Customer Reviews

Delicious Jamaica!: Vegetarian Cuisine (Healthy World Cuisine)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I had the pleasure of meeting and dining in the home of Yvonne Mc Calla Sobers of Kingston, Jamaica in July 1997. It was indeed memorable, to sit and rest after the long drive from the northcoast, in the hot midday, and enjoy the quiet breezy veranda of the Lingunea Mansion gifted to her by her childhood friend, Prime Minister Hon. Michael Manley, Chatting in depth about Jamaica, Food and Life, with her Sons and Herself, and reminesing of a childhood in Jamaica when "Bustamante Backbone" was a treat.

The Ben Johnson Vegetable Stew, made of all the great leftovers and pieces of vegetable in the fridge made for an adventurous treat on a hot afternoon, when shopping was out of the question. Sweet, Flavorful, Rich, Filling, Heaven in a bowl.

Yvonne treated us to her Fried Breadfruit, and some creamy vegeterian Solomon Gundy, which I have yet to locate outside Jamaica, namely in Kingston. Her conversations about the 38 different Mango's that were introduced to Jamaica and the West Indies, assures you that this isn't just some Local Cook.

We brought with us 2 bunches of country Gynip to the dinner party, and that was the payment for the truly fabulous country delicacies. approximatly $1.00 u.s. Unbelievable.

Indeed Mrs Sobers, is an internationally known consultant, responsible for bringing many international development projects closer to the people of Jamaica, instead of just the Tourist Regions. Hearing Her name mentioned daily on the radio stations in Jamaica, and seeing her Photograph in the Newspapers Islandwide, makes one know this is a Very Special Lady, and to be invited to sit on her special part of the earth and enjoy the treat of her hand is truly a dream come true for this aspiring cookbook writer.

I Advise, if you are looking for a Great New concept in Vegeterian Healthy Cooking Buy This Book and Share it With someone You Love.

My Recommendations - Hot and Spicy Shepards Pie, Ben Johnson Stew, Cashew and Gungo Loaf, Jamdown Curry, JamaicanStyle Veggy Burgers, Maro! ons, Callalalu - in all the styles; and of course Breadfruit, Tropical Gingerbread, Number 11 Mango Chutney named for one of the 38 types of Mango found in Jamaica; and Chef Yvonnes' Special Ital Rasta Pasta; (much better than that place on the hill in ochi.) This book is recommended for Senior Citizens, Dieters, Fat Free and Low FatDiets, Diabetics, Children, and Fussy Folks. The food is so delicious they will never know how healthy it really is. Guaranteed.

When I became vegetarian I worried about missing out on some of my favorite flavors like jamaican jerk. This book has a number of terrific recipes for doing jerk potatoes, jerk vegetables and even jerk tofu (I haven't tried that yet but certainly will). It has all the classics in here - pepperpot soup, plantains, etc.I've only scratched the surface in terms of making my way through the recipes but so far so good.

We bought this book last year before leaving for a vacation in Jamaica. In Jamaica we had rented a house that had a cook. She was a wonderful Jamaican woman unfamiliar with vegetarian cooking. We showed her this book. She was familiar with many of the dishes in this book, but in non-vegetarian forms. With this book she was able to adapt her recipes and we had a wonderful week of home-cooked Jamaican, vegetarian meals. At the end of our vacation she was delighted when we left her our copy of this book.

Delicious Jamaica: Vegetarian Cuisine by Yvonne McCalla Sobers is a flavorful feast of creativity. The recipes are not only rooted in Jamaican culture, but these recipes also speak to many ethnic and cultural groups that have influenced the development and preparation of Jamaican food. There are recipes with Tainos, African, Spanish, British, Indian, Chinese and Jewish vibrations.

A less authentic cookbook would send readers to the store to buy jerk seasoning, but Delicious Jamaica teaches users how to make jerk seasoning (dry and moist), instead of merely relying on bottle and jars.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that Delicious Jamaica contextualizes Jamaican food and culture. I learned:

* Jamaican rhythm does not generally include courses of meals such as appetizers, desserts, etc.
* Jerking was perfected by Maroons
* The word Jamaica derives from the Taino word, Xaymaca
* Ben Johnson Day refers to Fridays, when not much food is in the house and a market visit is necessary

The succinct historical notes evidence the author, Sobers, is a blood and love Jamaican. She continues to make her home on the island on which she was born and therefore knows the recipes that must be included in any authentic Jamaican cookbook.

Delicious Jamaica shares "essential" Jamaican recipes such as the Stamp and Go, Run Down, Fried Plantains, Callalu, and Ackee & Fish (with "tofish"/tofu instead of fish). As well, there are recipes unfamiliar to me such as Country Style Chocolate, Callalu Lasagna and Lentil Shepherd's Pie. There is a lengthy section on beverages, which includes my favorite, Sorrell, and a "Granny's Kitchen" section.

The recipes in Delicious Jamaica use simple words, easy references and a basic, step-by-step approach to preparing Jamaican meals. Further, the vast majority of the recipes call for easily accessible ingredients. The glossary and index contribute to the ease of using Delicious Jamaica.
Most essentially, from the cover to the fonts, to the recipe titles, Delicious Jamaica has the look, feel and rhythm of Jamaica.

Cooking enthusiast, Yvonne McCalla Sobers has crafted a genuinely Jamaican cookbook that preserves traditional recipes that might otherwise be lost, as society becomes less oral and more reliant on technology. Delicious Jamaica is for anyone who wants to spice up the kitchen, thrill their families or for people who just want to create or share a love of Jamaican food, wherever in the world they might be.

I was excited to see an all vegetarian cookbook since i was born in Jamaica but raised in the U.S. the book does have a lot of the traditional jamaican food but a lot of it is bland and their are somethings i find a little odd, for instance for the fried ripe plantain recipe she tells you to coat the plantains in flour or breadcrumbs which i've never seen anyone do that. I also don't like that the majority of the recipes don't have introductions, for people that may not be familiar with some of the recipes an explanation may be helpful. Another thing that i don't really mind but others might is that their are no pictures in this book. I'm probably going to just return this book to amazon and get something else.

I am Jamaican and I've found that these recipes are quite bland. All of our traditional dishes are included in this book though.

I seached and found the ideal Jamaican Vegan cookbook in "Delicious Jamaica: Vegetarian Cuisine" by Yvonne McCalla. Though not published as a Vegan cookbook, the majority of recipes found in this book is Vegan.
Most people think the Vegan lifestyle is boring, but take a look (and try) some of these recipes, you will be pleasantly surprised and may even consider changing/evolving to the healthy Vegan lifestyle.
Just leafing through this book makes my mouth water!
So far, I have bought six copies for myself, my mother, sisters, my Caucasian-American daughter-in-law and sister-in-law. I plan to order 10 more copies to share with other family members and friends.
Thank you Ms. McCalla, for your endeavor in creating this cookbook. You have awakened my Vegan palate (and those who share the bounty of my table) in quite a tasteful manner.

The book came much earlier than I expected. Thanks very much.
I must say I was a little desappointed with the content. I am a Jamaican myself and was expecting some real down to earth Jamaican recipies like Jamaican Veg. patties etc. Never mind I have found a few things that is new to me and I am sure will taste good. It is OK

Last week I went through my cookbooks, to see if I could weed some out, because I have too many to mention. It's hard getting rid of a cookbook, especially one with a few recipes in it that you've come to love. But I've scanned the recipes I need to keep forever into my MacBook. However, there were an even dozen I couldn't part with. These are books I turn to time and time again, even though I consider myself somewhat of a gourmet chef.

DELICIOUS JAMAICA is one of the books I kept and to my way of thinking it's just about the best vegetarian cookbook out there. If you like exotic cooking and you've given up meat or just plain don't eat it, then this is the book for you. Veggies don't have to be bland, just try the "Callalu Run Down" on page 30 and you'll see what I mean. Then there's the "Yam Run Down Casserole" which is simply too tasty to be true. If you're not a vegetarian, you can make a lot of the recipes in this book as a side dish. The "Spice Rice" for example works very well with just about anything. There is a whole lot more in this nifty cookbook that belongs with any serious collection of Caribbean cookbooks.