Puerto Rican Cookery has become the standard reference on traditional native cookery (cocina criolla). According to the San Juan Star, "the cookbook is seen and is more likely better read in some homes than the religious tome. . . . [it] is considered a primer for beginning cooks . . . a textbook for home economists and it is a guide for the gourmet as well."
Carmen Aboy Valldejuli expressed her hopes that, eventually, all readers may wend their way to Puerto Rico to sample these delicacies in the land of their origin. But, she was certain that the recipes in Puerto Rican Cookery would bring the flavor of the islands to your own table. Pelican also publishes the Spanish version of this book, Cocina Criolla, as well as the Spanish cookbook classic Juntos en la Cocina, written by Valldejuli and her husband, Luis F. Valldejuli. Valldejuli passed away in 2005.