Coconuts & Collards: Recipes and Stories from Puerto Rico to the Deep South

Coconuts & Collards: Recipes and Stories from Puerto Rico to the Deep South by Von Diaz is a beautifully written cookbook-memoir that explores the rich connections between Puerto Rican and Southern food traditions through personal storytelling, family history, and comforting recipes. Inspired by Diaz’s journey from Puerto Rico to Georgia, the book traces the shared influences of African, Indigenous, and Caribbean foodways while honoring the women and memories that shaped her understanding of food and identity. Blending foundational recipes like sofrito and adobo with inventive dishes that bridge cultures, Coconuts & Collards is both a celebration of culinary heritage and a thoughtful exploration of how migration, memory, and family create new traditions around the table.