| Title | : | Fiesta!: A Celebration of Latin Hospitality |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0785813640 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780785813644 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 388 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 1997 |
| Awards | : | James Beard Foundation Award American Cooking (1998) |
From other edition:
The secret of Latin hospitality? A magic recipe that combines style and panache with an easygoing, carefree approach. Put out wonderful food, then party today and do the dishes ma±ana! Fiesta food is vibrant, friendly, generous, and simple. It adds sparkle to casual Sunday dinners, backyard barbecues, informal cocktails, and--certainly--wild Latin parties. No wonder it's the newest culinary craze!
In Fiesta!, Anya von Bremzen perfectly captures the zest and exuberance of Latin food and traditions along with the joyous spirit of the Latin people. She presents a rainbow of empanadas and other enticing snacks; folksy meal-in-a-bowl soups, such as Colombian Three-Potato Chowder and Brazilian Bouillabaisse; homey yet elegant entrees from Inca Herb-Wrapped Beef to Basque Tuna in Melting Onion Sauce; and--to top it all off--sweets like CafÚ con Leche Mousse, Caramel-Pineapple Cheesecake, and Peruvian Pumpkin Doughnuts. On special holiday occasions, celebrate with a famous Venezuelan Ham Bread, Portuguese Mint-Crusted Easter Lamb, or Latin Party Roast Fresh Ham with Cracklings.
Short essays, side notes, and the recipe introductions all evoke the vibrant music, zest for life, and festive traditions that light up not only the small towns and major cities of Latin America, Portugal, and Spain, but also the burgeoning Latino communities of the United States.
Photographs by John Welchman in dazzling color and evocative black and white bring Anya von Bremzen's word pictures brilliantly to life, so that reading and looking through Fiesta! will make you want not only to cook these dishes for friends and family but also to turn up the music and dance to a seductive Latin beat.
Fiesta!: A Celebration of Latin Hospitality Reviews
-
My review: pumpkin donuts! I'm not even sure if there are other recipes in this book.
-
Anya von Bremzen was born in Russia and grew up in the United States. She is fluent in both Spanish and Portuguese and has traveled extensively in both Iberia and Latin America. Herself an eclectic woman, she set out to write an eclectic book about the foods of both Latin America and related dishes in Spain and Portugal. She also discusses the ethnic migrations which account, for example, for the German and Italian influences in Argentinean cooking. Because many similar dishes are known by different names in different Latin American countries, she identifies these by their several names. In keeping with the title of the book, the next-to-last chapter is keyed to those foods associated with various Roman Catholic holidays. She devotes considerable attention to how to find authentic ingredients in the US and to appropriate substitutions. She also offers small digressions which trace the history of Latin music and dancing which, while irrelevant, are interesting. I never read a book describing cooking with banana leaves which told me: "You can also iron them with a regular iron, set on low." (p. 380) This is a useful book out of which I have cooked a number of recipes already and to which I will frequently return.
