Code Noir: Afro-Caribbean Stories and Recipes

Highlighting the connections between African and Caribbean cuisine, Leilani Lewis, the British-born daughter of a Grenadan father is deeply aware of complex, sometimes monstrous history underlying how those bonds were forged.

At the same time, she has a keen eye for the way in which something extraordinarily worthwhile emerged from and despite abominable conditions and ideas. Her pantry section, for instance, highlights the ways ingredients have spread among all the ethnic communities of the region, including from mainland America, Europe, and Asia.

The book is handsomely photographed, offering step-by-step sequences where needed, though the emphasis is most commonly on everyday food and drinks. Some are very traditional, while others are Lewis’s own creations. Among the recipes you’ll find here:

• Cassava bread with lima beans and corn relish (highlighting ingredients available before contact with Europeans)
• Saltfish fritters (a Jamaican street food)
• Trini doubles (a combination of fried bread and chickpea curry from Trinidad)
• Sweet potato gratin with ginger cream (one of Lewis’s own inventions).

Strong and attractive. 

Hardcover. Color photography throughout.