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Puerto Rico: True Flavors
Presenting traditional recipes of Puerto Rican cuisine, updated for the 2st century home cook, while remaining grounded in indigenous ingredients. A must for anyone interested in Latino cooking.
- GenresCookbooks
250 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 20, 2026
I bought this cookbook in the rainforest. Coconut Shrimp Curry is delicious. Beautiful cookbook. I miss our old haunts in Puerto Rico, restaurants we'd frequent enough to be noticed. If you ever get there, stop at one of the many food trucks and tuck into some pinchos – pork cooked on a stick, smoked on bricks, covered in an island sauce. I can taste it. My memories of Puerto Rico never go away. We lived there for four beach lovin' years. Try the pinchos, one of the tastiest things on the island.
The happiest days of my life were lived on Isla Verde. Two days after arriving in PR, my first cliff hike along the coast, I stepped to the edge of a steep, wave-crashed cliff and looked beyond the sea...I burst into tears and bent at the waist unable to control myself. I was instantaneously in love! Such wonder! I couldn't believe I was fortunate enough to live on such a green, lush, sea blue island filled with wild orchids and Flamboyán trees. Heaven! I was there because of Hurricane Maria. I got a firsthand look at the devastation. Still, the people and their happy, positive spirits made the island even better. They revived their own island. Cooking for neighbors–sometimes the whole neighborhood! Never complaining! Just surviving. I've shared the experience of long bouts without electricity. The sea air blew a gentle breeze. It's a proud island filled with people that'd do anything to protect their independent island, filled with music, color, dancing, and Taino traditions. I've been in restaurants, the only customer, while owners were losing their business. Still, they treated us like honored guests, serving with smiles and laughter. I went to a popular restaurant in the heart of Old San Juan that offered table side entertainment with gorgeous flamenco dancers. There was a small crowd but we were treated like important guests. I began supporting homeless pets after meeting an entertainer who performed on the Ed Sullivan Show the same night as the Beatles. He was pretty powerful behind a Spanish guitar. He and his wife had started a fund for lost and wandering animals. He had a massive job on his hands. At another nice restaurant we were greeted by the chef. He introduced me to Shrimp Curry and discussed all the local scenic art on his walls. We had complimentary appetizers. We were the only customers on that starry Saturday night. The next time we returned it was closed. I'd watch one business–places that had been opened for years–close one after the other. Restaurants that were Puerto Rican legends! So, after arriving at that sea-salt cliff, a place unchanged, it was impossible to believe Puerto Rico was suffering. It is indeed the island of enchantment. That's why Puerto Rico's people were still happy and upbeat. They survived and they are proud of their majestic place. I was even there for a historical moment–watched over 1,000,000 people walk the interstate demanding the government hear their cries for the people. Riots broke out in Old San Juan by the governor's mansion, people expressing themselves on the walls with murals. Yet, it became a triumph for PR people. They overthrew the governor. I've never witnessed anything like it, people beating pots and celebrating a massive victory. Bring on that flavorful Latin beat. And look how this magical isle has recovered! Salud.
Shout out to Puerto Rico, the happiest place in the world. You'll forever be my adopted home. I look forward to returning one day.
The happiest days of my life were lived on Isla Verde. Two days after arriving in PR, my first cliff hike along the coast, I stepped to the edge of a steep, wave-crashed cliff and looked beyond the sea...I burst into tears and bent at the waist unable to control myself. I was instantaneously in love! Such wonder! I couldn't believe I was fortunate enough to live on such a green, lush, sea blue island filled with wild orchids and Flamboyán trees. Heaven! I was there because of Hurricane Maria. I got a firsthand look at the devastation. Still, the people and their happy, positive spirits made the island even better. They revived their own island. Cooking for neighbors–sometimes the whole neighborhood! Never complaining! Just surviving. I've shared the experience of long bouts without electricity. The sea air blew a gentle breeze. It's a proud island filled with people that'd do anything to protect their independent island, filled with music, color, dancing, and Taino traditions. I've been in restaurants, the only customer, while owners were losing their business. Still, they treated us like honored guests, serving with smiles and laughter. I went to a popular restaurant in the heart of Old San Juan that offered table side entertainment with gorgeous flamenco dancers. There was a small crowd but we were treated like important guests. I began supporting homeless pets after meeting an entertainer who performed on the Ed Sullivan Show the same night as the Beatles. He was pretty powerful behind a Spanish guitar. He and his wife had started a fund for lost and wandering animals. He had a massive job on his hands. At another nice restaurant we were greeted by the chef. He introduced me to Shrimp Curry and discussed all the local scenic art on his walls. We had complimentary appetizers. We were the only customers on that starry Saturday night. The next time we returned it was closed. I'd watch one business–places that had been opened for years–close one after the other. Restaurants that were Puerto Rican legends! So, after arriving at that sea-salt cliff, a place unchanged, it was impossible to believe Puerto Rico was suffering. It is indeed the island of enchantment. That's why Puerto Rico's people were still happy and upbeat. They survived and they are proud of their majestic place. I was even there for a historical moment–watched over 1,000,000 people walk the interstate demanding the government hear their cries for the people. Riots broke out in Old San Juan by the governor's mansion, people expressing themselves on the walls with murals. Yet, it became a triumph for PR people. They overthrew the governor. I've never witnessed anything like it, people beating pots and celebrating a massive victory. Bring on that flavorful Latin beat. And look how this magical isle has recovered! Salud.
Shout out to Puerto Rico, the happiest place in the world. You'll forever be my adopted home. I look forward to returning one day.
July 15, 2013
Great book, by a great chef, about great food. One of the best books available on Puerto Rican cuisine.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews