Customer Reviews

Cocina Criolla

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Nitza Villapol is considered the Cuban Julia Child. She was the first to write a book used by "the masses" and the first one to have a TV cooking show in Cuba way back in the 50's.

"Through the years Cocina Criolla has turned into the classic cookbook for the Cuisine of Yesterday's Cuba. The young ladies of that era learned to cook from this book and the grandmothers of today are recommending it to their granddaughters. It includes more than five hundred recipes, explained in simple, easy to follow directions to help with the creation of many wonderful dishes in a short time. An indispensable book for lovers of Cuban Cuisine"

The above is the endorsement on the back cover of this book. I can attest to the fact as I was one of those "young ladies of that era" who learned to cook following the instructions in this cookbook.

I remember what first fascinated me about this book was not the recipes, the equivalent charts, the nutrition information, the section on how to measure ingredients or the 2-week menus that she included, but the lists that she had printed on how to equip your kitchen. Even way back then, I always would go ga-ga over kitchen gadgets and equipment, and my dream kitchen would have had one of everything she listed and then some. She included 3 lists; the very basic that everyone should have and then goes on to other items to make your cooking efforts easier and then the specialty items.

Of course, this book was first published a long time ago, back in the mid-40's, so there is a big change in what was basic or special then and what we consider basic now. Remember, this was way before the Cuisinart was even dreamed of!

Picture Cuba....the year was 1953! Even though the family had household help, a young lady was in her mom's kitchen, trying to not make a big mess.......! If the "young lady of the house" wanted to play in the kitchen, it was encouraged as part of rounding off her education, but not necessary. If you did it, it was because you loved it, not because you had to help. (I hope this doesn't come across the wrong way, because even though my father had a very good job, we were not rich by any means)

This book is a traditional gift in my family to any newlywed Cuban-American woman or when moving out of the home (which usually doesn't happen unless married LOL) The recipes are in Spanish, so if you don't speak the language...it's time to get out your Spanish/English dictionary. The recipes are great and recommended by anyone who cooks Cuban Cuisine. All the well known recipes like Tostones, papa rellena, con gris and lechon are all in there and more.

This cookbook is considered a traditional gift for newly-married Cuban American women. Additionally, it is essential for anyone who wants to cook authentic traditional Cuban food. It is written in Spanish and the book provides basic recipes and daily menu suggestions, as well as more elaborate dishes. As a Cuban American woman, I can say that this book contains a great array of staple dishes, and it is a must-have for cooking real Cuban food. I wish an English version were available.

i have owned this book since i was 16 or 17 years old. nitza was some what of a celebrity in cuba and had her own tv cooking show before food tv network. her recipes are simple to follow (if you can read spanish) and produce dishes that are traditional. with so many jumping on the cuban cuisine bandwagon it's difficult to find books, and restaurants, for that matter, that offer the real mc coy.

For those of you looking for an English version of this book buy Cuban Flavor: A Cookbook. The Cuban Flavor doesn't acknowledge that it is a translation of Cocina Criolla, but both books list the exact same recipes and ingredients in the same order. I love this book, my Cuban grandmother has always used Villapol's recipes.

I have yet to try a recipe in this book that is not excellent. The recipes are incredible and 100% authentic cuban flavor. I learned how to cook from my grandmother, a trained chef, trained in cuba. These recipes are as good as hers and sometimes, even better. I usually use a little less salt than she recommends then add to flavor, some of the recipes are very salty. But the enchilado recipe in here is unrivaled! So is the fricasse de pollo, yum. This book is worth every penny and then some. It is the one book everyone wants to borrow from me that I do not let out of my clutches. This book is not always available either, took me 3 months when I was looking for it to find it, so if you are considering it, get it or you may be sorry. I will say though that Cocina al Minuto has almost all of the recipes in here and is a cheaper bet, my mother and grandmother have those and when i am at their house, I pull the same recipes out for them.

I'm purchasing this book today to replace the one my aunt lent me because she needs it back! At any age, this book is the essential tool in the cuban kitchen. My grandmother left her only copy in Cuba when we immigrated to the U.S. The copy I'm returning to my aunt was the one purchased for my grandmother(the best cook I know)on our first christmas in the states. If you can understand Spanish, I recommend the Spanish-language version for its authenticity and attention to detail. As a Cuban immigrant who came to the U.S. at a very young age, this book has been a portal to the very essence of cuban cooking and, therefore its culture. The traditions are a mix of Creole and Spanish (from Spain) ingredients. There is a lot of France and Spain in many of the recipes and most special ocassions would be meaningless without some of the dishes contained in this book. Bravo to our very own Julia Child!