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Elisabeth Lambert Ortiz (June 17, 1915 - October 27, 2003) was a British food writer who popularized Latin American cuisine in the US and Great Britain.
Born in Harrow-on-the-Hill, London, she moved with her family to Jamaica and Australia. Her early publications included poetry, murder mysteries, film and theater reviews, and a memoir of her life in Jamaica. Marriage to the diplomat Cesar Ortiz Tinoco (an official of the United Nations) resulted in further travel, often in Latin America. She worked as a journalist in England, the United States, Mexico, the Caribbean, Thailand, the Far east, South and Central America and Australia.
Her 1992 Encyclopaedia of Herbs, Spices and Flavourings won awards from Julia Child and the International Association of Culinary Professionals. In addition to her books, she wrote extensively for Gourmet magazine and Time-Life publications. She also wrote a cookery book on Japanese food with Mitsuko Endo, contributed five chapters to the World Atlas of Food, and contributed to Masterpieces of French Cuisine and the Royal Cookbook. Her writings also include two novels, several books of verse and a verse play, and a book on the sea for children.