In 1962 Joan Fry was a college sophomore recently married to a dashing anthropologist. Naively consenting to a year-long “working honeymoon” in British Honduras (now Belize), she soon found herself living in a remote Kekchi village deep in the rainforest. Because Fry had no cooking or housekeeping experience, the romance of living in a hut and learning to cook on a makeshift stove quickly faded. Guided by the village women and their children, this twenty-year-old American who had never made more than instant coffee came eventually to love the people and the food that at first had seemed so foreign. While her husband conducted his clinical study of the native population, Fry entered their world through friendships forged over an open fire. Coming of age in the jungle among the Kekchi and Mopan Maya, Fry learned to teach, to barter and negotiate, to hold her ground, and to share her space—and, perhaps most important, she learned to cook.

This is the funny, heartfelt, and provocative story of how Fry painstakingly baked and boiled her way up the food chain, from instant oatmeal and flour tortillas to bush-green soup, agouti (a big rodent), gibnut (a bigger rodent), and, finally, something even the locals wouldn’t tackle: a “mountain cow,” or tapir. Fry’s efforts to win over her neighbors and hair-pulling students offers a rare and insightful picture of the Kekchi Maya of Belize, even as this unique culture was disappearing before her eyes. 

Joan Fry is the author of Backyard Horsekeeping: The Only Guide You’ll Ever Need and the coauthor of The Beginning Dressage Book. Her articles and short stories have appeared in numerous publications, including McSweeney’s, Black Warrior Review, Other Voices, Southern California Anthology, and the Boston Globe. She lives with her husband in the California high desert.

"A poignant and revelatory coming-of-age story."—Carol Haggas, ForeWord

"An entertaining coming of age story as a self-assured woman emerges from a sheltered young bride."—Sandy Amazeen, monstersandcritics.com

“Reading and relishing Joan Fry’s wonderfully vivid memoir of her time among the Maya, I can almost smell the ripe mangos on the ground and the smoke of the Colonials in the air. I can taste the escabeche and tortillas. How to Cook a Tapir brings Belize to life.”—Lan Sluder, author of Fodor’s Belize 2008 and publisher of the on-line magazine Belize First

“How to Cook a Tapir has detailed instructions for foods that are fun to read about as well as foods that are easy to cook and delicious. Sesame Coconut Crunch, Cilantro Stewed Chicken, and Bush Greens and Garbanzos can all be made with ingredients from any American supermarket. And for those who have a tapir and wish to cook it, that recipe is there too. Like Osa Johnson's great classic I Married Adventure, and Tracy Johnston’s Shooting the Boh, Joan Fry's How to Cook a Tapir is the story of an adventurous woman whose travels teach her as much about herself as they do about the culture she encounters.”—Denise Landis, former anthropologist and author of the New York Times cookbook Dinner for Eight: 40 Great Dinner Party Menus for Friends and Family.

“In the tradition of Eat, Pray, Love and Tales of a Female Nomad comes Joan Fry’s toothsome and transformational adventure. What a wonderful journey; garnish with samat!”—Sandra Tsing Loh, author of Mother on Fire

“Joan Fry has created a fascinating blend of personal reminiscences with authentic practical recipes. . . . The book is an engaging tribute to the culture of food that is as authentically accessible as it is tasty.”—Noel Riley Fitch, author of Appetite for Life: The Biography of Julia Child

Publication of this volume was assisted by The Virginia Faulkner Fund, established in memory of Virginia Faulkner, editor in chief of the University of Nebraska Press.