Customer Reviews

Sweet Hands: Island Cooking From Trinidad And Tobago (Hippocrene Cookbook Library)

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Growing up in trinidad and tobago is a unique experience and the foods there are definitely #1 compared to a lot of other islands. When I first moved to the USA, I was not all that concerned with trying to find the foods since there was a place for roti near our house, and you can find most of those ingredients in Miami. It was not until after college when i moved to the Northwest States that I felt "homesick" for dahlpuri and callaloo and other such things. I have purchased and tested several books that are a generalized Caribbean cookbook, as well as hunted down the Naparima Girls Guide to Cooking. It was not until I found Sweet Hands and read through it that I found what I needed.
The pictures of Trinidad and the stories bring that element of history and home and passion to the recipes. And I LOVE that she offers substitutions for some of the ingredients. I made a callaloo stew with swiss chard and spinach as suggested, and while the taste was slightly less sweet, it carried such a good flavour that I felt I was home again. Those other cookbooks maybe going to the second hand store.

I am the first generation as a US citizen, both parents from Trinidad. So the food I grew up eating and buying from our neighborhood trini spots...it's all I really know. Now that I am an adult I want my children to know trini food as well and this book does the trick. I have the basics down pack but this book gives me the extra confidence to try and make things on my own, without calling my mother every five minutes. Great book, great history...GREAT BUY!!!

This is the only Caribbean book I have seen that includes recipes for the more unusual items you will get while visiting Trinidad. (Doubles, Pows, etc.) And they are "right on"! I love this book and had rave reviews for some of the food I made from it at an office party. Even the picky people who were afraid of curry.

This is definitely much better than your average cookbook. Many cookbooks I own just have recipes, and maybe units of measuring in the indexes. This book not only gives a bit of background for each food item, but a descriptive history of Trinidad and Tobago through it's culture- food, and family. You can actually sit down and read it- I didn't realize I was doing that until halfway through the main dishes! The pictures are amazing, and really depicts life on these beautiful islands.

This is a must-have book for anyone who loves to cook, anyone who loves to travel, or anyone who enjoys food!

In a time where it seems like so many cookbooks published are these repetitive celebrity chef vehicles that repackage the same 15 recipes, it's really great to get ahold of one with a fresh perspective. Not only are the recipes pretty exciting and new to me (going to see if this New Yorker can sweeten her hands up!), but the author prefaces each one with a blurb or personal experience that makes it a really fun read.

First of all this Amazon entry neglects to inform you that the actual author of the book is Ramin Ganeshram. Jean-Paul Vellotti (named above)is the talented photographer for the book (and the author's husband). This book of recipes is full of genuine authentic family history, documented with beautiful photos of the region and people, and particularly--the food. This cuisine is very flavorful and appealing. I recently made the "Dad's Curried Chicken" recipe, and it was absolutely delicious. The recipes are very accessible, and sharp storytelling (in words and pictures) give the actual book a wonderful "flavor", that is both sensuous and tantalizing for the reader. I know that as soon as I was able to put the book down I was craving "home food". Next stop Trinidad. This is a cookbook of wonderful quality and value. It belongs on the bookshelf with one's best-loved recipes.

Since, I left the caribbean I have being looking for real West Indians recipes and this book did the trick . I have being trying to find a authentic recipe for Roti and this book gave me that recipes and many more. Excellent book.

What a trip back in time. Just like Ma used to make. I am so excited to engulf myself in this book before I make my first trip back to Trinidad in 12 years. I love the way the author captures her childhood memories, that are so similar to mine.
Great job!

There are so many wonderful recipes in this book that I can't wait to try them all. It has been so much fun reading the book that I am really looking forward to getting all the ingredients and trying them. I plan to take the book over to Scotland when I visit this year to give the family some exciting new ideas. A GREAT BOOK!!

I love this book! The recipes are so different and interesting and it's such a pleasure to read. The short reviews before each recipe are so informative that they made me feel good reading them, even before I got to the recipe itself. It felt like each piece was reaching out to me and pulling me in. I can't wait to try the fried bread called "Bake" which reminds me of when my own mother used to make homemade bread and my (Irish) grandfather would take pieces from that and make us fried dough; it was so delicious as I'm sure this will be. I also have a sweet tooth so will be making some of the sweets and desserts, and will be impressing my relatives with these treats at our next family gathering! I also want to add that the author's dedication of this book to her brother and late parents was so heartfelt that it brought tears to my eyes. What a wonderful find this book was!