Yawd: Modern Afro-Caribbean Recipes

Yawd: Modern Afro-Caribbean Recipes by Adrian Forte, the Jamaican-born chef and Top Chef Canada alumnus, is a vibrant collection of more than 100 recipes celebrating the history, ingredients, and evolving identity of Afro-Caribbean cuisine. Published in 2022, Forte’s debut cookbook takes its name from the Jamaican Patois word for “home” or “turf,” reflecting a deeply personal approach to food that connects his Jamaican heritage with his experiences as a contemporary chef.

Forte combines African and Caribbean ingredients and traditions with modern global techniques, creating dishes such as Oxtail Gnocchi, Jerk-Marinated Chicken Coq au Vin, and Pepper Shrimp Paella. Alongside these inventive recipes are foundational preparations—including Jerk Dry Rub and Marinade and Pickled Scotch Bonnets—that give cooks building blocks for bringing Caribbean flavor into their own kitchens. The collection moves between comforting classics, plant-forward dishes, and ambitious contemporary creations while exploring the African roots that have shaped Caribbean foodways.

Bold, modern, and deeply connected to heritage, Yawd is especially appealing for Caribbean and African diaspora food enthusiasts, adventurous home cooks, contemporary cookbook collectors, and readers interested in how a new generation of Black chefs is reinterpreting traditional flavors while honoring their cultural origins.