Secrets of Colombian Cooking, Expanded Edition

I grew up in Colombia eating most of the foods in the book, often asking for recipes, but being told by the cooks, even my mom, "a pinch of this, a bit of that" and never knowing if it was going to turn out right when I cooked it. Many of the cookbooks I looked at (even in Colombia) either had strange recipes that I would never cook in a million years, were so darn complicated that it made me tired just to read the recipe, or were so pretentious as to be a total turn-off. This book gives ONLY recipes that every Colombian eats on a daily basis either at home or on the street. The ingredients are kept to a necessary minimum (no extra stuff to make it fancy), and the preparation is geared for home cooks, not professional chefs.It is true that it would have been great to have more and better photographs, but I don't miss them in this books because I carry those pictures in my head. All I have to do is see the written word, and puff!! there's the full sensory experience; but those cooks who have never eaten, much less prepared the food may have trouble with the visualization thing, so they need the photos, but don't let this small factor keep you away from this great cookbook.Thanks to this book I can now cook and EAT foods such as Panderos, Almojabanas, Boyo de Mazorca and Torta de Maduro and all my other comfort foods. I love, love this book. I love it so much, that I am giving it for Christmas to all my gringo-colombian relatives.In a nut shell......if you like Colombian food, and wish you could eat it on a regular basis but are unsure of how to cook it, then you need this book to help you along. You will not be disappointed.

This cookbook isn't much on pictures and color. So if you want that, then this isn't the cookbook for you. However if you want great Columbian recipes this is a cookbook you should get. For example, one of my friends from Columbia once showed me how to bake pandebono. If you've never had it, you have to try it. And the author of this book states basically the same. But after my friend left, I accidentally had lost my pandebono recipe and I'd tried re-creating them to that great recipe I once had. I've tried other cookbooks and either couldn't find pandebono or if they had it the recipe was off. I also had tried recipes from online and many of them were off too. But this one has it right on the mark. Not too many eggs. Just the right amount of masa or corn meal . Then your yucca starch and a fresh white cheese (I like to use queso de frier if you have Market Baskets and are on the east coast).It doesn't take much looking in this cookbook to see that you are getting authentic Columbian recipes that are written the right way. You may want to do a little research on the ingredients though so you can find them in the store.

There were very minimal amount of photos which Was a huge disappointment ( after seeing the cover). Good photos are very inspirational …and I like to know what I can expect the finished product to resemble . Maybe the recipes might have been authentic and delicious but I didn’t want to hold onto the book , choosing to return immediately .

Great book! Glossary in the back is a life saver! All is translated in the heading of every recipe. Instructions are very simple and engaging. Really, this is all you need to step into Columbia and go to market to shop for food and bring it home to cook! Admittedly hung up a little on the drinks section of the book, these recipes in themselves make the book worth buying. even a recipe on how to make your own spirits from corn! Soon learned to make it from yucca also. Unbelievable how much valuable information is packed into this book! Even if you are shopping for food in the U.S. , you will be steered to the right ingredients. The recipes are not "lofty", you will not need to get a dictionary to plow through any of them. The cooking supplies, you will have in your kitchen already. The instructions are easy to and straightforward , simple and unpretentious. It is a real grab and do book. You will not be set up for losses.

It’s alright. Very thorough collection of Colombian dishes, and being Colombian I recognize most of them. My husband, however, is not Colombian, and he is the cook of our home... so it’s kind of tricky for him to be inspired, or choose what to make. It would be so much better if each recipe had a high quality, full-color, glossy photo of the dish (like most cookbooks do)!

More photos associated with the recipes is a must!!!

Loving this book. I’m from Colombia and they bring me awesome memories of my childhood when I used to cook with my parents. The recipes are so good and easy to follow for anyone who’s interested in our cooking. I bought it for me & my husband, who’s American and loves our Latin food.

When I initially purchased this book I was pretty displeased with the instruction and with the lack of photos because I really had no idea what any of it was supposed to look or taste like. My fiance is Colombian and I wanted to learn to cook his food for him and I felt pretty lost. Now 3 years later I can say I have cooked a large number of the recipes in the book and all but one have been exactly what he remembered from home. Like the US, cuisine ranges from state to state and city to city and she breaks down the recipes in this manner. Sometimes offer several versions of each recipe, soncocho is one example. I can say this book is my bible now and I learned so much from it. I would say if you already know Colombian food you will love it. If you are a complete novice I think you will find it a bit overwhelming.

Excellent book!!!

The book arrived when it said it would and looks full of easy to follow recipes and photos.We're planning a trip to Colombia so this will give us inspiration on what to expect food wise when we get there.I'm excited to start cooking.

I bought this for one recipe, the contents brought back memories of a holiday in Colombia many moons ago. Will be making a few more

Good

Said it would take three weeks and came within one. Great book of recipes - entirely authentic (Colombian husband says so) and delicious. Good pictures and a bit of background for each recipe. Delighted, thanks.