Reviews
Rick Bayless (host of the PBS-TV series Cooking Mexican extensively explores Mexican cookery, analyzing particular national characteristics as well as regional variations of the complex cuisine. He traces the history of Mexican food from the humble squash and beans of thousands of years ago to a cuisine that came to include chiles, corn and the orchard bounties (coconut, pineapple, avocados) of the conquering Spanish. Mexican dishes familiar to Americansthe enchiladas, tamales and tacos that are more properly classified with North American Southwestern cookingare included, but the most interesting recipes are the more exotic: Native American-influenced, spice-sweetened food from the Oaxaca region and simple, European-influenced seafood and vegetable dishes of the Gulf states. The author explains how common flavors (tomatoes, chiles, coriander, lime, onion, garlic) are transformed by proportion and cooking method to produce the regional differences. The book is extremely thorough, with over 650 pages, 19 recipe chapters, a glossary, bibliography and ingredients source list (although most are commonplace). The recipes, which are frequently complicated and challenging, are made less intimidating by especially clear and well-organized instructions, and comprehensive, highly readable notes on techniques, ingredients, timing, advance preparation and variations.
- Publishers Weekly
I live in Southern California surrounded by countless Mexican Restaurants of all levels of quality. Sadly most are sub par greasy cheese and dry rice joints. The recipes I have prepared in this book make the countless combo-number-whatever's pale in comparison. The author explains the reasons for this in the books beginning introduction.
What consistently jumps at me in this book is the author's passion for Mexican cuisine. He hits at the heart of the real Mexican food culture and makes a clear distinction between Mexican "street food" (the informal more popular dishes prevalent across the US) and the traditional, authentic dishes of various regions in Mexico. There is a reason why the latter is not as popular in the US... it takes a lot of time and energy to create the elaborate authentic dishes. You need to find a restaurant that cares about quality dishes AND can pull it off in mass quantity... or you can make it yourself with some help from this book.
The author also puts the real star ingredient at the forefront of these traditional delights - Chiles. Chiles of all shapes, sizes and levels of spiciness can be found in many of the recipes. These different dried and fresh chilies complete the complexity of the recipes and should not be substituted... if they aren't available where you live and you want to do it right then find a way... order it online!
My favorite section has to be the Moles (pronounced like Mo-lay, not like the small mammal or skin growth). I love the history provided at the beginning of this chapter. I have personally made the Mole Verde and Mole Rojo multiple times. I have made the Mole Poblano only once... it takes about 6 hours... very good and worth it once in a while. If you want a mole that appeals to a wide range of palates then the Mole Verde is the way to go. This book is definitely not a be all end all for authentic Mexican cuisine but it definitely is an essential book for those people who are passionate about good authentic Mexican dishes... or simply food in general.
- J.D. Perez, Amazon.com
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