... just as every island has its own character, so do their kitchens. Elisabeth Lambert Ortiz, 1966 

{HISTORY}

British-born Elisabeth Lambert Ortiz (1915-2003) was first introduced to Caribbean cooking as a young girl when she lived there with her family for few a years during her father's international engineering career. When she married her second husband, Cesar Ortiz, a Mexican diplomat and fellow food lover, they had the opportunity to return to island life again. Always a fan of the local food and flavor, it was the second stay that propelled Elisabeth's interest in learning more about Caribbean recipes, traditions and food history. That deep dive into local fare led to The Complete Book of Caribbean Cooking, first published in 1973. 

Containing traditional recipes from almost all the islands, Elisabeth connected and collaborated with cooks all over the Caribbean in order to gather a comprehensive selection of recipes that truly represented the multi-cultural cuisine of island living. From Dutch, Spanish, British Colonial, African and French influences, the Caribbean's diverse history has come together to create a unique style of cuisine that celebrates local ingredients and traditional ways.

Martinique, Aruba, Haiti, Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Guadeloupe, Trinidad, Jamaica, St. Croix, St. Martin, the French Islands, St. Kitts, Angilla, Tobago, Barbados, the English-Speaking Islands, the U.S. Virgin islands, Curacao, Antigua, St. Lucia, Dominica, the Leeward Islands, St. Thomas, Montserrat, Anguilla, Aruba, St Vincent, the Windward Islands, Grenanada, and the Spanish-Speaking Islands are all represented here in this cookbook. 

Interesting recipes include Red Bean Soup with Dumplings, Pickled Conch, Shrimp and Potato Balls, Creole Style Steak, Baked Pork Cubes, Stuffed Baked Cassava Roll, Chicken Pilau, homemade black beans, mrs bessie byam's rice and peas, bean stew, pepper wine, nicole scott's hot sauce, coconut corn bread, stuffed bananas,, sweet potato coconut bread, pitch lake pudding, el jibaro cocktail and white punch,  

In presenting these recipes for American cooks, Elisabeth personally tested each and any every one in her own home kitchen in New York using ingredients that were easily accessible via the grocery store or local American markets to ensure that could easily be replicated by all home cooks. 

Accompanied by various fun facts and culinary origin stories peppered throughout, this cookbook brings together all the flavors of the Caribbean in one cooking adventure fit for the most curious of culinary explorers. 

Lauded throughout her career, especially when it came to her mastery of international cookbooks, Elisabeth spent her entire life working around and writing about food. The winner of the James Beard Foundation Award, twice, for her contributions to the American and International culinary landscapes, The Complete Book of Caribbean Cooking was reprinted again the 1990s and continues to be a valuable resource to this day for Caribbean heritage recipes. 

{SPECIAL FEATURES}

• 1973 paperback edition published by M. Evans and Co, New York, 
• 450 pages including detailed index
• Illustrated throughout by Moneta Barnett

{CONDITON}

In lovely vintage condition, this cookbook is clean and bright throughout with no cooking spots, stains, or notations. There's a book inscription from a previous owner on the front endpaper written in marker. The back cover contains some light tanning. The spine is tight and all pages are intact. 

{SIZE}

Measures 9" inches (length) x 6" inches (width) x 1" inch (thickness) and weighs 1.3 lbs.