La Comida Nicaraguense

Far from a traditional cook book, La Comida Nicaraguense is much more a book of Nicaraguan culture with some traditional recipes scattered throughout. One chapter for example, "La Mesa de Un Cacique Nicaraguense en 1528", spends a lot of time showing where what we consider the natives came from and how things evolved.

Illustrations--mostly drawings--are scattered throughout making the book just feel friendly even if your Spanish is less that wonderful.

Recipes tend to be simple but not likely combinations you would think of and, in many cases, using ingredients you would not consider food. For example:

Cuiso de Hola De Chayote (Chaya)

(San Lucas, Madriz) Miguel Marirez Rizo

Ingredientes:

• Hojas de chayote
• Masa de maiz
• Tomate
• Chiltoma
• Achote
• Aceite

Preparacion:

Se pone a sancochar los hojas, una vez realizado seto, se lavan y se pican. La masa se prepara con achiote. Se pone aceite en la cazuela o sartén, con un poco de tomate y chiltoma y estando dorados se pone la masa batida con agua, que quede espesa y después cuando el recado o masa batida esté cocida se le echa la hoja picada y se está moviendo con un cucharón durante 6 minutos.