Customer Reviews

Culinaria the Caribbean: A Culinary Discovery

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am a CULINARIA series fan. I own this book, plus the other CULINARIA entries on Spain, France, USA,Germany and, most recently, Italy. I am of Cuban origin, grew up in Puerto Rico, and have visited almost all the Caribbean islands at one time or another (I think I am only missing Haiti and Antigua!). I was simply amazed by the whirlwind tour through the Caribbean that the editor(Ms. Parkinson) takes us; it is a veritable travelogue of the multitude of foods and cultures of the Caribbean islands.

However, I was sometimes puzzled by her choices. For example, she chose not to hightlight the Puerto Rican rum industry (enormous and world-renowned) while she focused on the peppermint candy production(?) on the island. Generally, her whole treatment of the food history, industry and recipes of the bigger islands (Dominican Republic, Cuba, Puerto Rico) is...well, skimpy.

Although I understand that the food and cultures of the smaller islands are usually not served well by compilation books such as this one, I felt that the book need to delve deeper, be more comprehensive and fair to all the islands. After all, the Caribbean islands have more in common with each other than they are dissimilar.

However, I believe that the book is a wonderful travel guide through the beautiful island worlds of the deep blue and warmth of the Caribbean! Not the strongest addition to the CULINARIA series, but still worth the trouble of obtaining and enjoying!

I was first introduced to this book when visiting a friend's flat in London. It was their only coffee table book, now I know why. Being from the Caribbean myself (Barbados)and having travelled the Caribbean extensively, I found it to be a fair representation of the islands and their culinary delights. Not only in the simplicity of the recipes which I have been putting to the test but also the clarity in the photos, the culture highlights, it's a must for every Caribbean lover. I have bought a copy for my coffeee table and it's now become a favourite with all my friends.

Both my parents are from the West Indies (Barbados & St. Vincent) and I have seen a lot of cookbooks about the Caribbean. This was the first book that provided SO much detail and the pictures where so life-like. It transports you to the island with pictures rich in colour and recipes from every island. I loved this book so much that I got one for my mother!

I brought the book in my home island Barbados, I am very impress. It taught me all about the Caribbean, culture and taste of my fellow West Indians. It also encourages me to visit the other Caribbean islands. It is must for every-one to have.

This is a beautiful book! It not only covers the cultures of many of the Caribbean islands, with beautiful full color photographs and text, but it has a multitude of authentic Caribbean recipes. It even has recipes to blend your own jerk or Caribbean curry seasonings. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves the Caribbean.

OK that was just the title. Really and truly of COURSE you should visit the Caribbean - at every opportunity you get but in all honesty this is the BEST Caribbean cookbook to be published. This book gives you a peak into the kitchen of every Caribbean island. The recipies are authentic, the flavours are phenomenal, and it will make you miss "home". You know that family recipe that your aunt or grandfather won't give you?...it just may be in there!

This beautiful book unlocks the secrets of Caribbean cooking. Wonderfully illustrated by superb photography if details a cuisine seldom accessible to enthusiastic cooks.

The Culinaria series are wonderfully written books, and give you the pleasure of culinary mini-vacations and the joy of experiencing recipes straight from their countries of origin. This book explores the intricacies of Caribbean cooking and its relationship to the peoples, traditions, and histories of the islands. Sure there are recipes, and yes, they do involve a LOT of rum, but the sheer joy in the book lies in the author's experience, which shines through with each fascinating page of text and each beautiful photo. Top-notch recipes, great photos, and interesting articles make this a must-have for any culinary library, or anyone interested in lives of Caribbean peoples. Definitely recommended.

I love this series of books, i have a couple of them myself. Very informative. I have been wondering though, why are they so expensive? They came out first time couple years ago but still very pricey. Are they limited editions or something? Any ideas who be nice.

These books provide a nice history of the cooking techniques but the recipes are hard to reproduce because the ingredients are hard to find. If you read cookbooks like they are novels then this is for you. This book in the series is particularly expensive. I'm not sure the price is consistent with it's value.