Through her personal family history and tireless research, author Von Diaz presents more than 125 recipes and intimate stories that exemplify the food and history of the island nations of Indian, Atlantic, and Pacific Oceans, organized by ancestral techniques. The islands spanning Indian, Atlantic, and Pacific oceans are remarkable places, sharing dozens of ingredients and cooking techniques, including marinating, fermenting, deep-frying, smoking, and in-ground roasting. Bold flavors drip from the edges of each dish-tastes that represent stories of resistance, persistence, and wisdom passed down from generation to generation. This narrative cookbook by writer, documentary producer, and author Von Diaz, travels across oceans and nations to uplift the shared ancestral cooking techniques of these islands in more than 125 recipes, including intimate profiles of the historical context of each technique, stories from islanders, and step-by-step guides for recreating them at home. Bright citrus and vinegars, verdant herbs, slow-cooked and smoky grilled meats, fresh seafood, aromatic rice, and earthy root vegetables: These flavors, found in the meals and recipes across the island nations of the Indian, Atlantic, and Pacific Oceans, despite distance and cultural differences, pair remarkably well together. Partnered with deep-rooted cooking techniques-marinating, pickling + fermentation, braising + stewing, frying, grilling + smoking, and steaming + in-ground cooking-these ingredients and techniques typify the harmonious, synchronous spirit found in each of their unique cuisines. Even amid environmental chaos and food insecurity, islanders cook in ways that are soul-nourishing and flavorful. Coco Bread from Jamaica Arroz Con Jueyes (Stewed Crab Rice) from Puerto Rico Masikita (Papaya-Marinated Beef Skewer) from Madagascar Bebek Betutu (Roasted Duck in Banana Leaf) from Indonesia Lechon Kawali (Crispy Fried Pork Belly) from the Philippines Islas is about preserving the wisdom, values, and resilience of the people who live in some of the most volatile, vulnerable places on this planet. Each recipe, an archive of strategies for persistence, creativity, and ingenuity, provides a path for cooking delicious food. But above all, these stories and recipes acknowledge that cooking delicious food for others is always a selfless act. Cooks are givers, always.

When her family moved from Puerto Rico to Atlanta, Von Diaz traded plantains, roast pork, and Malta for grits, fried chicken, and sweet tea. Brimming with humor and nostalgia, Coconuts and Collards is a recipe-packed memoir of growing up Latina in the Deep South. The stories center on the women in Diaz's family who have used food to nourish and care for one another.Inspired by her grandmother's 1962 copy of Cocina Criolla-the Puerto Rican equivalent of the Joy of Cooking-Diaz celebrates traditional recipes while fusing them with her own family history and a contemporary southern flair. Diaz's funche recipe is grits kicked up with coconut milk. White beans make the catfish corn chowder creamy and give it a Spanish feel. The pinchos de pollo-chicken skewers-feature guava BBQ sauce, which doubles as the sauce for adobo-coated ribs. Diaz innovates for modern palates, updating and lightening recipes and offering vegetarian alternatives. For the chayotes rellenos (stuffed squash), she suggests replacing the picadillo (sauteed ground beef) with seitan or tofu. She offers alternatives for difficult-to-find ingredients, like substituting potatoes for yucca and yautia-root vegetables typically paired with a meat to make sancocho. Diaz's version of this hearty stew features chicken and lean pork. And because every good Puerto Rican meal ends with drinks, desserts, and dancing, Diaz includes recipes for besitos de coco (coconut kisses), rum cake, sofrito bloody marys, and anticuado, an old-fashioned made with rum. With stunning photographs that showcase the geographic diversity of the island and the vibrant ingredients that make up Puerto Rican cuisine, this cookbook is a moving story about discovering our roots through the foods that comfort us. It is about the foods that remind us of family and help us bridge childhood and adulthood, island and mainland, birthplace and adopted home.