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Mexican Cookbooks and Recipes

© Judy Howle

There are a many cookbooks on Mexican Cuisine. Sometimes it's hard to know which ones have really good recipes and techniques. The following books are considered to be some of the best available on authentic Mexican cooking.

All of Diana Kennedy's books on traditional Mexican cooking are outstanding. They have not been Americanized and use authentic ingredients, some of which may be hard to find in other countries but are becoming more readily available as the popularity of this cuisine continues to grow. Many items are also available by mail order and over the Internet. A good place to check for mail order sources is Firegirl's Fairgrounds. Look under "Retailers and Spices and Other Foods."

Diana Kennedy's books are based on extensive research in the various culinary regions of Mexico and are truly authentic. I have the first two in my collection.

Cuisines of Mexico, Diana's first book, first printed in 1972, is now available in a revised edition. My edition is dated 1986. The first section deals with ingredients and cooking methods, which is followed by the recipes and then a glossary of terms and ingredients and chile peppers used in Mexican cooking

The Art of Mexican Cooking; Traditional Mexican Cooking for Aficionados is Diana's latest cookbook. It doesn't replace Cuisines but is a companion book. These two books could be considered the basics of Mexican cuisine.

Also by Diana Kennedy:

The Tortilla Book and Regional Cooks of Mexico.

Mexico, The Beautiful [Cookbook], with text by Marilyn Tausend, owner of Culinary Adventures (gastronomic tours of Mexico). Truly beautiful photographs and great authentic recipes.

Rick Bayless's Mexican Kitchen; Capturing the Vibrant Flavors of a World-Class Cuisine and Authentic Mexican; Regional Cooking from the Heart of Mexico are considered outstanding. I do not own either of these - yet.

The Taste of Mexico by Patricia Quintana et. al. is also an excellent book.

Two other books that I have and use frequently are Zarela Martinez' Food From My Heart; Cuisines of Mexico Remembered and Reimagined and Mexican Family Cooking by Aida Gabilondo, who is Zarela's mother. Zarela's latest book which I have not seen is The Food and Life of Oaxaca : Traditional Recipes from Mexico's Heart.

Most, if not all, of these books plus many others can be found at Amazon Books.

Recipes from some of the above books:

DIANA KENNEDY'S SALSA MEXICANA

• 3/4 cup unskinned tomatoes, finely chopped
• 1/3 cup white onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced

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