“Latin America. Gastronomy ”: Virgilio Martínez gathers 600 recipes from all over Latin America in a book

It has been four years of research, but many more of curiosity. Virgilio Martinez, so accustomed to inquiring about ecosystems, native products, adapted inputs, techniques and cultural practices in the corners of Peru, he extends his gaze beyond our borders to encompass all of Latin America in a book that is anticipated fundamental. “Latin America. Gastronomy ”is a tasty tour not only for the recipes it contains (600 chosen from a total of 1,000 that the Central chef and his team had gathered), but also for the information gathered from more than 60 sources, including anthropologists, historians, cooks and home cooks, producers and even Old World books and cookbooks.

Co-authored with Nicholas Gill, author specialized in culinary topics and travel, and with the impeccable photos of recipes of the gastronomic journalist Jimena Agois, the celebrated chef of Central (number four in the world on the list The World’s 50 Best Restaurants) does not know well how to catalog his work. “It is not just a cookbook“, tells us. “I don’t know whether to call it ‘bible’”, He doubts, because that’s what the Phaidon publishing house says to the first installment –and international best-seller– of this series in 2015, about Nordic cuisine, under the gaze of Magnus Nilsson. “In my case, I asked them to make one in Latin America because it seemed convenient, considering that today the region is a giant pantry for the world”. He got it right.

diverse world

The volume of more than 400 pages is organized by sections of food groups: breads and baked goods; roots and tubers; sandwiches; poultry; dairy and eggs; fish and shellfish; veal; indigenous meats and insects; lamb and goat; sweets and desserts; sauces and more. There are very diverse recipes – as is our region – and also differentiated for vegans, vegetarians, lactose-free, gluten-free, with few ingredients and even options to make in less than 30 minutes.

But the most interesting thing about this publication is that it is the result of extensive research that started in Central’s kitchen itself. “At the time we started doing it, we had people in Central of about 15 Latin American nationalities, and that made it easier for us to have this approach.”, Says the chef about this comprehensive book that seeks to be a stamp of the moment that Latin America is experiencing today, from what happens culinary at home to on the streets.

“Investigating and cataloging is our great contribution to the culinary culture of Latin America (…) With Malena [su hermana] and the entire Mater Initiative team, with Pía [su esposa, chef de Kjolle], we have always been cataloging everything. Many of our trips through the region have aimed to learn more: Mexico, Colombia, Paraguay, Ecuador, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, Brazil … we have covered markets, ‘street food’, and that is why we have felt excited and happy to that we could do this”Says the chef.

Look at it all

And the printed result of those inquiries proves it. In addition to local stories that introduce each theme, all the recipes have an opening paragraph that reveals something to us: from their origin, through the indigenous ingredients they use, the way they are eaten, the similarities they keep with other regional preparations. and even from other continents, but above all the customs established around their daily consumption.

“Latin America. Gastronomy” It is also full of curiosities, like that story of the Paraguayan soup, which has nothing in its liquid state, but is a corn bread. The story, in brief, goes back to the first president of Paraguay, who asked his cook to make him a thick soup with milk, fresh cheese, egg and corn flour; The woman put excessive flour preparation and chose to cook it in the oven in an iron skillet. The president loved the bread that resulted from the mistake, and jokingly called it soup. Today’s recipe also contains chopped white onion and butter.

The publication also shows how similar we Latin Americans are, because we consume many similar ingredients and share culinary knowledge that has been adapted to each scenario. In that sense, it teaches a lot.

“I have learned to understand more, to notice how little we can know and to open more windows to knowledge. To be in communication with other cultures; If Peru is diverse, imagine yourself outside. You expand your way of seeing things, in terms of technique, use of ingredients and seeing inputs that I did not know”Martínez tells us.

Beyond the obvious (learning recipes never seen before), the chef rescues the possibility of understanding different culinary practices: “A tamale is transversal to all of Latin America, but different thickeners, powders or flours are used; an ingredient is repeated, but it is used in different ways (one uses the peels, another the fruit and another the juices). And that is also an apprenticeship because I begin to understand how to use a 100% product, which is what we cooks are looking for now.”, He ends.

Qualification: “Latin America. Gastronomy”.

Author: Virgilio Martinez

Editorial: Phaidon

Pages: 430 (in Spanish and English, his book is on pre-sale via Amazon).