What’s Cooking in Guyana – The Cookbook That Taught a Nation to Cook

The Original Edition

Book Details

Title: What’s Cooking in Guyana

Compiled By: Carnegie School of Home Economics

First Published: 1973

Current Edition: Second Edition (2004; reprinted 2011)

Publisher: Macmillan Caribbean in collaboration with the Carnegie School of Home Economics

ISBN: 978-1405013130 (Second Edition)

Country of Origin: Guyana

Primary Cuisine: Traditional Guyanese Cuisine

Category: Guyanese Cookbook

About the Institution

Founded in 1933, the Carnegie School of Home Economics is Guyana’s premier institution for culinary and hospitality education. For decades, it has trained chefs, caterers, hospitality professionals, and home economists while playing a leading role in preserving and promoting the nation’s culinary traditions.

The school’s flagship cookbook, What’s Cooking in Guyana, has become one of the country’s most recognized culinary publications and remains an important resource for anyone interested in authentic Guyanese cooking.

About the Book

Few cookbooks have had the cultural impact of What’s Cooking in Guyana. First published in 1973, the book was created as a collaborative project between the Carnegie School of Home Economics and the then Ministry of National Development and Agriculture. Its original purpose was to promote Guyana’s agricultural products while encouraging the use of local ingredients through practical, laboratory-tested recipes.

Over the decades, the cookbook has become a household staple. More than 30,000 copies have been sold worldwide, making it one of Guyana’s best-known and most enduring cookbooks. Each new edition has expanded the collection, adding Indigenous recipes, Indo-Guyanese dishes, and recipes developed by the school’s Catering Department, ensuring that the book continues to reflect the country’s evolving culinary landscape.

What You’ll Find Inside

• Traditional Guyanese recipes
• Indigenous dishes
• Indo-Guyanese specialties
• Soups and stews
• Rice dishes
• Curries
• Seafood recipes
• Meat and poultry dishes
• Homemade breads and pastries
• Cakes and desserts
• Preserves and condiments
• Traditional beverages
• Ingredient guides and cooking techniques

Signature Dishes

The cookbook showcases many of the recipes that define Guyanese cuisine, including:

• Pepperpot
• Metemgee
• Cook-Up Rice
• Cassava Bread
• Pepperpot variations
• Curry dishes
• Traditional Amerindian recipes
• Indo-Guyanese favourites
• Pine Tart
• Black Cake
• Cheese Straws
• Cassava Pone

Each recipe has been tested by the Carnegie School’s culinary instructors, giving home cooks confidence that the results are authentic and dependable.

Why We Recommend It

At Taste Guyana, we consider What’s Cooking in Guyana an essential cookbook for anyone serious about Guyanese cuisine. It is more than a recipe collection—it is a historical record of the foods that have shaped our national identity. Compiled by Guyana’s foremost culinary institution, it continues to serve as a trusted guide for home cooks, culinary students, and members of the Guyanese diaspora.

Best For

✔ Home cooks

✔ Culinary students

✔ Professional chefs

✔ Members of the Guyanese diaspora

✔ Visitors interested in Guyanese cuisine

✔ Anyone building a Guyanese cookbook collection

Taste Guyana Rating

Heritage: ★★★★★

Authenticity: ★★★★★

Recipe Variety: ★★★★★

Educational Value: ★★★★★

Ease of Cooking: ★★★★☆

Overall Recommendation: ★★★★★

Did You Know?

The original edition of What’s Cooking in Guyana was created to promote the use of locally grown agricultural products. Since its first publication in 1973, the cookbook has sold more than 30,000 copies worldwide and remains one of the Carnegie School of Home Economics’ greatest success stories. Every recipe is laboratory-tested before being included in the book, ensuring consistency and authenticity.

Taste Guyana Verdict

Some cookbooks come and go, but What’s Cooking in Guyana has stood the test of time. For more than five decades, it has preserved the recipes, techniques, and traditions that define Guyanese cuisine while inspiring generations of home cooks. Whether you’re learning to prepare Pepperpot for the first time or recreating family favourites passed down through generations, this cookbook remains one of the most important culinary references ever produced in Guyana. It is not simply a cookbook—it is part of the nation’s culinary heritage.