Jannelle Reads | Books & Lifestyle Blog: Cookbook Review | The Cuban Table by Ana Sofia Pelaez

Hello and happy Friday!

I can't believe how fast time seems to be moving & how incredibly fast December and 2014 is coming to an end.

I'm getting ready for some 12 days of blogging & I realized that I needed to update the blog with some reviews I had written up and hadn't posted - shame on me, I know.

Today I am going to be posting my review of The Cuban Table by Ana Sofia Pelaez.

Now for those of you who know me (and my family) would know that I'm Cuban. If you didn't know.. well, now you know. :)

When it comes to Cuban food, I'm overly harsh and judgmental. It just is what it is. I grew up eating the stuff - duh - and almost nothing can beat out my grandmother's authentic recipes and my mother's delicious renditions. Since I cannot cook absolutely everything out of this cookbook, I was honestly focusing (for the most part) on authenticity based on ingredients the author chose for certain recipes and her method of cooking - be it braised, stewed, fried, etc.

Here is the description provided by the publisher:

The Cuban Table is a comprehensive, contemporary overview of Cuban food, recipes and culture as recounted by serious home cooks and professional chefs, restaurateurs and food writers. Cuban-American food writer Ana Sofia Pelaez and award-winning photographer Ellen Silverman traveled through Cuba, Miami and New York to document and learn about traditional Cuban cooking from a wide range of authentic sources.

Cuban home cooks are fiercely protective of their secrets. Content with a private kind of renown, they demonstrate an elusive turn of hand that transforms simple recipes into bright and memorable meals that draw family and friends to their tables time and again. More than just a list of ingredients or series of steps, Cuban cooks' tricks and touches hide in plain sight, staying within families or being passed down in well-worn copies of old cookbooks largely unread outside of the Cuban community.

Here you'll find documented recipes for everything from iconic Cuban sandwiches to rich stews with Spanish accents and African ingredients, accompanied by details about historical context and insight into cultural nuances. More than a cookbook, The Cuban Table is a celebration of Cuban cooking, culture and cuisine. With stunning photographs throughout and over 110 deliciously authentic recipes this cookbook invites you into one of the Caribbean’s most interesting and vibrant cuisines.

Pelaez did a fantastic job of capturing the essence of the Miami Cuban culture through the various recipes she shared along with the brief history of certain dishes. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and while I have my own family recipes that I go to, it was interesting to see some slight deviations (while still keeping the authenticity in tact) as well as recipes for certain items that we don't have in our family - like Mermelada de Guayaba... sooo good. #TeamGuava
So if you're interested in Cuban food and how it's made (but most importantly-how it tastes) then you need to pick up The Cuban Table.

Basic info. about this book:

Name: The Cuban Table: A Celebration of Food, Flavors, and History

Author: Ana Sofia Pelaez

Review Source: Provided by Publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Publishing Company: St. Martin's Press

Publication Date: October 28, 2014

Genre: Cookbook, Cooking, Food & Wine

Rating (out of 5): 4.0

Recommend? Yes!

Where it can be purchased: The Book Depository

Author online: goodreads

This makes me realize that I should probably post more of my family recipes... I'll be sure to get on that for 2015 :)