My mother in law is Dine/Navajo her and her sister make some of the best food. When I saw this I was very excited to share it with my children and my husbands family. My daughter made two recipes out of the review copy I had the first night. I went and ordered a copy that evening. She made the Sumac berry Jam and the Sumac berry Pudding a breakfast savory pudding. The recipes were easy to follow had beautiful photos.
The author is Dine/Navajo and tells her story of her family and tribe. This is very well done in the traditional way, I love the modern touch on may of the recipes, even the teas, there is Navajo Boba milk tea, Blue Corn Quiche and white corn scones with apricots that are next on my make it list. This is a Diet that is not often seen outside of the reservation as it should be, it's flavors and ingredients are wonderful.
I highly recommend this book. I did order a few extra copies as gifts, it's a great gifting book

Great cookbook with gorgeous photography, but also a history lesson for someone like me, who knows nothing about the Navajo kitchen. But because I live in a whole other part of the world, many of the recipes I cannot try. Even so, I was surprised to find many similar recipes to what my family cooks.

I want to try some of the bread recipes and the stews. The drinks sounds fun too, but sadly I don't have Navajo tea.

What I liked the most were the historical tidbits, and I wished those were spread throughout the book instead of having a heavy chapter in the beginning on just that.

A recipe book bursting with ways to get the Navajo person in tune with their heritage foods, from blue corn to the specific breads, sumac berry jam and so on. It's very friendly for them, but the range of ingredients needed is endemic to that part of the south-western United States, and this will probably prove too hard to follow with any authenticity for anyone else. The creator is a blogger who works in inspiring Navajo peoples to have a balance of their long-standing culture and the modern, showing an example in the heart of Phoenix, AZ, and seems to have easily generated – or proven able to reflect – a great blend of the old and the new, just as the whole cuisine seems to have become, due to the government-approved assimilation programmes.

So she gives a more modern feel and flavour of current New Mexico, for example, to what her grandma once knew, but also manages to knock back a modern recipe to make it a touch more authentic – removing Kool-Aid powder from a dessert called Piccadilly and using ground sumac berries instead. Fascinating, I am sure, and delicious I have no doubt, but to repeat – this is for a specific audience only, as affirmation, memory, inspiration. For anyone else – certainly for me here in Britain – it's a view to a whole new cuisine, looking into it from outside a firmly closed window. The volume certainly does what it wants to do, and that is fine – if excluding.

An interesting concept for the book and one which I looked forward to reading. The related stories were interesting but many of the recipes didn't feel especially different from mainstream (traditional) American cooking but I didn't know what to expect really - lots of corn/squash/bean dishes I suppose. The use of lamb is different though and it is a meat (along with mutton) that I probably use the most, after venison. The use of ?local herbs was varied - sumac I'm used to dried berries in the UK, Navajo greenthread tea? no idea. Juniper ash - very vague as to specific species used so hard to try to emulate although it is, apparently, available on-line (not Amazon.co.uk). Other than that the soups and stews are the sort of food I cook every day so the book was disappointing in that respect. However, it's clear that the author is passionate about her heritage and the photos are lovely. Recipes, albeit familiar, are well described and certainly would be easy to follow if new to cooking. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

What a wonderful love letter of a cookbook. These recipes are familiar yet a twist. The recipes are well written and the pictures are wonderful.

This was a gorgeous book and a fascinating read. The authors writing really pulled me in, even outside the recipes.

An absolutely creative and amazing cookbook that everyone needs to read. In this cookbook Alna Yazzie shows us the amazing foods from Navajo culinary traditions. We also learn many skills. Therecipes cover everything from breakfast to dessert. They all use traditional and even modern ingredients. The recipes are easy to follow and understand. They are given a great description with detailed ingredients and step-by-step directions. I love that the recipes show the traditional Navajo language. The photography is simply mouth-watering. I was so happy to see a recipe for Fry Bread and to find new family favorites like Potato and Spam soup and Maple Pumpkin Cookies. You are going to want to try everything. She also explains things you would find in a Navajo pantry. I am so in love with this book and I know you will be too.
I was born in Arizona and lived there for a long time. We became very close to several members of the Navajo community and were so blessed to have them as friends. We learned so much from our friends. I was so excited to find this cookbook and thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ebook ARC.
Enjoy your delicious adventure.
1000 stars

This is a beautiful cook book full of delectable food. I will be making a lot of these. It’s fun to try different cultures food and I’m lucky my family agrees.

This is a beautiful cookbook full of great, easy to make recipes. I appreciate the inclusion of the history of the rich Navajo culture and how the foods have changed with time. So many are similar to what I grew up eating, so seeing all the gorgeous pictures came with a bit of nostalgia.

The Modern Navajo Kitchen focuses on traditional Navajo recipes but with a modern twist.

The Sections are
Breads
Breakfast
Soups and Stws
Main Dishes
Sides and Pantry Staples
Desserts
Drinks

Each recipe has a blurb about the recipe, yield, prep time, cook time, ingredients and directions. Plus each recipe has a beautiful picture of the dish.

There’s are so many tasty recipes and the photos in this cookbook are stunning. The recipes are very simple and easy to follow along. The downside is not all the ingredients are readily available so some recipes would be harder to make spur of the moment.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Listen.

I wanna try every recipe in here. As a Cherokee woman I just love seeing other Native people win and this book is beautiful and just the right amount of cultural. It's soft in a matriarchal way.

Highly recommended.

I was very excited to review 'The Modern Navajo Kitchen' by Alana Yazzie. This cookbook aims to both preserve traditional foodways and also to invite others to try the traditional foods of the Navajo Nation.

The book is beautifully-presented and welcoming, and the introduction makes it clear that the author is passionate about Navajo food.

However, I immediately noticed a significant problem: important staple ingredients aren't given enough detail for outsiders to be able to source them, and since the recipes using them are incredibly minimal in terms of seasoning, that means that it may become impossible for anyone elsewhere in the world to know if they're actually replicating the flavours with anything close to accuracy.

For example, the author goes to great length to explain that "the Navajo variety of sumac is three-leaf sumac (Rhus trilobata Nutt.)" and that "ground sumac berries are different from the ground sumac that may be found in grocery stores and Mediterranean markets. It has a similar flavor and can be used, but I don't recommend it, because salt is sometimes added. The colors and taste are also less vibrant than those of the three-leaf sumac."

This is actually fantastic information, because it tells you precisely what plant is being discussed and why substitutes may not work (I've personally never seen ground sumac sold as a spice containing any salt, but clearly the author has, and salt would certainly throw the flavour off). While I may not, as the author suggests, be able to attend "local flea markets and trading posts on the Navajo Nation", I know that I should seek out three-leaf sumac.

Ironically, the next entry in this introduction to ingredients takes the opposite approach: Navajo tea is described as "an Indigenous wild tea that is commonly called greenthread tea." There is no explanation of whether this is made up of a single plant or many, or what the scientific name(s) of the plant(s) may be.

Mentions of vegetables like squash, pumpkins, and corn aren't presented with suggestions of varieties / cultivars; while of course a large number of heirloom varieties may not have formal names, some certainly will - it'd be helpful to name at least a few.

Where I get actually worried, though, is the recipe to make juniper ash.

This ingredient is used extensively throughout the recipes, but critically, no species is provided. Some species of juniper are poisonous - this is critical information and should certainly be included, especially for an ingredient that's used so broadly! I'm a bit surprised that the publisher didn't flag this, as it'd be such a simple inclusion but its omission could actually cause harm if someone were to ingest one of the poisonous species by accident.

The bulk of the recipes seem very manageable for cooks across a wide range of skill / experience.

Flavouring / seasoning is minimal and very straightforward: most savoury recipes include only salt, and perhaps garlic powder and/or black pepper. For example, mutton ribs are prepared by just rubbing the ribs in olive oil and sprinkling with salt before roasting. I found this fascinating; on the one hand, it shows just how important it is to source the best possible ingredients, as all the flavour comes from the quality of the ingredients themselves, and on the other I was surprised that there weren't more Indigenous wild plants used as herbs or seasonings.

(The minimal seasoning actually brought to mind AIP cooking - I suspect a lot of the recipes would be AIP-friendly.)

That being said, I do wonder at the appeal of many of these recipes to the general public. I would hope that, again, the quality of the ingredients allows the flavours of those ingredients to shine without the need for any accompaniments, but with so little guidance given as to the varieties that should ideally be used, I worry that some of the recipes may just come out incredibly bland. The book risks being more of a novelty destined to gather dust rather than something a cook may frequently turn to for inspiration, which is a shame, as Navajo food deserve to be appreciated as a living, vibrant foodway.

Thank you very much to NetGalley & Wellfleet Press for access to this time-restricted e-ARC for my unbiased review.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me review this book. I enjoyed reading a bit of Navajo history and how the recipes were part of Navajo history as well. I do like that the book includes websites where to order the blue and white cornmeals along with the juniper ash since if you don’t live in the area; some ingredients would be hard to acquire. The photos were gorgeous as well.

As an instagram cookbook, this is probably fine (although I didn't test any of the recipes), but I was hoping for a little more scholarship and history of the Navajo nation. It could also use a little more clarity around the indigenous plant ingredients, like scientific names, since the common names can vary regionally.

THE MODERN NAVAJO KITCHEN by Alana Yazzie is a cookbook that truly stands out. It beautifully blends traditional Navajo recipes with modern cooking techniques, offering a fresh take on Indigenous cuisine.

One of the things that makes this cookbook so special is the way it promotes diversity and highlights regional ingredients and cooking methods that may be unfamiliar to some readers. Through Yazzie's clear instructions and engaging storytelling, you'll learn about the rich culinary traditions of the Navajo people and discover new flavors and techniques that you can incorporate into your own cooking.

But this cookbook isn't just a history lesson or a collection of recipes. It's also a celebration of community, family, and the joy of sharing a meal with loved ones. Yazzie's passion for food and her commitment to preserving Navajo culinary traditions shine through on every page, making this cookbook a true treasure.

Overall, I highly recommend The Modern Navajo Kitchen to anyone who loves cooking, values diversity, and is eager to learn about new culinary traditions. It's a must-have addition to any cookbook collection.

Can I just say that this cookbook is now one of my favorite ones!? I have Native roots and absolutely LOVE when I get to learn new dishes regardless of the tribe as I didn't have anyone to teach me. I love how easy it was to understand the tools and how to make the basics before the recipes even started. There are pictures involved too so you know what it looks like throughout the process. There is history involved as well so you know the meaning and culture behind each dish. I just absolutely love it! I visited a few of the touristy areas about 2 years ago in the Navajo area and I felt like this cookbook brought me back and I cannot wait to start practicing these dishes and incorporating it into my daily life. (P.S....there's even a sample weekly meal plan!!)

Great book, some fab recipes, this would be especially good for vegetarians as has lots of nutritious recipes

I really loved looking through this cookbook! It is so beautifully put together, it's images, layout, recipes and peaks into the Navajo culture and recipes. I love that the beginning of the book gave us an introduction and some information about the Navajo people and their food history as well as Alana, the Author's own story. She also included a section with the equipment needed, ingredients used in the book as well as some techniques used in the book. I think this is always helpful but especially when there are dishes I am not already familiar with. After that on to the recipes, so many amazing recipes in this book. They are displayed beautifully on the pages with images for each recipe, which I love. The directions are written in a way that is easy to read and follow along. I like that she also added some information about each recipe. She did a great job of interweaving her stories and the culture into the book. Towards the back of the book she also listed off some stores to find the ingredients, many of them not near me but they included websites and I assume some may be available online. I can't wait to start cooking!

Thank you Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book. These opinions are completely my own.

The potato and spam soup was a hit for my family. Due to my location and the time of year, it will be harder to find the ingredient for all the recipes, but they all look delicious.

This cookbook is a beautiful tribute to the rich culinary heritage of the Navajo people, offering a fresh perspective on traditional recipes with a global spin. As someone who loves exploring different cultures through food, this book was a delight to dive into. Each recipe not only introduces you to the unique ingredients and methods of Navajo cooking, but also fuses them with global flavors, making the dishes feel both familiar and excitingly new.

One of the standout features of this cookbook is the emphasis on creating your own ingredients which are incorporated into many of the recipes. I loved learning how to prepare these foundational ingredients—it gave me a deeper appreciation for the care and craftsmanship that go into each dish. The book doesn’t just guide you through recipes; it invites you to truly engage with the food and the culture behind it.

What’s more, the cookbook includes a helpful meal plan section, which offers guidance on how to create balanced, flavorful meals throughout the week or how to craft a full feast with ease. Whether you’re planning a casual family meal or preparing a cultural-inspired dinner for friends, the meal planning section makes it all feel achievable.

If you love learning about different cultures through food and want to add a creative, Navajo-inspired touch to your kitchen, this cookbook is a must-have. It’s both a cultural exploration and a practical guide for home cooks, with a unique twist on global recipes that make everyday meals or special gatherings something truly memorable.