| Abstrakt: |
"Culinary mystery" describes the subgenre of crime mystery fiction that brings together food and crime. This article explores the connection between knowledge about Caribbean food and crime detection skills in Raquel V. Reyes' culinary mystery Mango, Mambo, and Murder: A Caribbean Kitchen Mystery (2022). The novel accentuates the pan-ethnic Caribbean heritage by combining the cuisines from Haiti, Puerto Rico, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic. The main Latina character is a food anthropologist who becomes an amateur sleuth and uses her culinary skills as prime detection tools. Her cooking style corresponds with the traditions of Floribbean Cuisine, pioneered by a group of South Florida chefs known as the Mango Gang. Finding ingredients, adapting the proper instructions, and preparing meals are metaphors for the investigation leading to the culprit's identification. The amateur/academic sleuth employs the analytic skills she has developed through her scholarly pursuits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
