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The Cuban Table: A Celebration of Food, Flavors, and History
~Nominated for a James Beard Award in the international cookbook category!~
The Cuban Table is a comprehensive, contemporary overview of Cuban food, recipes and culture as recounted by serious home cooks and professional chefs, restaurateurs and food writers. Cuban-American food writer Ana Sofia Pelaez and award-winning photographer Ellen Silverman traveled through Cuba, Miami and New York to document and learn about traditional Cuban cooking from a wide range of authentic sources.
Cuban home cooks are fiercely protective of their secrets. Content with a private kind of renown, they demonstrate an elusive turn of hand that transforms simple recipes into bright and memorable meals that draw family and friends to their tables time and again. More than just a list of ingredients or series of steps, Cuban cooks' tricks and touches hide in plain sight, staying within families or being passed down in well-worn copies of old cookbooks largely unread outside of the Cuban community.
Here you'll find documented recipes for everything from iconic Cuban sandwiches to rich stews with Spanish accents and African ingredients, accompanied by details about historical context and insight into cultural nuances. More than a cookbook, The Cuban Table is a celebration of Cuban cooking, culture and cuisine. With stunning photographs throughout and over 110 deliciously authentic recipes this cookbook invites you into one of the Caribbean's most interesting and vibrant cuisines.
The Cuban Table is a comprehensive, contemporary overview of Cuban food, recipes and culture as recounted by serious home cooks and professional chefs, restaurateurs and food writers. Cuban-American food writer Ana Sofia Pelaez and award-winning photographer Ellen Silverman traveled through Cuba, Miami and New York to document and learn about traditional Cuban cooking from a wide range of authentic sources.
Cuban home cooks are fiercely protective of their secrets. Content with a private kind of renown, they demonstrate an elusive turn of hand that transforms simple recipes into bright and memorable meals that draw family and friends to their tables time and again. More than just a list of ingredients or series of steps, Cuban cooks' tricks and touches hide in plain sight, staying within families or being passed down in well-worn copies of old cookbooks largely unread outside of the Cuban community.
Here you'll find documented recipes for everything from iconic Cuban sandwiches to rich stews with Spanish accents and African ingredients, accompanied by details about historical context and insight into cultural nuances. More than a cookbook, The Cuban Table is a celebration of Cuban cooking, culture and cuisine. With stunning photographs throughout and over 110 deliciously authentic recipes this cookbook invites you into one of the Caribbean's most interesting and vibrant cuisines.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published October 28, 2014
116 people are currently reading
334 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
November 29, 2017
Recipes are simple, but book could've benefitted from a lot more pictures of the actual dishes.
May 24, 2020
Mostly cookbook and part history of the Cuban diaspora and those still in Cuba. I really enjoyed the stories that surrounded each recipe and chapter. It really put many of the dishes into a personal space for the author.
I've already cooked a few dishes from the book and they were great. It's a good time for me to get to a book like this because it is not as precise as America's Test Kitchen, but I have the cooking skills necessary to do well with the recipes. A few years ago I wouldn't have done very well at all.
If you are of Cuban descent, miss living in Miami, or just would like to learn how to cook Cuban dishes, this is a great book for you. It really does function well as a survey of the cuisine.
I've already cooked a few dishes from the book and they were great. It's a good time for me to get to a book like this because it is not as precise as America's Test Kitchen, but I have the cooking skills necessary to do well with the recipes. A few years ago I wouldn't have done very well at all.
If you are of Cuban descent, miss living in Miami, or just would like to learn how to cook Cuban dishes, this is a great book for you. It really does function well as a survey of the cuisine.
January 2, 2020
I'm gaining more insight to a part of my heritage that I know little about.
February 10, 2021
The flavor of Cuba
It gets as closer as possible to experiencing Cuba during Corona.
I can imagine cooking a few recepies while listening to abundant Vista social club.
It gets as closer as possible to experiencing Cuba during Corona.
I can imagine cooking a few recepies while listening to abundant Vista social club.
June 30, 2019
This is one of those books that would be a great cookbook for someone else, but doesn't work for my family. The biggest reason is that the recipes are very meat-and wheat-centered, and we're a vegetarian and gluten free family. I am currently eating vegan and gluten free, and I had a hard time finding even one recipe that I could make to try it out. I did find one, which was a simple salad (sliced avocados, tomatoes and onions with salt and pepper, vinegar and lime) that was tasty but similar to dishes I already make.
The recipes are quite traditional and many require a rather substantial amount of time. Many of them are fried, and most do not seem very healthy. There are many photos and they're beautiful, but they tend to be of Cuba and restaurants and the Cuban life, not so much of the recipes themselves.
This would be a perfect cookbook for someone interested in cooking authentic Cuban food, especially street food and comfort food. Some ingredients may be difficult to source. No nutritional information is provided.
My rating system:
1 = hated it
2 = it was okay
3 = liked it
4 = really liked it
5 = love it, plan to purchase, and/or would buy it again if it was lost
I read a digital ARC of the book for the purpose of review.
The recipes are quite traditional and many require a rather substantial amount of time. Many of them are fried, and most do not seem very healthy. There are many photos and they're beautiful, but they tend to be of Cuba and restaurants and the Cuban life, not so much of the recipes themselves.
This would be a perfect cookbook for someone interested in cooking authentic Cuban food, especially street food and comfort food. Some ingredients may be difficult to source. No nutritional information is provided.
My rating system:
1 = hated it
2 = it was okay
3 = liked it
4 = really liked it
5 = love it, plan to purchase, and/or would buy it again if it was lost
I read a digital ARC of the book for the purpose of review.
February 10, 2015
The book is interesting as a cultural exploration of Cuban food but very few of the recipes looked appealing either because they are fried (probably half the recipes are deep or pan fried) or use ingredients that aren't easy to get, like Malanga.
November 3, 2014
Beautiful, beautiful book. The kind of cookbook that is a joy to thumb through, look at the photos, and read the stories with the recipes. Lovely.
January 27, 2016
Great photos and well-written, but involves ingredients hard to find outside of South Florida.
February 20, 2022
Month 2 of my new in person Cookbook Club. I love that this month, once again, I get to experiment with new flavors and learn some new things about people and cooking.
Pelaez and her co-author visited Cuba. They refused all offers of guided tours and help in finding food sources. They were intent on finding the true roots of Cuban cooking. They visited street markets, in home restaurants and just plain old folk who love to cook. They were surprised to find that the table set by many Cuban cooks varies widely from house to house. Family secret recipes, sourcing of local ingredients and other factors came into play to give each table they sat at different flavors.
The co-authors chose their favorites and compiled a cookbook that was easy to read, easy to follow, and with a few exceptions, containing ingredients that could be easily found or substituted.
My Cookbook club meets the last Monday of the month, with a pot-luck included. I am pretty sure that I will be making Lechon Asado. It is a marinated pork shoulder that can be served as a main dish meal with sides, or pulled apart and used for Cuban sandwiches. I will serve it with crusty bread and let the members how they want to eat it.
Pelaez and her co-author visited Cuba. They refused all offers of guided tours and help in finding food sources. They were intent on finding the true roots of Cuban cooking. They visited street markets, in home restaurants and just plain old folk who love to cook. They were surprised to find that the table set by many Cuban cooks varies widely from house to house. Family secret recipes, sourcing of local ingredients and other factors came into play to give each table they sat at different flavors.
The co-authors chose their favorites and compiled a cookbook that was easy to read, easy to follow, and with a few exceptions, containing ingredients that could be easily found or substituted.
My Cookbook club meets the last Monday of the month, with a pot-luck included. I am pretty sure that I will be making Lechon Asado. It is a marinated pork shoulder that can be served as a main dish meal with sides, or pulled apart and used for Cuban sandwiches. I will serve it with crusty bread and let the members how they want to eat it.
January 20, 2020
This cookbook was absolutely amazing. Delicious recipes partnered with beautiful pictures and amazing stories, this cookbook attracted my attention on numerous levels. I will say that the better chunk of the recipes are more complex for the novice chef, but most are "doable" with patience. Also, one needs to be aware of difficulties in getting some ingredients.
January 15, 2021
Such a complete book is rare. While there are few pictures - which you usually enjoy in a cookbook - the recipes and explanations are thorough enough, yet not overwhelming. The books relates family and friend stories, making it personable and historical facts, which make it informative. The style is impeccable.
February 28, 2019
Beautiful pictures, but I would have liked to have captions since I'm not familiar with Cuban food. The descriptions and explanations were very good and many of the recipes made my mouth water. Definitely trying some of these when I can obtain the ingredients.
April 9, 2025
Research for Juliette’s piece and a nice evening read.
Wow, to be hugged and embraced by book of a different culture yet even if the light hits differently, feeling these sun-lit kitchens with so much resonance of my own private nostalgias.
“I have thrown beans in the ground and seen them grow.”🥹
Wow, to be hugged and embraced by book of a different culture yet even if the light hits differently, feeling these sun-lit kitchens with so much resonance of my own private nostalgias.
“I have thrown beans in the ground and seen them grow.”🥹
November 2, 2018
Reading this off and on. Ready to go to Cuba!
March 18, 2019
A gorgeous cookbook that contains lots of history and stories.
April 2, 2019
Possibly a 4.5. Everything looks delicious and I can’t wait to get cooking & baking! Great photography as well.
February 17, 2021
Super book about Cuban food and traditions around food. Very detailed. Great photos. Great recipes!
March 20, 2017
It's a beautiful book with lovely pictures. The writing/stories about the food are "meh". The recipes, however, are great. For dinner tonight we had delicious rice, beans, plantains and marinated chicken.
November 2, 2022
I had picked up a few Cuban cookbooks from the Los Angeles and Orange County library systems and this one - by far - was the best presentation. The few dishes I have made turned out well and tasted like my favorite Cuban restaurants. If you have any interest in this cuisine, this is the best option for you to explore.
September 24, 2014
Aside from the amazing traditional Cuban recipes, which in itself is culinary Gold, the personal stories and anecdotes make the Cuban Table a must have for any lover of Cuban Cuisine, as well as the history behind the food.
I really enjoyed the little stories that Ana Sofia Pelaez tells in each chapter- like a welcoming host, she invites us into her kitchen and feeds us delicious food, as well as entertains us with family stories connected with the cuisine.
This is by far one of the best cookbooks I have opened in quite a long time. I cannot wait to start trying all of these recipes out on my family. The photos that accompany the recipes are beautiful-giving the cook something to aspire to. Well done!
I really enjoyed the little stories that Ana Sofia Pelaez tells in each chapter- like a welcoming host, she invites us into her kitchen and feeds us delicious food, as well as entertains us with family stories connected with the cuisine.
This is by far one of the best cookbooks I have opened in quite a long time. I cannot wait to start trying all of these recipes out on my family. The photos that accompany the recipes are beautiful-giving the cook something to aspire to. Well done!
July 2, 2016
Beautiful book with many interesting stories on the history of recipes. Gorgeous pictures and authentic recipes. Makes a person want to visit Cuba before it advances into this century. Even if you are not interested in preparing the recipes from this book, you may want to travel to Cuba to taste the cuisine where it originated.
Read
December 23, 2019Great, simple recipes with most of the ingredients and tools easy to attain where I'm from. Helpful section in the back with recipes for core ingredients I'm not able to buy. It needed more pictures so I had to Google some of the dishes to know what to aim for.
December 24, 2020
Great book
Loads of interesting recipes and beautiful pictures of an underrated cuisine. If you have a Hispanic market anywhere near you most of the ingredients are readily available.
Loads of interesting recipes and beautiful pictures of an underrated cuisine. If you have a Hispanic market anywhere near you most of the ingredients are readily available.
October 30, 2014
I may not be able to pronounce most of the recipes, but can't wait to try them. Nice story goes along with the cookbook. Wonderful pictures, would make a great gift.
January 27, 2016
This book is so beautiful and I've tried several of the recipes and all are absolutely delicious. This book is one that I reach for over and over again.
January 20, 2017
The recipe for the (best) black beans (ever) is reason alone to read this fantastic cookbook. The tidbits about Cuba and her people only enhance its value.
May 28, 2015
loved the personal touch with this book. so excited for the pork recipes I bookmarked
February 17, 2018
Author: Ana Sofia Pelaez
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Rating: 8
ISBN/ASIN: 9781250036087
Sales Url: http://amzn.to/2C0GL4X
Review:
For as long as there have been families, one of the routes to developing culture and heritage has been through the family kitchen, which in this day of nuclear families, the internet, and the latest eating fads, is loosing continuity. This familial and historical aspect of cooking permeates every page of The Cuban Table: A Celebration of Food, Flavors and History. This is not a book merely of recipes, but a love-letter to Cuban cooking. The author, Ana Sofia Pelaez, clearly cherishes her subject, as does Ellen Silverman's camera. There is background from the author, and a sense of history of the recipes and culture. Now I want to visit Miami and seek out Cuban restaurants, and maybe even find my way to Cuba to stay in a casa particular (a private home with rooms for guests) and check out the family restaurants called paladares.
I have not tried all of the 100+ recipes; but I am in the process of making a dent in them. In my head which has no Spanish in it, their exotic names feel like some kind of magical incantation: Rabo encenido, batidos, quimbombó. I feel a little like I have a secret eye into the Cuban kitchen, knowing (now) that Cuban cooks are fiercely protective of their cooking secrets. Translating the food from the page to the plate feels like an adventure for me. Sadly, however, since I am not really familiar with Cuban cuisine, I have no way of knowing if my efforts (delicious as they have proven to be, even with my low carbing them), I really don't know if they hit or miss the traditional mark. I have not been intrusive with my changes. Instead of putting the picadillo filling into a ball of potato, I used peppers instead. I have to tell you, the recipe was delicious, and though the flavoring (a combination of olives, onions, garlic, cumin, pepper and cinnamon!) was like nothing I have ever had before, it felt familiar.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves Cuban food and culture, or to anyone who wants to expand their tastebuds. Let me draw the circle a little bigger. The truth is that if you have a mouth, you'll appreciate this book.
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Rating: 8
ISBN/ASIN: 9781250036087
Sales Url: http://amzn.to/2C0GL4X
Review:
For as long as there have been families, one of the routes to developing culture and heritage has been through the family kitchen, which in this day of nuclear families, the internet, and the latest eating fads, is loosing continuity. This familial and historical aspect of cooking permeates every page of The Cuban Table: A Celebration of Food, Flavors and History. This is not a book merely of recipes, but a love-letter to Cuban cooking. The author, Ana Sofia Pelaez, clearly cherishes her subject, as does Ellen Silverman's camera. There is background from the author, and a sense of history of the recipes and culture. Now I want to visit Miami and seek out Cuban restaurants, and maybe even find my way to Cuba to stay in a casa particular (a private home with rooms for guests) and check out the family restaurants called paladares.
I have not tried all of the 100+ recipes; but I am in the process of making a dent in them. In my head which has no Spanish in it, their exotic names feel like some kind of magical incantation: Rabo encenido, batidos, quimbombó. I feel a little like I have a secret eye into the Cuban kitchen, knowing (now) that Cuban cooks are fiercely protective of their cooking secrets. Translating the food from the page to the plate feels like an adventure for me. Sadly, however, since I am not really familiar with Cuban cuisine, I have no way of knowing if my efforts (delicious as they have proven to be, even with my low carbing them), I really don't know if they hit or miss the traditional mark. I have not been intrusive with my changes. Instead of putting the picadillo filling into a ball of potato, I used peppers instead. I have to tell you, the recipe was delicious, and though the flavoring (a combination of olives, onions, garlic, cumin, pepper and cinnamon!) was like nothing I have ever had before, it felt familiar.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves Cuban food and culture, or to anyone who wants to expand their tastebuds. Let me draw the circle a little bigger. The truth is that if you have a mouth, you'll appreciate this book.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews