Good book that took me a bit to read. It was just slow to me. Like the pace of the story was slow to me. This made me loose interest in in more than once.

A lovely cookbook but unfortunately the recipes weren't for me or my family at this time. It would make a gift for a more adventurous cook.

This is a great book, especially if you have a love affair with food. As a home chef that loved to cook food from many different countries, that was a great read. It includes many different wonderful recipes, from authentic to the family's special twist on certain foods.

Puerto Rican food is fantastic, and for those who love it, Diasporican: A Puerto Rican Cookbook by Illyanna Maisonet, has enough mouthwatering recipes to tempt everyone, and keep them cooking Puerto Rican food for months.

The Information contained in the book on the culture of Puerto Rico is fascinating, and the book has chapters on ingredients and traditional food preparation. The recipes are written in the traditional manner with a list of Puerto Rican ingredients followed by succinct instructions to insure that cooks – both beginning and advanced – can prepared the dishes successfully. The book feature spice mixes and concoctions that are critical to making authentic Puerto Rican food, such as Sazon and Sofrito. There are appetizers, soups, side dishes, pastries, main dishes with chicken, pork, and beef, as well as seafood, and some very tempting desserts. The book includes recipes for traditional Puerto Rican classics, and several unique or not-so-well-known dishes. There are even step-by-step instructions for roasting a whole pig, which is popular at Puerto Rican gatherings.

This excellent cookbook includes beautiful and professional photographs, not only of many of the recipes, but also of the countryside of Puerto Rico.

All told, anyone who wants to explore the world of delicious Puerto Rican food should pick up this cookbook to learn how to prepare traditional and authentic dishes at home. Highly recommended.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

"Our story is one of generational poverty and trauma with glimpses of pride and laughter, all of which have been the catalysts of ample good food in my life." Diaporican has the bones of a cookbook, the succulent meat of a memoir, and the pungent spice of cultural critique. It also helpfully includes a lexicon as part of the recipes and gorgeous photos that entice the reader to visit Puerto Rico. As a West Coast resident who lives not far from the San Joaquin Valley, where Maisonet lives, I was interested to hear about her life growing up in Sacramento. I was and am ignorant of Puerto Rican history. Maisonet's voice and passion make me want to work on that. I'd love to visit the island and learn more about its cuisine and its culture. I have to admit, only a couple of the recipes are practical for me to try, but happily they're both desserts.


[Thanks to Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed Press and NetGalley for an opportunity to read an advanced reader copy and share my opinion of this book.]

One of the best books of the year, hands down! Everyone should own this book! A gorgeous, mouth-watering perfect cookbook filled with the most beautiful pictures, delectable recipes and fantastic stories.

Here is an amazing work. It is visual and exciting. I would call it a masterpiece but that is not for me to say. The recipes give you a taste of Puerto Rico that’s exuberant, and personal. You can almost taste Maisonet is the best kind of food historian. One who reveres and protects their heritage. One who understands the importance of an open hearth. Happy Cooking

This book is as much a love letter to the authors family & culture as it is a cookbook.

I loved the beginning. Usually the useful tips and ideas are dry as dirt , but not with this author. They are funny and honest. Don’t skip this part.

The recipes are easy to follow. Some ingredients may be harder to find but there’s always the internet.

Delighted to include this title in “The Year in Reading,” my December year-end wrap up of personal favourites reads of 2022 for the Books section of Zoomer magazine. (see feature at link)

⭐⭐⭐⭐

This was a really interesting cookbook to read. Part memoir, part cookbook, and a whole lot of yumminess! Diasporican is broken down into the following chapters...

<b>Poultry</b>
<b>Pork</b>
<b>Beef</b>
<b>Rice and Other Grains</b>
<b>Salads and Sides</b>
<b>Sweets and Drinks</b>

There is also a "forward" and "introduction" full of personal anecdotes and history. Introductions to flavors, produce, equipment, etc. If you are like me and love plenty of photos in your cookbooks, then you will not be disappointed. The recipes themselves are easy to follow. Though some do contain ingredients that may be hard to find depending where you live. I also really loved the personal stories before most of the recipes.

**ARC Via NetGalley**

This is a lovely mix of Puerto Rican recipes wholly derived from the island and those born from the diaspora. These recipes were influenced by Taino roots, colonizers and other settlers on the island along with being mixed with the outside influences from where the diaspora settled. Illyanna Maisonet's recipes are tinged with Mexican influences from their neighbors in California but she also details the influences to Puerto Rican cuisine in other parts of the country. There are mentions of Casa Adela in NYC and how this beacon of Puerto Rican cuisine in NYC started and developed it's food. It's a lovely mix of family history and the history of the diaspora's cuisine.

I've been a major fan of Illyanna Maisonet's writing for about a decade now, so reading her nuanced take on her background and relationship with her culture was everything I could imagine her delivering after all of this time.

Before I can begin to explain the delicious, mouthwatering meals I’ve created using Illyanna Maisonet’s “Diasporican: A Puerto Rican Cookbook,” I feel I must define “diaspora” (diaspora + Puerto Rican = “Diasporican”). Diaspora in this case refers people of other heritages who live apart from their countries of nationality, while preserving their culture. We are specifically referring to the author, Ms. Maisonet, who was born in Sacramento, California and is perpetuating traditional Puerto Rican recipes from her mother and grandmother, while also researching the flavor influences of Puerto Rico, which are from the Taino, Spanish, and African people, and the United States. The food is representative of their diversity and shaped by many factors, including immigration, location, and colonization. The book is packed with gorgeous travel photos and pictures of the completed recipes, and “reveals how food connects us to family, history, conflict, and migration.” (Penguin Random House)

This is an incredibly inviting cookbook, a memoir, and a fervent homage to Maisonet’s beloved Puerto Rico. Not only is the history of Puerto Rican cuisine extensively researched, the natural beauty of the island shows through the various included photos. She gives many cooking tips before she begins her recipes, and also includes how to make homemade seasoning, which is most convenient not only for authentic flavor, but for those who may not be able to find them premade in the sauce/spice aisles in their area. She describes various produce used in the recipes and even the traditional “equipment” needed. Maisonet also includes personal asides mentioning pointers such as when her family would serve a given recipe. I’d especially like to highlight the recipes for Empanadillas, Tostones, Maduros, Arañitas de plátanos, Guichis, Arepas, Arroz con gandules, Pinchos with guava bbq sauce, Perníl, Mofongo, Quesitos de queso y guyaba, and Arroz con dulce which were outstanding and happily eaten even by my pickiest family member. I look forward to recreating many more meals from the book as well. Though I am not Puerto Rican, I grew up with Cuban and Mexican friends who gladly came to my home for Italian food, and I to their homes for their cultural dishes. I lived in a beautiful melting pot city/neighborhood for most of my life, and I developed an enormous love and admiration for all cultures, especially Hispanic. I am thrilled to report that “Diasporican: A Puerto Rican Cookbook” is my first cookbook review, because deep down in my heart I consider myself a mujer hispana honoraria.

I’d like to thank NetGalley, Illyanna Maisonet, and Ten Speed Press/Penguin Random House for allowing me to read and review this ARC.

Such an amazing cookbook. Like truly learned so much while also being extremely hungry. Every recipe ive made has been delicious.

I am so excited for this cookbook! Cooking is one of my passions and I love trying new ingredients and recipes from all over the world. I am not well versed in Puerto Rican cooking but this book is going to help expand my cooking skills and all of the recipes look so delicious! The cookbook is set up well, teaching the basics as well as mastering the meals

I love the similarities between my country, the Philippines, and Puerto Rico. I’m also surprised at the variety of their dishes. If you want to know more about the fascinating place that is Puerto Rico, this is the book for you. The recipes are easy enough to follow.

This was probably one of the best cookbooks I have read in my life; and that is no exaggeration. Until I started reviewing things on Netgalley I hadn't really thought of reading a whole cookbook like a novel, but when I began doing it I realized how unique they can be.
This cookbook goes into parts of the author's upbringing in multiple areas, and goes into the origin of the dishes she writes about, as well as the origin of some of her original recipes she uses personally. The author dives into the history of Puerto Rico and colonization, including how African, Puerto Rican, and Chinese cultures all basically got mixed together. It's crazy to think that I have one daughter who is half Puerto Rican, and I have been around Puerto Rican people literally my whole life, and I knew none of this. For instance, to think of getting Chinese food in the heart of the city of Buffalo, NY, and how some Puerto Rican items are sold there with the Chinese food. I never understood it, and I always thought it was a crazy Buffalo thing. Now I understand somewhat why this happens.
I can't say how much I enjoyed reading the cookbook, and how well the author wrote. It flows so well, and it is written with true honesty, and it's evident.
I have not been able to try the recipes yet, however, I will be purchasing a copy of this book to promptly do so. It's a lot harder for me to read the electronic version and be able to follow directions, etc. Thankfully I have many of the spices and ingredients at home already. Definitely would recommend this book to all who have a yearning to learn more about the true history of Puerto Rico, and to learn how to cook their delicious food!

This is a gorgeous cookbook with stunning pictures and wonderful recipes. It makes me homesick for somewhere I’ve never been. Highly recommended if you love the flavors of Puerto Rico cooking.

I couldn't believe it when I saw the title and the content of this book. THIS book was SO NEEDED! We finally have a book that represents so many of us that have left the island for a better life but that does not mean we have forgotten about it or where we come from. We are proud of who we are. Food is a representation of love and connection and for us it means that and also means heritage and keeping the culture alive. Illyanna did a beautiful job with this compilation of recipes. I'm proud to be Boricua and proud of this book. Thank You for allowing me to read it in advance.

Diasporicdan is a Puerto Rican cookbook I have always dreamed about. Its beautiful pictures and stories rooted in the history of Puerto Rican Heritage make this a fantastic cookbook. It makes me proud to be Puerto Rican and cherish my family and heritage. It also makes me very hungry!