This landmark work contains 450 authentic recipes from 10 countries for everything from the tamales, ceviches, and empanadas that are popular across the continent to the specialities that define individual cuisines, such as Brazil's faijoada, the barbecue of Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay, and the signature seafood dishes of Ecuador, Peru, and Colombia. It also has thorough chapters on basic preparations and techniques, a glossary, and a resource guide to help you prepare and enjoy all these wonderful foods in your own home.

Reviews

The cuisines of South America are becoming increasingly popular in the United States, but although there are more than a handful of good cookbooks on various individual countries, other than Felipe Rojas-Lombardi's Art of South American Cooking (1991) and Elisabeth Lambert Ortiz's 1979 Book of Latin American Cooking, there are few on the cooking of the region as a whole. As such, Kijac's big new book, obviously a labor of love, should become a classic. She has drawn on both Spanish-language cookbooks and recipes from home cooks and restaurant chefs to present authentic versions of dozens of dishes, many of which appear in differing forms in the regional cuisines of South America. A number of the recipes will be new to North American cooks, and Kijac's thoroughly researched, readable text will serve as an invaluable culinary resource as well. Highly recommended. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

This authoritative and admirably comprehensive cookbook recalls the seminal work of culinary pioneers Diana Kennedy and Madhur Jaffrey. Assuming the responsibility of introducing specific and authentic South American cuisine to the American cook, Kijac (Cooking with a Latin Beat) offers a thorough volume that is part reference book and part cookbook. Long chapters about the geography of South America and its pre-Columbian civilizations, as well as a history of cooking in South America precede the hundreds of recipes. A glossary of South American ingredients as well as a dictionary of ingredients are included as well. The recipes are wonderful, if overwhelming in number. Beverages such as Cachaca Sour, salads such as Watercress, Lupini Bean and Avocado, and Mariana's Chicken are must-tries. The Condimentos section will appeal to anyone who loves the zest and bright flavors of salsas. Many of the recipes are homey (Coconut Bread Pudding), making the book even more attractive. Ambitious and informative, this volume belongs on the shelf of the serious cook. (Oct.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.