A Taste of Cuba: A Journey Through Cuba and Its Savory Cuisine, Includes 75 Authentic Recipes from the Countrys Top Chefs

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From the leading photographer of Cuba, A Taste of Cuba is a stunning culinary and visual journey through Cuba that presents 75 authentic, never-before-shared recipes from the world's most inventive chefs.

In a country shrouded in secrecy, a mouthwatering, but little-known food scene thrives. A Taste of Cuba offers unprecedented access into the kitchens of Cuba's top chefs, where the country's most delectable dishes are created and where the chefs share for the very first time, their brilliant techniques, inspiration, and best recipes.

Renowned Cuba photographer Cynthia Carris Alonso and her Cuban husband, Jose Luis Alonso, take you with them on their ride through Havana and around the country, as they stop in Cuba's twenty top paladares--private, family owned establishments. Inside you'll see how Cuban chefs are world-class, resourceful, and inventive, adapting their dishes based on the changing ingredients available on the market. Between visits with the chefs, you'll walk the streets of Cuba, experiencing its vibrant, colorful culture and seeing its lush landscapes up close.

A Taste of Cuba offers seventy-five original recipes supplied by Cuba's top chefs, tested and translated for an American kitchen by chef Valerie Feigen, allowing you to make staples such as ropa vieja, frijoles negros, and maduros--stewed beef, black beans, and sweet plantains--as well as for more elaborate dishes, such as eggplant caviar, fish tacos, and ham croquettes. It shares the recipe for La Cocina de Lilliam's life-changing bread, sweets such as dreamy alfajores con dulce de leche, Cuba's famous coffees, mojitos, and juices, and Ernest Hemingway's papa doble daiquiri of legend.

Reviews

In A Taste of Cuba the connections between food and family history and cuisine and culture are made in vivid detail. I felt as if I were taking a coast-to-coast journey through the land of my roots, sampling dishes that reminded me of my own family dinners, the aromas and savory spices and sugary sweets. This book is more than its recipes, it is a story of how a people express themselves with their cooking. Soledad OBrien, CEO of Starfish Media Group & Host of Matter of Fact with Soledad OBrien

A Taste of Cuba brings Cubas culinary culture to life in ways never seen before in print. Carris Alonso provides a unique blend of historical perspective while taking you on a journey through Cubas neighborhoods, popular restaurants, and delectable dishes. Tom Popper, President of insightCuba

Great food transcends political ideologies and connects people in wonderful ways. A Taste of Cuba is a great example of this. Through delicious recipes, pictures and insights, A Taste of Cuba connects all of us to the heart of Cuba through the spirit of Cuban people, Cuban culture and its food. Jeremy Merrin, Founder & CEO, Havana Central Restaurant Group

For me it is a pleasure and an honor that a person full of so much compassion and love for Cuba, has dedicated part of her book to my recipes and restaurant in Cuba. Carlos Cristbal Mrquez, Owner and Chef, San Cristobal Paladar, Havana

A Taste of Cuba highlights a part of Cuba that many believed was asleep: Cubas cuisine, which is a unique mixture of aboriginal, African, European and American styles. I am very greatful to be a part of A Taste of Cuba. Let this be the beginning of many closer relations between the people in Cuba with the people abroad. Niuris Higueras, Owner, El Atelier Paladar, Havana

Highly recommended! A magnificent option for everyone who would like to cook quality Cuban food and learn about the gastronomic revolution taking place on the island of Cuba. Enrique Nuez del Valle, Owner, La Guarida Paladar, Havana

Author Bio

Cynthia Carris Alonso is an acclaimed photographer, a writer, and the author of Passage to Cuba. Since 1992, she has regularly traveled to Cuba, documenting its news, musicians, and culture for music recording companies and publications such as Newsweek, Vanity Fair, BusinessWeek, and People en Espaol. Alonso has appeared as a Cuba consultant on national television, in print, and on radio. Her images have exhibited throughout the United States and in Canada and Brazil. She lives in New York City with her husband and daughter. Valerie Feigen is a self-taught chef who previously worked as a lawyer, stock analyst, and co-owner of Edit, a womens fashion specialty store. At age seventeen, Feigen professionally baked and sold her buttercrunch candy to food stores in New York City and Philadelphia. Feigen writes the blog recipistsdiary.com and each entry includes a memory and one or more of her original recipes. Feigen and Cynthia Carris Alonso met when they were five years old and have been friends ever since. Feigen was the inspiration for Marisa Tomeis character in The Big Short. She lives in New York City. Jos Luis Alonso is a teacher, writer, and award-winning childrens book author of Secretos con mi Almohada, published in Cuba in 1980. Alonso was born in Cuba and met Cynthia Carris Alonso, now his wife, in Havana. Together, the couple has collaborated on numerous lectures and exhibits to celebrate Cuban culture. Prior to working in academia, Alonso was a chef and restaurant manager. He lives in New York City with his wife and daughter.