Through her personal family history and tireless research, author Von Diaz presents more than 125 recipes and intimate stories that exemplify the food and history of the island nations of Indian, Atlantic, and Pacific Oceans, organized by ancestral techniques.
The islands spanning Indian, Atlantic, and Pacific oceans are remarkable places, sharing dozens of ingredients and cooking techniques, including marinating, fermenting, deep-frying, smoking, and in-ground roasting. Bold flavors drip from the edges of each dish-tastes that represent stories of resistance, persistence, and wisdom passed down from generation to generation. This narrative cookbook by writer, documentary producer, and author Von Diaz, travels across oceans and nations to uplift the shared ancestral cooking techniques of these islands in more than 125 recipes, including intimate profiles of the historical context of each technique, stories from islanders, and step-by-step guides for recreating them at home.
Bright citrus and vinegars, verdant herbs, slow-cooked and smoky grilled meats, fresh seafood, aromatic rice, and earthy root vegetables: These flavors, found in the meals and recipes across the island nations of the Indian, Atlantic, and Pacific Oceans, despite distance and cultural differences, pair remarkably well together. Partnered with deep-rooted cooking techniques-marinating, pickling + fermentation, braising + stewing, frying, grilling + smoking, and steaming + in-ground cooking-these ingredients and techniques typify the harmonious, synchronous spirit found in each of their unique cuisines. Even amid environmental chaos and food insecurity, islanders cook in ways that are soul-nourishing and flavorful.
Coco Bread from Jamaica
Arroz Con Jueyes (Stewed Crab Rice) from Puerto Rico
Masikita (Papaya-Marinated Beef Skewer) from Madagascar
Bebek Betutu (Roasted Duck in Banana Leaf) from Indonesia
Lechon Kawali (Crispy Fried Pork Belly) from the Philippines
Islas is about preserving the wisdom, values, and resilience of the people who live in some of the most volatile, vulnerable places on this planet. Each recipe, an archive of strategies for persistence, creativity, and ingenuity, provides a path for cooking delicious food. But above all, these stories and recipes acknowledge that cooking delicious food for others is always a selfless act. Cooks are givers, always.
Von Diaz is a writer, documentary producer, and author of Coconuts & Collards: Recipes and Stories from Puerto Rico to the Deep South . Born in Puerto Rico and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, she explores food, culture, and identity. She has contributed recipes and essays to several cookbooks and anthologies, including Diana Henry's From the Oven to the Table, Julia Turshen's Feed the Resistance, Charlotte Druckman's Women on Food, and Joe Yonan's America: The Great Cookbook, among others. Her work has been featured in the New York Times, the Washington Post, Bon Appetit, NPR, Food & Wine Magazine, Eater, and Epicurious . She teaches food studies and oral history at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and she is also an editor and radio producer at StoryCorps, where she produces radio broadcasts for NPR's Morning Edition .
