The SalviSoul Cookbook: Salvadoran Recipes and the Women Who Preserve Them

(Hardback)

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A beautifully photographed cookbook that celebrates the vibrant culture and community of El Salvador through 80 recipes and stories from twenty-five Salvadoran women. In search of the recipes and traditions that made her feel at home, food historian and Salvadoran Karla T. Vasquez took to the internet to find the dishes her mom made throughout her childhood. But when she couldn't find any, she decided to take matters into her own hands. What started as a desire to document recipes turned into sharing the joys, histories, and tribulations of the women in her life. In this collection of eighty recipes, Karla shares her conversations with moms, aunts, grandmothers, and friends to preserve their histories so that they do not go unheard. Here are recipes for Rellenos de G isquiles from Patricia, who remembers the Los Angeles earthquakes of the 1980s for more reasons than just fear; Flor de Izote con Huevos Revueltos, a favorite of Karla's father; as well as variations on the beloved Salvadoran Pupusa, a thick masa tortilla stuffed with different combinations of pork, cheese, and beans. Though their stories vary, the women have a shared experience of what it was like in El Salvador before the war, and what life was like as Salvadoran women surviving in their new home in the United States.

Reviews

The SalviSoul Cookbook is much more than a collection of recipes. It is an answer to the question of an entire diaspora.It is an anthem and an archive that reaches across generations and distances. Anyone aching to answer thequestion of belonging will surely devour this tremendous gift.Yesika Salgado, author of Corazn

The SalviSoul Ccookbook is a vibrant opus that highlights the strength, resiliency, and soul of Salvadoreofood and the women who nourish a society throughout the generations. These recipes arethe perfect example of when food isnt always just food.Ilyanna Maisonet, James Beard Awardwinning author of Diasporican

There is no one better to write about the food of El Salvador than Karla Vasquez, who has dedicated years of work to ensuring that the work of Salvadoran women in the kitchen is not erased.Beautifully shot and gorgeously written, this is a testament to the power of a peoples food to provide not just sustenance and survival despite upheaval and political strife, but also love, joy, and connection.Alicia Kennedy, author of No Meat Required

Opening the pages of The SalviSoul Cookbook, you travel back to your own abuelas, moms, tias kitchen. In these pages, Karla Tatiana Vasquez has recreated a homeland, each photograph, each recipe, becomes a window into the reason why a book like SalviSoul is so important to world cuisine.Our community has been waiting for this book our whole lives.Javier Zamora, author of Solito

SalviSoul is a deliciously overdue, spoken-word account of one of Latin Americas most beautiful cuisines anda homecoming for all of ushoping to better understand our roots through food.Jorge Gaviria, James Beard Award-winning author of Masa

Vibrant with color, warm with a sense of home, and mouthwatering with flavors that compel one to get into the kitchen immediately, The SalviSoul Cookbook nourishes all the senses. . . . this book is sure to be a generational cornerstone in the space of Central American cuisine and literature.Lauren Ko, bestselling author of Pieometry and founder of @lokokitchen

Karla takes us on a rich, emotional, and deeply moving journeyas she connects the dots of Salvadoran cuisine, which has been shockingly underrepresented in the United States and around the world. Every page and passage is proof positive that this is a culinary culture worth documenting, exploring, andmost importantlyenjoying.Adeena Sussman, author of Sababa and Shabbat

SalviSoul is not just a cookbook; its a heartfelt tribute to heritage,a testament to the power of storytelling, and an invitation to savor the true essence of El Salvador, one delicious recipe at a time. Join Karla at the table, where food and memories blend to create an unforgettable journey that celebrates the flavors of home.Hawa Hassan, James Beard Awardwinning author of In Bibis Kitchen

Author Bio

Karla T. Vasquez is a food writer, recipe developer, and food stylist based in Los Angeles. Her writing has been published by the Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Teen Vogue, Eater LA, and KCET, among others. Her recipe development work can be seen in Food & Wine, Serious Eats, BuzzFeed Tasty, and Tastemade. She is also a food justice advocate and an active member in her community to increase healthy food accessibility in low-income communities, previously working with Hunger Action Los Angeles and Los Angeles Food Policy Council. She founded SalviSoul in an effort to preserve her family's recipes, and since then it's expanded to focus on cultural memory and intergenerational healing for the Salvadoran diaspora.