Best Guyanese Cookbooks

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Guyanese cuisine has not been trendy until recently. But over time, more people have invested interest in it, and since Guyanese restaurants are not easily found, people are always looking for recipes to try. Here are the best Guyanese cookbooks to help you enjoy the cuisine in the comfort of your home.

Guyanese Cookbooks

Guyanese cuisine is becoming more popular since Guyana has become a recently independent country. The culture and gastronomy of the country are not yet fully established to conceive a specific idea and are still entangled with other countries’ foods.

Guyana selected gastronomy from regions and exemplified the culture and cuisine. Their local cuisine combines unique and unusual flavors due to the diversity. They have taken elements from East Indian, Creole, Portuguese, Amerindian, Chinese, African, and European cuisines to create uniqueness in Guyanese food.

Their food also includes Caribbean cuisine and uses many Indian dishes like curries. The country has staples such as root vegetables like sweet potatoes and cassava in its diet. They also love seafood and fresh fruits. In the list below are ten incredible cookbooks you can try to enjoy Guyanese food in the comfort of your home.

  • Total Pages: 48
  • Recipes Preview: Guyanese Pepperpot; Metemgee, Chana
  • The Best Recipe We Want To Try: Guyanese Chow Mein

Most Popular Guyanese Recipes is a cookbook by Grace Barrington-Shaw. It is full of essential food recipes directly from Guyana. The book has authentic recipes you will find in the homes of Guyana. It combines peoples’ favorite dishes bringing Guyana food from their homes to yours. The recipes are known throughout Guyana and are part of the traditional cuisine.

Whether you host a dinner party or crave a special Guyanese dish, you can create mouthwatering authentic Guyanese food in your home kitchen and have your whole family enjoy it. The cookbook also helps you enhance your skills if you are already familiar with Guyanese cuisine. Not only will you enjoy delicious, flavorful food, but your loved ones will also be mesmerized by your skills.

The recipes are easy-to-follow and include suggestions for dishes to complement each recipe. If you are Guyanese, the recipe book will help you rekindle your childhood memories with the traditional taste of homecooked meals.

What’s Cooking in Guyana

  • Total Pages: 356
  • Recipes Preview: Pepper Pot; Souse, Roti
  • The Best Recipe We Want To Try: Dhal Pouri

Here is a second edition cookbook of Whats Cooking in Guyana by Carnegie School of Home Economics. This edition has a new four-color format that is revised and updated. The recipe book has sections featuring well-known Indian and Amerindian dishes. It provides a background to food preparation included at the beginning of the book.

It is a valuable guide with basic facts and tips on the ingredients used in the recipes. The cookbook will remind you of your grandma’s homecooked Guyanese meals taking you back to your childhood memories with your family in the kitchen. There are even some newer developed recipes that are local to Guyanese cuisine but developed over time as the country found independence.

This book will provide great recipes and skills while teaching you how to cook as a beginner. It is easy to follow yet comprehensive enough to help you fully understand each recipe and its process.

The Guyana Gourmet Cookbook

  • Total Pages: 53
  • Recipes Preview: Roasted Eggplant Chicken Foot; Hassa Curry; Custard Block; Pine Tart
  • The Best Recipe We Want To Try: Bhunjal Chicken

This is a beautiful cookbook by Bina Singh with Guyanese cuisine from West Indian Recipes. When you can’t visit the country or find a suitable restaurant, you can use this recipe book to enjoy the taste of Guyana in your very own home.

It is the cookbook to use when you want to wow your guests, leaving them wanting more. The recipes are easy to navigate and don’t take hours to prepare. It is also the ideal recipe book if you are a food lover who loves to try new cuisines but wants to cook at home in the comfort of your own kitchen. The cookbook is pretty detailed, giving you a comprehensive view and understanding of the food.

Taste of Guyanese Cuisine

  • Total Pages: 200+
  • Recipes Preview: Mutton Stew with Rice; Curried Chicken
  • The Best Recipe We Want To Try: Onion Bhaji

This cookbook, derived from Guyanese-Caribbean cuisine, brings you the Caribbean and South American flavors. Guyana cuisine is similar to the Caribbean and incorporates African, Creole, and East Indian styles and traditions. Guyana, “the land of many waters,” is also the land of many tastes.

The recipes use a rich combination of meat and heavy spices in heavy stews and curry dishes. The book includes many hot dishes that are a natural adaptation to the region’s humid climate. Taste of Guyanese Cuisine brings you various tasty dishes from typical Guyanese cuisine.

Leela’s Guyanese-Anglo-Indian Inspired Recipes

  • Total Pages: 232
  • Recipes Preview: Goat Curry; Salt Fish Cakes; Chow Mein; Onion Bhajis
  • The Best Recipe We Want To Try: Bombay Potatoes

This recipe book by Mrs. Christine Tamilla Budhan-Mills was designed to give you a taste of the family’s diverse history, heritage, and happiness through the love of food. The recipes are hoped to be passed down to the next generation of Budhans and inspire others to do the same.

The recipes are compiled by Leela and her daughter using a selection of English and Indian homemade recipes which showcase their diverse culture. 

The cookbook is easy to follow and includes simple photos to guide you through the process of each recipe.

Leela is of Indian descent but was born in Guyana and traveled to England with her husband and kids. The recipe book was inspired after they felt Guyanese cuisines were not represented well enough in the UK. She decided to compile the book with her daughter so everyone could understand and enjoy delicious Guyanese food.

The best part is that they wish the next generation would infuse it with their own diversity and bespoke recipes, and the tradition can continue for years.

Tastes Like Home: My Caribbean Cookbook

  • Total Recipes: 100+
  • Total Pages: 352
  • Recipes Preview: Dhal Puri; Christmas Cake; Baked Ham
  • The Best Recipe We Want To Try: Coconut Drops

The recipe book, Tastes Like Home by Cynthia Nelson is a fantastic Caribbean cookbook that forms part of Guyanese cuisine. Cynthia is a blogger and food enthusiast who lives in Barbados and brings various recipes from all over the Caribbean to your home with the cookbook.

The book has two sections, one being a memoir, and the other, a recipe section. The author shares her memories, helping you, as the reader, understand the food’s culture and lifestyle. Some of her memories focus on food, while others are based on events and festivals. Some recipes are simply recollections about life in the region.

The recipes sections have step-by-step guides on making the food, like creating delicious roti or baked ham. You can be situated or traveling anywhere in the world, but with this book, you can dive into the culture and enjoy delightful food anywhere, anytime.

Guyana’s Tasty Exotic: Food of Six People

  • Total Pages: 82
  • Recipes Preview: Cantonese Fried Rice; Curried Chicken; Garlic Pork; Shepherds Pie
  • The Best Recipe We Want To Try: Metemgee

The author of this cookbook, Deborah Barocas, grew up in Guyana at developed a love for cooking with her mother and grandmother at a young age. She eventually migrated to the United States but carried her love of culinary culture with her. She always returned to her roots in Guyanese cuisine in memories of her homeland’s rich culture.

The cookbook introduces you to Guyanese cuisine, offering a range of delicious exotic meals. The recipes represent all types of people nestled in Guyana, portraying the rich culture, diversity, and even its beauty in the photographs of the book.

The love affair that the author has with Guyana is clearly evident in the cookbook through the culinary language and images. The recipes are rich in vegetables, fragrant red rum, and the vast production of sugar and rice.

Guyanese Style Cooking

  • Total Pages: 192
  • Recipes Preview: Guyanese Lasagne; Chicken Curry; Stirfry Noodles
  • The Best Recipe We Want To Try: Salara

The Guyanese Style Cooking  Cookbook by Bibi Sazieda will encourage you to have a party in your kitchen while whipping up some delicious, mouthwatering, and flamboyant dishes with traditional and unique Guyanese ingredients. The recipes allow you to reduce spice if needed and still enjoy the most flavorful culinary experience of your life.

The recipes are easy to make and quick to follow, helping to create incredible dishes within minutes. The recipes are practical and tasty and remind you of authentic Guyanese cuisine. The cookbook has various flavorful dishes for the whole family to enjoy.

The cookbook shows you how the mix of Guyanese and Indian cuisine comes together with a touch of culture taken from other regions.

Guyanese Dishes: A Cookbook & Guide

  • Total Recipes: 30
  • Total Pages: 80
  • Total Pages: 82
  • Recipes Preview: Stuffed Karela; Mtton Stew with Channa and Squash; Bhunjal Chicken
  • The Best Recipe We Want To Try: Metemgee

This cookbook by Romell Bourne hosts some of the most popular Guyanese recipes that will excite your palette and keep you wanting more. The recipes are unique, easy to follow, and clear to understand.

Guyanese Easy-To-Follow Cookbook

  • Total Recipes: 30
  • Total Pages: 85
  • Recipes Preview: Stuffed Karela; Mtton Stew with Channa and Squash; Bhunjal Chicken
  • The Best Recipe We Want To Try: Tilapia in Oil and Vinegar Sauce

The author Logan King created an incredible cookbook with a collection of Guyanese dishes, influenced by a combination of Britain, India, Africa, Dutch, Amerindian, and Portuguese cultures. The cookbook focuses on recipes that are prepared in a Guyanese fashion. All the meals are delicious and flavorful, with Guyana’s exciting tastes.

The recipe book also includes some bonus recipes with delightful Guyanese desserts and sweet treats. There are several savory recipes that you can make in no time, with little effort, and are super easy to understand and follow.

The Vibrant Caribbean Pot

  • Total Recipes: 100
  • Total Pages: 159
  • Recipes Preview: Trinbago Aloo Pie; Cheese Paste Sandwich Spread; Green Cooking Banana with Cabbage and Saltfish
  • The Best Recipe We Want To Try: Fried Seasoned Red Snapper

While this cookbook may not be directly from Guyanese cuisine, Caribbean food is a significant part of Guyana’s flavor. Many dishes are similar with the flavorful tastes to get your tastebuds dancing. Chris de la Rosa is famous on Youtube, where most people learn about him.

The book contains extraordinary stories and beautiful colors that excite you about cooking. There are step-by-step instructions perfect for beginners or someone new to the cuisine. It has all your favorite dishes, from main meals to desserts and drinks.

The author brings clear methodology and anticipation to sometimes not-so-easy recipes. Not many cookbooks describe the cultural basis of ingredients in its cuisine, but Chris does. This cookbook is that one that makes you question when the next one releases because it is that good.


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