Customer Reviews

A Taste of the Tropics: Traditional and Innovative Cooking from the Pacific and Caribbean

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

 

 

What a great book! I've tried about a dozen recipies so far and they are all superb. The Jerk Chicken Recipe on page 67 is so wonderful we have made it several times. My lips felt like they were blown up to 50 PSI but I couldn't stop eating it. The Island Roasted Chicken with Thyme Mustard Sauce is another unforgettable meal. Ground Nut Stew, Black Bean Soup, and Papaya,Mint,Coconut Soup are also memorable. This is a "Must Have" book.

A friend lent this book to my partner and me. We looked through the recipes and couldn't find one we wouldn't make. As cooking afficianados who buy a number of cookbooks a year, this is by far the best resource we've found!

I add the question marks to the end of the title of this book by Jay Solomon because I reckon it's good for a laugh, but not much else, if the recipes that purport to come from Trinidad are any guide to how useful, or otherwise, this cookbook may be to the young, aspiring cook or chef who aims to produce authentic Trinidad dishes

Not trusting my own judgement I double and triple checked the recipes for Callalloo, Roti and Curry with a close friend who likes to cook, and with my housekeeper. Both disapproved,** 'steupsing'** as they read the weird lists of ingredients and even more bizarre directions for cooking them.

However, the complete and entire title of this book is "A Taste of the Tropics, Traditional and Innovative Cooking from the Pacific and Caribbean". Could it be that Chef Solomon has been doing some innovative cooking of his own while preparing Trinidad Callalloo, Roti, and Curry?

Or that the clients of this chef and owner of Emily's Gourmet in Denver Colorado and, previously, Jay's Café in Ithaca, New York either forgot all the tastes they ever knew about home cooking, or aren't Trinidadians?

Indeed, one wonders what reviewers of cook books in Hawaii, Thailand. Polynesia and Viet Nam have to say about his Tropical Eastern dishes?

Should you doubt my opinion of "A Taste of the Tropics" try putting it side-by-side with the Naparima Girls High School classic cookbook (the `bible' of all Trinidad cookbooks -- also available from Amazon.com) to compare the lists of ingredients and directions for cooking the very best of Trinidad fare.

While there are plenty of cookbooks focusing on either the cuisine of the Caribbean or that of Pacific Asia, this is the only book I've ever seen that samples both regions in one volume - and to wonderful result! By tackling recipes from Cuba to Indonesia, the author illuminates some of the common elements of these cuisines, as well as what makes each one unique.

Beyond that, these are useful, not-too-difficult recipes that nearly anyone should be able to produce in one's kitchen. Shrimp and Mango Curry is one of my favorites; a West Indian recipe that manages to be exotic without requiring hard-to-find ingredients. Also excellent are the recipes for salsas and chutneys that can be prepared to add spice and flavor to just about any meal.

Instructions are very easy to follow. There are no photographic illustrations inside, but they are not needed as the recipes sound so tempting just by their names alone (Rum-Soaked Bajan Chicken; Sea Bass with Banzai! Peanut Sauce). This collection is a great addition to any cookbook library and a wonderful introduction to the foods of the Tropics.