Growing up in Puerto Rico, food had as much of an impact on Omi Hopper’s life as the culture. When her family moved to the mainland, Omi began to lose her connection with the island. So, she started cooking con omi to tie her life as a wife and mother to her desire to keep her culture alive and thriving.

Cooking con Omi is a celebration of Puerto Rican cooking with 100 classic and US-influenced Latino dishes that capture the vibrant, warm, and lively essence of Puerto Rican culture, including:

Tostadas Francesas de Pasta de Guayaba y Queso / Guava and Cheese French Toast Guanimes en Coco con Bacalao Guisado / Coconut Dumplings with Stewed Codfish Mofongo / Mashed Plantain with Garlic and Pork Crackling Sanocho / Hearty Meat and Vegetable Stew Pernil / Roasted Pork Flancocho de Chocolate y Dulce de Leche / Chocolate and Dulce de Leche Flancocho Bizcocho Nube de Parcha / Passionfruit Cloud Cake

For Omi, cooking is not a task or a chore, but a memory-making experience. It’s the crush of garlic in a pilón, the scent of sizzling sofrito, the bubbling of the caldero alongside the music and laughter of a full house of loved ones settling down to eat. Each section includes an introduction from Omi, sidebars about the origin of ingredients, headnotes with the stories behind each recipe, vibrant full-color photography, and an overall message of love and unity Omi communicates through her food.

Ultimately, Cooking con Omi is a culinary record about the power of food to keep tradition alive. For some, it will be a chance to visit Puerto Rico through these mouthwatering dishes; for others, it will be a way back home.

Other cookbooks by this author

• Cooking con Omi: A Love Letter to Puerto Rican Home Cooking