Enjoy fast, free delivery, exclusive deals, and award-winning movies & TV shows with Prime
Try Prime and start saving today with fast, free delivery

Hardcover
$49.95

$49.95

FREE Returns

FREE delivery Monday, April 14

Or Prime members get FREE delivery Tomorrow, April 10. Order within 31 mins.

In Stock

$$49.95 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details

Ships from

Amazon.com

Sold by

Amazon.com

Returns

30-day refund/replacement

Payment

Secure transaction

Add a gift receipt for easy returns

$23.92

This is a hard cover book: Used - Acceptable: All pages and the cover are intact, but shrink wrap, dust covers, or boxed set case may be missing. Pages may include limited notes, highlighting, or minor water damage but the text is readable. Item may be missing bundled media. This is a hard cover book: Used - Acceptable: All pages and the cover are intact, but shrink wrap, dust covers, or boxed set case may be missing. Pages may include limited notes, highlighting, or minor water damage but the text is readable. Item may be missing bundled media. See less

$3.99 delivery April 17 - 23. Details

Only 1 left in stock - order soon.

$$49.95 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details

Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.

Enhancements you chose aren't available for this seller. Details

${cardName} not available for the seller you chose

${cardName} unavailable for quantities greater than ${maxQuantity}.

Ships from and sold by Clickgoodwill.

Other sellers on Amazon

New & Used (25) from $23.91 + $3.99 shipping

Gran Cocina Latina: The Food of Latin AmericaCookbook Divas

Image Unavailable

Image not available for
Color:

To view this video download Flash Player

Follow the author

Maricel E. Presilla

Follow

Gran Cocina Latina: The Food of Latin America Hardcover – October 1, 2012

by Maricel E. Presilla (Author)

468 ratings

{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$49.95","priceAmount":49.95,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"49","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"95","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"aa4XS94E3SOD2geApiAJBNTBXdlCtF8cmuhP51wmF6NLgAX5KkUZ7PQVJ5Lg3c4UKPalEqWqrEenSRTxiZgUiKbYnX5TwBjCf3MGGORsqggOKRO28gpXRMW%2FsRTT2%2F0e6vIC8qNOMKt2OBqzJKgUSA%3D%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$23.92","priceAmount":23.92,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"23","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"92","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"aa4XS94E3SOD2geApiAJBNTBXdlCtF8cyPb0cuEnIOAbgH8uva%2F78qFZ%2FOGKYGxwgf0jcOMUZ0V23cQ2YQFPD7vsJUfuJJdGROkHlE8GmGOHpA4QN%2BEFySj4s1uEn9nSwCBurbPzY0w%2F5AMblK9O48ywjuJuhScGGOpVFKrTIR79D2J6PFAojA%3D%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

The 2013 James Beard Foundation Cookbook of the Year

How to cook everything Latin American.

Gran Cocina Latina unifies the vast culinary landscape of the Latin world, from Mexico to Argentina and all the Spanish-speaking countries of the Caribbean. In one volume it gives home cooks, armchair travelers, and curious chefs the first comprehensive collection of recipes from this region. An inquisitive historian and a successful restaurateur, Maricel E. Presilla has spent more than thirty years visiting each country personally. She’s gathered more than 500 recipes for the full range of dishes, from the foundational adobos and sofritos to empanadas and tamales to ceviches and moles to sancocho and desserts such as flan and tres leches cake. Detailed equipment notes, drink and serving suggestions, and color photographs of finished dishes are also included. This is a one-of-a-kind cookbook to be savored and read as much for the writing and information as for its introduction to heretofore unrevealed recipes. Two-color; 32 pages of color photographs; 75 line drawings

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This extraordinary masterwork could only have been written by someone with an academic’s patience and sense of history and tradition. Vastly detailed and rich with anthropological, historical, and cultural information, I refer to this book first anytime I want to learn or better understand anything about Latin cuisine."
― Samin Nosrat, author of Salt Fat Acid Heat

"This book not only answers the how but the why as well. Maricel is our bridge to the past, the history of Latin American cocina, describing the original connections to Spain and its cooking and then what has evolved... more aromas, more textures, more flavors, more sexy ingredients. We can now understand Latin America better because of Maricel and the amazing foods that tell its rich history."
― José Andrés

"I know of no other book that approaches the scholarship, passion and decades-long dedication that Maricel Presilla has lavished on Gran Cocina Latina."
― Rick Bayless

"Gran Cocina Latina is a book as grand as its subject. It’s a beautifully written distillation of Maricel Presilla’s decades of experience in the markets and kitchens of Latin America. I can’t imagine a better guide to this vast and underappreciated region. Maricel is a scholar, food importer, restaurateur, tireless explorer, and above all is passionate about everything she does. Gran Cocina Latina explains clearly how to bring the special flavors of Latin America to our own tables."
― Harold McGee

"Books like this don’t happen very often so drink it in and know it will still be in your kitchen ten years from now."
― Lynne Rossetto Kasper, Host of The Splendid Table®, public radio's national food show from American Public Media

"The food of the Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking New World is complex, intricate, and has variety and range, extending from Cuba to Ecuador and from Mexico to Brazil. Maricel Presilla, a chef and food historian, takes us through that whole continent in a comprehensible, intelligent, original, and delicious voyage."
― Jacques Pépin

"[A] serious but accessible study."
― Pete Wells, New York Times

About the Author

Maricel E. Presilla is the co-owner of Zafra and Cucharamama, two Latin restaurants in Hoboken, New Jersey. She holds a doctorate in medieval Spanish history from New York University and lives in Weehawken, New Jersey.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ W. W. Norton & Company; 1st edition (October 1, 2012)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 912 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0393050696
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0393050691
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.3 x 2.2 x 10.4 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #146,151 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #30 in Caribbean & West Indian Cooking & Wine
- #37 in Latin American Cooking, Food & Wine
- #81 in Mexican Cooking, Food & Wine

Customer Reviews:
468 ratings

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Upload your video

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

Maricel E. Presilla

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read book recommendations and more.

Customer reviews

468 global ratings

How customer reviews and ratings work

Review this product

Write a customer review

Customers say

Customers praise this cookbook for its authentic Latin American recipes that combine history and cooking styles. The book is well-written, easy to read, and features beautifully done photos, making it a great gift for cooking enthusiasts. Customers find it entertaining and inspiring, with one noting it serves as a history lesson through pots and pans.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Select to learn more

Recipes Information quality Readability Picture quality History Gift value Enjoyment Inspiration

79 customers mention "Recipes"76 positive3 negative

Customers love the recipes in this cookbook, which combines authentic Latin American dishes with historical context and a wide variety of cooking styles.

"...Latin Larousse, but with its straightforward style and infectious enthusiasm for the cuisine, it is its own beast, and a beautiful one at that!..." Read more

"...This book promises to be user-friendly. There are only a few recipes that appear too daunting for the home cook without a Latin pantry...." Read more

"...I found recipes for real traditional dishes from different countries, the book gives a lot of details and even small tips...." Read more

"...The author often includs background on a recipe or details about the origins of different foods, preparations, and terminology...." Read more

36 customers mention "Information quality"36 positive0 negative

Customers find the cookbook extremely comprehensive and very informative, with one customer noting it provides detailed background information about each dish.

"...book covers the varied cuisines of the Latin world with such incredible detail that it is easily my favorite on the subject...." Read more

"...Presilla's narratives are informative, hugely readable and entertaining. She has a nice touch between history, regional color and introspection...." Read more

"...for real traditional dishes from different countries, the book gives a lot of details and even small tips...." Read more

"...The author often includs background on a recipe or details about the origins of different foods, preparations, and terminology...." Read more

18 customers mention "Readability"15 positive3 negative

Customers find the book well written and easy to read, with one customer noting it reads like a delicious novel.

"...Presilla's narratives are informative, hugely readable and entertaining. She has a nice touch between history, regional color and introspection...." Read more

"...This book is an exception. The author took her time and shows great respect for the region and its food...." Read more

"...Amazing amount of research and work by the author. I also have her book on peppers. Love them both." Read more

"...Let me just say that this looks like a very detailed text and my decision was no reflection on the author...." Read more

12 customers mention "Picture quality"12 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the pictures in the cookbook, noting they are beautifully done, and one customer mentions they are simpler than they appear.

"...imagined it to be like a Latin Larousse, but with its straightforward style and infectious enthusiasm for the cuisine, it is its own beast, and a..." Read more

"...The photos are beautifully done and show what the recipe should look like when it prepared...." Read more

"...I am sure I will order it for my collection. It is a beautiful and useful book with many excellent recipes...." Read more

"...; you will find wine pairings, great dessert section and really beautiful photography. Kudos to the food stylist! Love this book!" Read more

7 customers mention "History"7 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the historical content of the cookbook, with one mentioning it serves as a history lesson through pots and pans.

"...She has a nice touch between history, regional color and introspection. This book promises to be user-friendly...." Read more

"...I can't wait to bring dishes from this book that are right out of history!!" Read more

"...Perhaps most gratifying are the fragments of history of where these foods originated and where and how they arrived and were modified for the New..." Read more

"...In addition to the most fatastic recipes there is explanation and background history that makes each recepie mean oh so much morte...." Read more

6 customers mention "Gift value"6 positive0 negative

Customers find the cookbook to be a great gift, particularly for those who love to cook.

"...It was a great gift for her...." Read more

"The book is super complete and has all amazing receipts, great gift!" Read more

"...informative about Latin cooking and fantastic little stories too..great gift or to treat yourself" Read more

"Great gift" Read more

4 customers mention "Enjoyment"4 positive0 negative

Customers find the book entertaining.

"...Presilla's narratives are informative, hugely readable and entertaining. She has a nice touch between history, regional color and introspection...." Read more

"...the author's personal experiences which provides context and enjoyment for the reader...." Read more

"Engaging and exhaustively researched in-depth cookbook. Makes me feel I am from every country in Latin America...." Read more

"...things my grandmother taught me - it just was so very informative and fun!!" Read more

4 customers mention "Inspiration"4 positive0 negative

Customers find the book inspiring, with one mentioning it includes personal experiences.

"This cookbook is truly amazing. Very inspiring if you love any kind of Latin food and want to try making it at home...." Read more

"...description of spices, chilis and flavor building and a like of personal experiences to tie it all together...." Read more

"Comprehensive and inspiring. I went out and bought a whole range of new spices the day after I skimmed the pages so I'd be ready to cook." Read more

"...This one takes you on a vacation, with insight and inspiration. Bought my first molcajete because of it." Read more

Reviews with images

See all photos

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews. Please reload the page.

Calpurnia Hayes
Incredible tour of Latin cuisine
Reviewed in the United States on September 29, 2012
Verified Purchase

This book is absolutely amazing. I cannot recommend it highly enough. I have other books on Mexican cuisine (Kennedy and Bayless) and a couple of Caribbean cookbook, but this book covers the varied cuisines of the Latin world with such incredible detail that it is easily my favorite on the subject. I had intitially imagined it to be like a Latin Larousse, but with its straightforward style and infectious enthusiasm for the cuisine, it is its own beast, and a beautiful one at that! While it does not offer a complete view of the cuisines of any one country (a little disappointed to not have a pipian verde recipe), I can't imagine any book coming as close to doing so as this one does.

The recipes are straightforward and presented with introductions that makes them hard to resist. Ever since I received the book I've been scouring the internet for different rare ingredients(Chiles chilhuacles, chiles mirasol, chicha jora, to name a few), but the book overs good substitutions for ingredients that you may have difficulty procuring outside of their native regions (I'm looking at you, chilhuacles negros!). I've already made a Peruvian adobo from the book and just finished grinding together chiles pequin and cocoa nibs to create in incredible Mayan seasoning brick that can be grated onto dishes as needed. I'm also gathering up the ingredients to make the epic Oaxacan mole negro for Halloween (I'm absolutely fascinated by the prospect of burning a bunch of chile seeds to carbon and using them to color the sauce- noxious fumes be damned!) Who knows, by next summer I may even be planting my own selection of chiles and herbs that I can make more of these fantastic recipes.

If you have any interest in authentic Latin cuisine, or are passionate about the art of cooking in any way, you need to buy this book. It will surely earn a prominent place amongst your cookbooks and on your kitchen counters.

Read more

107 people found this helpful

Helpful

Report
Pommes
The new canon of Latin American cooking
Reviewed in the United States on June 18, 2013
Verified Purchase
A big cookbook award winner this year was Maricel Presilla's Gran Cocina Latina, which was awarded Cookbook of the Year by the James Beard Foundation and the General Award by the IACP. So, with those credentials, it's worth a look.

The key to why Presilla's Gran Cocina Latina will be a success as a cookbook and as a major contribution to the literature is to be found in her acknowledgements way back on page 859 where she writes: "The book is about crossovers, the taking of recipes from their home turf to a different environment to give them new life." Back in 1972, Diana Kennedy wrote the Cuisines of Mexico. It endures as a classic authoritative source. But as a cookbook it's user-hostile. Our copy has been gathering dust in the library for forty years.

Presilla's narratives are informative, hugely readable and entertaining. She has a nice touch between history, regional color and introspection. This book promises to be user-friendly. There are only a few recipes that appear too daunting for the home cook without a Latin pantry.

For sure, I am going to get into the chapters on Little Latin Dishes and Cebiches. But not before her chapter in Hot Pepper Pots. Gathering stews and braised dishes from the entire Latin world and placing them in their own chapter is so inventive that it suggests genius.

Gran Cocina Latina is the new canon of Latin American food. A triumph of research and application.

Read more

14 people found this helpful

Helpful

Report
Claire Turney
Fantastic book that combines history and recipes
Reviewed in the United States on October 16, 2023
Verified Purchase
I am excited to dig through this book! I was looking for something to use for potlucks in my medieval recreationist group that wasn't euro-centric and this is it! The author gives details describing how recipes were adapted after the Columbian exchange in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. I can't wait to bring dishes from this book that are right out of history!!

Read more

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Report
Rebeca
Diversity of recipes and very accurate, I’m in love with it
Reviewed in the United States on April 1, 2020
Verified Purchase
This is the best book I’ve seen so far!! As a native from Central America I was sad to realize that I didn’t know a lot of recipes when I moved from home. After searching for a while I came across this book, the amount of recipes is amazing. I found recipes for real traditional dishes from different countries, the book gives a lot of details and even small tips. I love how you can find different types of recipes from street food to more complex food.

If you want to learn how to make real food from Latin American countries this is probably the best book you’ll find. Comes with a ton of recipes and easy to understand instructions.

I’m not sure why people is complaining about the history part, this is a cooking book so I don’t expect it to be accurate in that matter.

Read more

22 people found this helpful

Helpful

Report
Lauren B
Wow! What an amazing book!
Reviewed in the United States on July 24, 2013
Verified Purchase
This cookbook is worthy of your coffee table - within its 3-inch binding is everything you could want or need to know about Latin food!

I am a Latin-food enthusiast, and was looking for basic preparations from which to build my own variations on basic recipes. This book fits the bill: basic cooking 101 for salsas, mojos, mole sauces, pork roasts, you name it. I finally learned how to properly prepare yuca roots for cooking with her step-by-step directions! The author often includs background on a recipe or details about the origins of different foods, preparations, and terminology.

This is clearly a labor of love, and I highly recommend anyone with a passion for Latin food pick it up for inspiration. It is a first edition, and does have some typos, but so far I've only found 2 and they were page-reference numbers that were wrong. But that does not detract from the extensive coverage and attention to detail. Definitely my all-time favorite cookbook!

Read more

5 people found this helpful

Helpful

Report
Bob B
Great Reference Book for Latin Recipes
Reviewed in the United States on January 7, 2015
Verified Purchase
Great reference book with an assortment of recipes from the Latin culture. Some recipes vary from the traditional ingredients and methods used by family. Varied recipes are not uncommon when they have been passed down from generation to generation. Latin recipes are also known to vary from region to region as well as from country to country, so don't let varying recipes discourage you.

Overall a great reference book for Latin cuisine with a wide variety of great recipes.

Read more

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English

Ads
The encyclopaedia of Latin cuisine
Reviewed in Australia on August 7, 2024
Verified Purchase

Excellent read. Great format

Read more
Report
Auxiliadora Felix
A Bíblia da Gastronomia Latinoamericana
Reviewed in Brazil on October 21, 2022
Verified Purchase
Se você gosta e quer saber mais sobre a gastronomia da América Latina TEM QUE TER esse livro. Muuuuito bom. Melhor aquisição do ano.

Read more
Report
Translate review to English
Foodie from BC
I have enjoyed many salsas and soups found here thus far
Reviewed in Canada on May 12, 2018
Verified Purchase
Not your usual book for Latino fare but... Still, I have enjoyed many salsas and soups found here thus far. Comprehensive and likely to help you appreciate the distinctions between different cuisines in the Latino world. Some ingredients may be hard to source in a small town but the web can help. I absolutely love the chicken soup -simple and delicious!

Read more
Report
la_pigera
Lange gesucht…
Reviewed in Germany on April 19, 2024
Verified Purchase
Mit Verwandtschaft in Guatemala und Argentinien habe ich lange nach einem Kochbuch gesucht, in dem ich ganz Lateinamerika wiederfinde! Hier ist es! Es ist nicht nur ein Kochbuch, es ist eine wissenschaftliche Abhandlung über die Küche Lateinamerikas! Wunderbar, klare Empfehlung!

Read more
Report
Translate review to English
Curry Chef
If you want to get under the hood of Latin Amerian cuisine you will not find a better book.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 17, 2018
Verified Purchase
If you really want to get under the hood of Latin American cuisine this is the book. If you want a quick recipe this is not the book but I would encourage you to change your mind and get under the hood with this book. Extremely well written with anecdotal stories and historical references that at first I thought would be just a hindrance to getting to grips with the cuisine but rapidly realised that they are an integral part of understanding Latin American cuisine and culture and the two are integral. The author is a very intelligent and educated author nom domiciled in the US who has travelled Latin America, has a doctorate in medieval Spanish history and is the chef and co-owner of Cucharamama in Hoboken, New Jersey. You can't get much better pedigree than that.The history background is a big part of what drives this book. I have read thousands of cook books and collect antique cook books and modern classic. This is the latter. This is a cookbook you can sit and read and really enjoy. It is worth twice the price. You will not regret buying this book.

Read more

One person found this helpful
Report

See more reviews

Amazon Prime includes:

Follow the author

Gran Cocina Latina: The Food of Latin America Hardcover – October 1, 2012

Purchase options and add-ons

Frequently bought together

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Editorial Reviews

Review

About the Author

Product details

Videos

Videos for this product

About the author

Maricel E. Presilla

Customer reviews

Review this product

Customers say

Select to learn more

Images in this review

Reviews with images

Torn page will make cooking more difficult :(

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews. Please reload the page.

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible tour of Latin cuisine

5.0 out of 5 stars The new canon of Latin American cooking

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic book that combines history and recipes

5.0 out of 5 stars Diversity of recipes and very accurate, I’m in love with it

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow! What an amazing book!

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Reference Book for Latin Recipes

Top reviews from other countries

5.0 out of 5 stars The encyclopaedia of Latin cuisine

5.0 out of 5 stars A Bíblia da Gastronomia Latinoamericana

5.0 out of 5 stars I have enjoyed many salsas and soups found here thus far

5.0 out of 5 stars Lange gesucht…

5.0 out of 5 stars If you want to get under the hood of Latin Amerian cuisine you will not find a better book.

Incredible tour of Latin cuisine

The new canon of Latin American cooking

Fantastic book that combines history and recipes

Diversity of recipes and very accurate, I’m in love with it

Wow! What an amazing book!

Great Reference Book for Latin Recipes

The encyclopaedia of Latin cuisine

A Bíblia da Gastronomia Latinoamericana

I have enjoyed many salsas and soups found here thus far

Lange gesucht…

If you want to get under the hood of Latin Amerian cuisine you will not find a better book.