This all-embracing book –the author says- stirs up good taste and takes readers on a grand tour around the basics of gourmet, all of its products, attributes and services.

Its publishing has panned out to be a steppingstone in Latin America since it’s the first work on this topic ever published in the continent. “Europe has always cultivated the good taste and knowledge for the gourmet,” Mr. Peregrino points out. “This volume shows what we can do, from our humble habitations, about good tasting, just as much as royal courts have always done in classic Europe.” The forewords lay bare the history of food, wine and, as odd as it may sound, judicial matters related to wines since the prologue was written by Havana University Emeritus Professor Julio Fernandez Bulte.

The moment you start skimming through the pages, new and peculiar things begin popping up before your very eyes. Form Chapter One, “Why Gourmet?” all the way to the last words, the book speaks volumes of historic figures who have dedicated their entire lifetimes to unravel the secrets of wine and everything else having to do with it, from the brewing process to the uncorking of bottles.

Mr. Peregrino tells us about gourmet matches between some of the world’s best-known dishes and drinks in bars everywhere. He also delves into the history of beer, cheese, ham, foie gras, truffles, caviar, oysters, vinegars, olive oils, waters, ice, salt, pepper, chocolate, coffee and food additives, plus a suggestive chapter devoted to ties between eroticism and gastronomy, let alone one chapter designed to underscore the most autochthonous of all Cuban produces: the Habano. In this part of the book, Mr. Peregrino reveals a detailed recount of tobacco, from the harvest to the hand-rolled cigar. The author confesses he’s always been head over heels with Cuban Habanos. In all, the book is made up of sixty chapters that capture readers with a unique out-of-a-novel style to take us into the wonderful world of gourmet.

When asked about his goal behind this book, Mr. Peregrino said, “I’d like it to be a reference book for both newcomers and connoisseurs. But above all, this book is made to quench inquiries about this quasi-taboo topic in the realm of gastronomy and cuisine, issues that authors have shunned through the years for fear of failing to go deep enough into them. Maybe we’ve been too bold in talking about certain gourmet matters or products, but we Cubans are never afraid of anything and we simply wanted to put our experiences in black and white for everyone to read. I must also say I don’t want the culture of wines, dishes and all other products to be just dead letter, but to get down to the roots. More than being just a book about gourmet, I want this piece to be a work on general culture and knowledge all human beings need in their daily lives. We don’t want to speak or write with words, but with our hearts.”