Since first published in 1977,
Puerto Rican Cookery
has remained a bestselling cookbook throughout the world, not only in Puerto Rico. With hundreds of practical and delicious recipes, this cookbook is required reading material for anyone who loves fine Caribbean cooking.
When author Camen Aboy Valldej́uli was a girl, proper young women were not permitted to learn domestic work such as cooking, yet her love for fine dining and her native Puerto Rico launched a lifetime adventure collecting recipes of traditional Puerto Rican dishes. Their
cocina criolla
, or traditional native cookery, can be traced back to the original indigenous inhabitants for over 500 years, from delectable
barbacoa
and the staple plantain, to the zesty seasonings of citrus, cilantro, and oregano, as well as two magical words which are the secret to many unique and characteristic dishes with a Caribbean flavor:
adobo
and
sofrito
. With new outside influences of the Spanish, British, Dutch, and Africans who arrived in the islands, the delicate blends and innovations of five centuries have developed a genuine Caribbean cuisine. Stuffed with hundreds of recipes ranging from every day favorites to fancy feasts for breakfast, lunch, dinner, desert and cocktails, this cookbook is as essential to beginner cooks as it is to seasoned chefs alike.