Congotay! Congotay! A Global History of Caribbean Food

Candice Goucher, a historian, has set herself a real challenge in covering 500 years of culinary history in one of the world’s most complex mixing bowls. She concentrates on the sugar islands of the British Caribbean, with a strong emphasis on identifying crops, dishes, and cooking methods that survive from the African diaspora. The coverage of contemporary Caribbean food is skimpy and without connecting themes beyond domination and resistance, and there is scarcely a mention of poverty, fair trade, or the effects of migrations. More careful copyediting would have caught the repetitions and the factual and interpretive errors. The book brings together some fascinating stories and facts, particularly in the chapter on gender and sexuality, and there are recipes scattered throughout, mostly unattributed by island or source. The Caribbean is a rich and varied culinary landscape, dynamic and constantly creative, and it deserves better treatment, and at the very least a legible map. Those interested in a deeper and more complex history of the cooking on a single Island should consult Higman’s “Jamaican Food,” and in every Caribbean country there are now local food historians and experts to consult.