The SalviSoul Cookbook is a beautifully illustrated and well written collection of recipes and ode to the culture and culinary legacy of El Salvador by Karla Tatiana Vasquez. Released 30th April 2024 by Penguin Random House on their Ten Speed Press imprint, it's 288 pages and is available in hardcover and ebook formats.
This is not just a satisfyingly diverse collection of delicious recipes and cookbook of El Salvadoran foods, but also a collection of memories and stories of the diaspora which the author collected (along with the recipes) from her relatives and acquaintances. Although outstanding as a cookbook, it's also full of personal family photos and stories.
The recipes are arranged thematically: introduction (with a tutorial guide to ingredients, oils, ), accompaniments, essentials, soups, main dishes, drinks, and sweet snacks. The recipes (and text) are written in English, but all the chapters and recipe names are provided in Spanish.
Each recipe has an introduction and background info, ingredients in a bullet list, and step by step prep and cooking directions. Ingredient measures are given in imperial (American) units. Some items will be generally available at any well stocked grocery store in North America, but many ingredients have few or no substitutes and will require access to an international foods store or specialty stockist. Where substitutions are available, the author is very good about providing the info. Most recipes are accompanied by photos.
Five stars. This would be an excellent choice for public library acquisition, home use, or for gift giving purposes.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
No comments:
Post a Comment