Earn the 'MasterChef' Apron With the Help of These 3 Latin American Cookbooks

By Dani O. First Posted: Jul 06, 2020 09:43 AM EDT

If a dog is a man's best friend, then cookbooks are definitely the perfect companion for home cooks and chefs.

Every page of a recipe book is designed to amuse you with a fresh and modern take on a recipe or remind you of dishes you had many years back.

Many cookbook readers find themselves inspired by recipes that use special or locally sourced ingredients or the dish's cuisine background. The easiest way to learn new tricks, cheats, or hacks are by reading and dissecting every page in a cookbook.

Nowadays, newly published troves of recipes contain the amusing journeys of the chefs, who helped conceptualize the dish.

Some recipe books introduced its loyal readers to a multitude of cuisines, including the distinctive taste of food from Latin America.

The Latin American region offers an explosion of flavors made from a unique combination of spices. This list offers a selection of the best Latin American cookbooks with recipes that would definitely secure you a MasterChef apron.

Gran Cocina Latina: The Food of Latin America by Maricel Presilla

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The Gran Cocina Latina is a book written by famous historian and restaurateur, Maricel E. Presilla. Formally trained in cultural anthropology, she has done extensive research on food crops in the Americas and specializes in bringing some of the best Latin American dishes on the table.

Her "Cocina" column in Miami Herald is well-known for its authority on chocolate and Spanish and Hispanic culinary history.

The book, which was awarded by the James Beard Foundation, details a comprehensive collection of recipes from the Latin American region. Recipes include traditional adobos and sofrito to the sweeter flans and tres leches cake.

The South American Table by Maria Kijac

The South American Table: The Flavor and Soul of Authentic Home Cooking from Patagonia to Rio de Janeiro, With 450 Recipes

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Maria Kijac is a cooking teacher and historian who has been teaching culinary techniques in Chicago for more than a decade. Born in Ecuador, she pursued a career in cooking and food by attending classes in Northwestern University and the Dumas Pere L'Ecole de la Cuisine Francaise.

This comprehensive book features over 450 recipes from South America's various regions, including authentic dishes from Patagonia and Rio de Janerio.

The cookbook offers readers a look inside the history of cooking in South America, with several recipes coming from the pre-Columbian civilizations.

Latin American Street Food by Sandra A. Gutierrez

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If you hope to create Mexican Tacos al Pastor, Cuban Sandwiches, and Brazilian Avocado Ice Cream, then this book is exactly what you need in your kitchen right now.

Street food offers the best and most exciting flavors of every city and country. This book by Sandra Gutierrez takes readers on a tasting tour around the Latin American region.

Throughout the pages, you can discover over 150 street food recipes, personal memories, historical notes, and culinary tips the author has curated from 20 countries.

Gutierrez is a former food editor of "The Cary News" and is a food writer with over 1,000 published articles. Her work for "The Cary News" allowed her to cover a wide range of topics, including food history and ethnic cuisines, in a weekly column.