Exploring Caribbean Cuisine through 11 Fundamental Ingredients and over 100 Recipes [A Cookbook]
July 15, 2024
Enston’s colorful and heartfelt debut celebrates and illuminates Caribbean cuisine by focusing on 11 “key ingredients” central to the region: beans, calabaza, cassava, chayote, coconut, cornmeal, okra, plantains, rice, salted cod, and Scotch bonnet peppers. Recipes span countries, especially pulling from Trinidad, Puerto Rico, Haiti, Jamaica, and the Dominican Republic, with amiable introductions reflecting Enston’s Trinidadian roots and personal connections to the dishes. Noting that the Caribbean is a “delightful, complicated, layered place where pain and joy live side by side,” Enston offers thoughtful historic tidbits throughout: salted cod came to the region as a source of protein on slave ships, while split pea fritters were brought to Trinidad and Tobago by indentured servants from India. Calabaza is used to make Soup Joumou, or Freedom Soup, to commemorate Haiti’s Independence Day, and cassava is featured in a flatbread that “has been around since about 2000 BCE” and is made across the Caribbean. Trinidadian fried okra is sure to convert “slime haters to the okra cause,” while scotch bonnets spice up mango salad, jerk chicken, and shrimp. Handy tips on buying, cooking, and storing ingredients include instructions for making coconut milk to use in coconut pudding. Home cooks are sure to be inspired.
August 1, 2024
Recipe developer and food writer Enston pens an exploration of her culinary roots in her first cookbook. Organized by fundamental ingredients, dishes spotlight a variety of Caribbean countries and cultures. Chapter introductions walk readers through a description, nutritional info, and guidance on how to choose and prepare each ingredient, most of which are easy to obtain, although a handful may require a trip to a Caribbean market. Most recipes are paired with vibrant and saturated photographs that stimulate the palate. The layout is simple but compelling and, most importantly, easy to read. Enston's well-researched history of the foodways and peoples of the Caribbean can be found throughout and is balanced with stories from her own childhood and family, giving the book a personal touch. Scotch bonnet peppers (typically used in jerk chicken recipes, Jamaican hot sauces, and many other authentic West Indies dishes) get their own dedicated chapter. This volume is a great addition to collections that offers real-deal Caribbean cuisine; it will be a book that home cooks looking to explore new ingredients and techniques will enjoy. VERDICT Enston's passion for recipe development and Caribbean foodways are reflected in both the book's delicious dishes and its attention to detail throughout.--Sarah Tansley
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