure in Caribbean Cuisine produced by the Caribbean Association of Home Economists (CAHE).
CAHE was founded in 1972 and has membership from among home economics educators, health educators, nutritionists and dieticians from the English-speaking Caribbean, Puerto Rico and the USA. This book is a product of the Research Committee of CAHE, and it is intended also to serve as a guide through "the romance of the traditional, and the excitement of the contemporary in Caribbean cuisine."
The book is organised into two parts. The first part presents some of the traditional recipes from 17 Caribbean states. The second part, entitled 'An Invitation to Adventure' presents what appear to be the original recipes from the contributors. There are two informative sections on the fruits and vegetables in the Caribbean, as well as a detailed section on common herbs and spices. Each recipe is accompanied by a table of nutritional information. The book is attractively laid out with each recipe on a separate page, interspersed with colourful photographs. The photographs might frustrate some of us first-time cooks, when our results do not look like the photographer's work.
There are several things which are remarkable about the Adventure in Caribbean Cuisine. It is interesting to see how the different ingredients are used - apart from the eel in Anguilla and the crapaud in Dominica. Young ochro leaves are fried in batter in Antigua; pumpkin is used to make wine and the seeds are roasted in Antigua; guava is used to make duff in the Bahamas; plantains are utilised to make custard in Dominica and hibiscus blooms make a drink in St Croix.
The book acknowledges the historical and social context of the cuisine and presents the recipes for the popular foods which are a result of that context. 'Souse' incorporates seasonings to enhance the leftovers from the master's table, while preservation cooking such as jerk was done for the runaway slaves. The recipes also show the evolution of Caribbean cuisine as people moved to the Caribbean from different parts of the world, and even moved within the Caribbean.
The two recipes from Guyana which require rice flour bring up memories of a difficult period in Guyana's history when wheat flour was banned. The nutritious katahar as used by Indians and Rastafari hint at the possible linkages between the Hindu faith and early Rastafarianism, even as the katahar seems not to have made a cross-over into other sections of the Caribbean society.
Part 2 of the book invites users to an adventure in exploring alternative uses of common Caribbean ingredients. This part of the book perhaps reflects current Caribbean realities, where necessity and survival are not the sole motivators for our cooking, and creativity and experimentation have resulted in recipes which could be uniquely Caribbean. Lovers of the versatile pumpkin would be impressed by the application of pumpkin to all courses in a meal, even a drink! Traditional recipes such as avocado (pear) choka, boulanger choka and riconche are enhanced.
The recipes are simply written, and appear easy to follow. Nervous cooks should especially feel encouraged to go on the adventure with the newer recipes. Readers who are accustomed to layouts in which the recipes are organised according to use may find this book a little frustrating to browse through - this reviewer opened the contents page to look at the desserts section and was disappointed to find that the desserts were mixed up in other sections. Furthermore, there seemed to be little adventure in the desserts for the Caribbean. This could, of course, be as a result of the CAHE members wishing a healthier lifestlye for Caribbean citizens, and the presentation of the nutrition information should hopefully not scare us from the more deliciously unhealthy foods in the book.
The book is a vital contribution to our presentation of the Caribbean. No one book could showcase all of the recipes of the Caribbean, but CAHE has succeeded in giving an "enticing glimpse of the foods and flavourings that contribute to the romance of Caribbean Cuisine."
(This book is available at Universal Bookstore and Austin Book Services for $5,000)
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