In this first English-language book of Nicaraguan cooking (and indeed, the
only one available in any language), Trudy Espinoza-Abrams has dug deep into
her childhood in Granada, Nicaragua and sifted through the countless hours
spent in her grandmother's kitchen and her aunt's restaurant to come up with
a comprehensive guide to Nicaraguan cooking, recipes, ingredients, and food
preparation techniques that is both easy to follow and reliably produces
excellent and delicious results, even for inexperienced cooks. The book
contains many recipes, divided into sections on Breakfast, Salads,
Appetizers, Soups, Main Dishes, Side Dishes, Vegetables, Sauces, Desserts,
and Drinks. Included are all the famous dishes of Nicaragua, such as Sopa de
Carne (Beef Soup), Vaho (Steamed Vegetables with Beef), Plato de Tortuga
(Turtle Stew), Nacatamal (Corn & Pork Tamale), Vigorón (Yucca with Pork),
Gallo Pinto (Red Beans & Rice), Buñuelos (Cassava Patties with Syrup), Sopa
Borracha (Drunken Soup), and many dozens of other traditional Nicaraguan
dishes eaten daily in thousands of homes throughout the country. A Glossary
of the Spanish-language food terms used in the book is included, as well as
a section of food preparation tips. In addition, sprinkled throughout the
book are Ms. Espinoza-Abrams' recollections of her grandmother and early
life in Nicaragua. Ms. Espinoza-Abrams is already an accomplished writer,
having authored the popular Medical Spanish Made Ridiculously Simple
(MedMaster, 1992), now in its second edition after having sold over 10,000
copies.