My love and passion for cooking has always been ingrained in my family from a very early age. After moving from the Dominican Republic to New York City, the melting pot of the US, my mother always made the effort to introduce me to new cultures, traditions, and food from all parts of the world. Since growing up in this city, the convenience to travel through public transportation made it accessible to travel through the boroughs and do our own culinary tours.

Mi pasión por la cocina siempre fue arraigada en mi familia desde una temprana edad.  Después de emigrar de la República Dominicana hasta Nueva York mi madre siempre hizo el esfuerzo de introducirme a diferentes culturas, tradiciones, y comidas descendientes de  diferentes partes del mundo. La facilidad de tener acceso a transportación pública, hizo posible el recorrido de visitar los diferentes condados de la ciudad y hacer nuestro propios tours de comida.

Through my teenage years growing up in this city to now as an adult, I developed a taste for good food and cooking.  

Durante mi etapa de adolescencia y hasta ahora le tengo una gran admiración al arte culinario y la buena comida. 

Since this city has so many restaurants, food fairs, and food trucks to offer, it has helped me to taste the different spices, seasonings, and flavors that go with the different cuisine styles from other parts of the world.  Therefore, my inspiration for cooking has grown immensely. I always enjoy recreating my favorite dishes.

Al estar expuesta  a una abundancia de restaurantes, festivales internacionales y nacionales de comida y camiones de comida me han facilitado a descubrir las diferentes especies, sazones, y sabores por los cuales me inspiran a recrear diferente recetas en la cocina.  

As a native of the Dominican Republic, Dominican food will always be my favorite cuisine. And being exposed to other cultures has positively inspired me to update my everyday dishes from back home.

Al ser de la República Dominicana, la cocina Dominicana siempre será mi favorita. No obstante, al estar expuesta a otras cocinas me han dado gran inspiración en recrearlas.

Looking through the NYPL cookbooks section has inspired me to look for great recipes.  Therefore, I came up with my favorite 10 cooking books that include recipes that I have added to my repertoire.

La biblioteca de la ciudad de Nueva York tiene una sección de libros de cocina muy fascinantes. Dichos libros me han inspirado y me han ayudado a recrear 10 de mis recetas favoritas de diferentes países.

Recipes | Recetas

Mexican Food – Comida Mexicana

Mexico: the Cookbook / Margarita Carrillo Arronte
Recipe: Enchiladas suizas
Receta: Enchiladas suizas

Cuban Food – Comida Cubana

 

La cocina cubana de Vero / Verónica Cervera
Recipe: Cod fish croquettes 
Receta: Croquetas de bacalao

Brazilian Food – Comida Brasileira

The Brazilian kitchen: 100 Classic and Contemporary recipes for the home cook / Leticia Moreinos Schwartz. Photography by Ben Fink
Recipe: Toasted manioc flour with eggs and scallions
Receta: Farofa de yuca con huevos y cebolla verde

Indonesian Food – Comida de Indonesia

 

Lucky rice: Stories and Recipes from Night Markets, Feasts, and Family Tables / Danielle Chang photographs by Christina Holmes
Recipe: Indonesian fried rice
Receta: Arroz frito al estilo Indonesio

Chinese Food – Comida China

Whole World Vegetarian / Marie Simmons. Photography by Teri Lynn Fisher and Jenny Park
Recipe: Spicy stir-fried tofu with oyster mushrooms, red pepper, and bok choy
Receta: Salteado picante tofu con setas de ostra, pimiento rojo y bok choy

Latin-Caribbean Food – Comida del Caribe/ Latina

 

Latin grilling: Recipes to Share, from Patagonian Asado to Yucatecan Barbecue and more / Lourdes Castro. Photography by Tara Donne
Recipe: Sugarcane skewered shrimp with coconut-lime Glaze
Receta: Pinchos de caña de azúcar con camarones y glaseados con limón y coco.

Peruvian Food – Comida Peruana

 

The everything Peruvian cookbook / Morena Cuadra and Morena Escardó
Recipe: Fried seafood mini empanadas
Receta: Empanadas de mariscos

Italian Food – Comida Italiana

 

The Tuscan Sun Cookbook: Recipes from our Italian kitchen / Frances Mayes and Edward Mayes. Photographs by Steven Rothfeld
Recipe: Orecchiette with shrimp
Receta: Orecchiette con camarones

Thai Food – Comida Tailandesa

 

Hot Thai Kitchen: Demystifying Thai Cuisine with Authentic Recipes to Make-at-Home / Pailin Chongchitnant
Recipe: Pad Thai
Receta: Pad Thai

Portuguese Food – Comida Portuguesa

 

Helena's Portuguese Kitchen: 80 Simple & Sunny Recipes / Helena Loureiro
Recipe: Paella with squid ink rice
Receta: Paella de arroz negro

Do you have any favorite recipes to share? Any favorite cookbooks? I invite you to explore NYC and all the wonderful international food available in each of our neighborhoods. Remember you can get started at the library with some of these cookbooks.

¿Tienes alguna receta favorita que le gustaría compartir? ¿Algún libro de cocina favorito? Los invito a explorar la ciudad de Nueva York y la maravillosa comida internacional disponible en cada uno de nuestros barrios. Y recuerde que puede empezar visitando su biblioteca más cercana con alguno de estos libros.

 Featuring contributions by Adriana Blancarte-Hayward.