The Book of Latin American Cooking: 500 Superb Recipes

by Elisabeth Lambert Ortiz

Never before has there been a cookbook that encompasses the whole world of Latin American cooking. Elisabeth Ortiz is the first to introduce to Americans the entire range of this splendid cuisine, selecting out the vast territory that stretches from Mexico to Chile the mast exciting foods of each region. She gives us full complement of dishes, from hors d’oeuvres to desserts, a feast of master recipes with hundreds of subtle variations that reflect the different cooking styles of South America’s rich coastal areas, high mountainous regions, and boundless fertile plains.

Among the enticing appetizers are “whims and fancies,” the tiny filled tortillas from Mexico; from Colombia, crisp green plantain chips; from Ecuador, fresh bass seviche; from Guatemala, oyster seviche; from Chile and Argentina, hot, flaky turnovers, patties, and little pies, each succulently stuffed.

For a fish red snapper in tangerine sauce from Brazil; escabeche, oil-and-vinegar-dressed fish from Peru; shad fillets in coconut milk from Colombia; or salt cod in chili and almond sauce from Mexico…

Among the meats and from Argentina, veal stew bakes in a huge squash; from Peru, fresh ham with ground annatto and cumin, as well as roast lamb and kid in creamed garlic and mint from Mexico, veal in pumpkin seed sauce; from Brazil, the exuberant national dish, feijoada, with its several meats (from hocks to pig’s tails), black beans, and manioc meal; pickled chicken from Chile; drunken  chicken from Argentina; and the moles (poultry sauced in chilies and chocolate) that are the glory of Mexican kitchens.

There’s a fresh new array of vegetables dished to brighten the table—peppers, tubers, greens, blossoms and beans. And salads of hearts of palms, Jerusalem artichokes, cactus (it comes in cans), and rooster’s beak (or familiarly, jícama).

With her keen palate and wide knowledge of Latin American cookery, Mrs. Ortiz add to the savor of the recipes by tracing the culinary strains that make up the exciting amalgam of flavors— Spanish, Portuguese, African, with hints of Middle Eastern influences, as the mingles with the indigenous cooking of Maya, Aztec, and Inca civilizations. For more than twenty years she has been unraveling the mysteries of the exotic culinary tradition, making fascination new discoveries as she explored all parts of South America, visiting marketplaces, talking to local cooks, and sampling the specialties of different regions.

Here, then, is the harvest of that search— the food itself, uncomplicated to prepare, tantalizing in its variety of flavors, fun to serve, and infinitely satisfying to savor; a whole new repertory of colorful dishes that will awaken even the most knowledgeable cooks to new delights.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking

357 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 12, 1969

Reviews

[Marguerite Hargreaves · Rating 1 out of 5]

Really dated. Elisabeth Lambert Ortiz writes this from the perspective of someone who can't duplicate Latin American dishes in the U.S., so she includes alternate ingredients -- which change the dishes. The recipes I've tried have been insipid. The cabbage soup, which I made yesterday, purports to be Chilean. There's nothing in it to distinguish it from Irish or Hungarian cabbage soup, though. This cookbook is going to get the heave-ho. I have a lot of respect for the late James Beard. His endorsement disappoints.

[Bethany · Rating 5 out of 5]

This cookbook is great! The recipes are well-researched and the book contains great tips! The only problem is that I cannot find some of the ingredients listed because some of them are localized foods/spices; but overall, amazing book! Probably one of the most "authentic" Latin American cookbook out there!

[Abby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sadly I'm a vegetarian so this book isn't something I can try out. Being raised in a spanish ( especially mexican) household I can't really say this book book is top of my chart, but it's nicely written. I like the different variations the author puts to every recipe and would recommend it to anyone who's trying for their first time to make a nice spanish dish.

[Cecelia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A few recipes require some weird/largely unobtainable ingredients, but everything I've made so far has been good. One of the more authentic and all-encompassing Latin American cookbooks I've seen.

[Ivonne]

15.00?

[Dree · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seco de Carne (100): a keeper. Zested lemon and grated radishes for a topping. P really liked.
Tomaticán (102): Yum.
Matambre (119): "Quite good"--P. Used chard for spinach. Cooked 1.5 hours.