Culinary Mexico: Authentic Recipes and Traditions

by Daniel Hoyer

Join author and chef Daniel Hoyer on a journey of discovery through the varied geography, culture, history, and cuisine of Mexico. Hoyer's creative collection of recipes from the vastly diverse regions of Mexico prove that it's about time we abandon old notions of Mexican food--tacos, enchiladas, burritos, and refried beans, all covered in melted cheese. Mexico's rich history and myriad cultural influences are reflected in its food, which exposes a largely unexplored world of nuanced flavors and unique ingredients, as well as a wide range of cooking styles and techniques. Culinary Mexico covers general cooking techniques, ingredients, and cuisines from regions, including the Northern Frontier (Empanadas de Harina, Tacos de Pescado Baja), the Pacific Coast (Ceviche, Mojo de Ajo), the Isthmus of Tehuantepec (Pollo en Escabeche, Puerco en Mole Verde), the Central Crossroads (Chiles en Nogada, Carne Asada Tampiqueño), the Colonial Plains and Highlands (Pico de Gallo, Quesadillas de Maíz con Garbanzos Frescos, Barbacoa), and the Yucatán Peninsula (Carne Asada a la Yucateca, Frijoles Colados Yucateco). There is also a section with complete menus, eliminating the guesswork of pairing these foods, as well as a source section, bibliography, and glossary. Daniel Hoyer first learned to cook as a young boy by helping his two grandmothers. He began working in restaurants as a teenager. After studying pre-veterinary medicine, supported by his cooking, he found his niche in the restaurant world, eventually becoming a chef. His stint as sous chef for Mark Miller's Coyote Cafe inspired his interest in Mexican and Latin American cooking. He has traveled extensively in Mexico, exploring the cooking as well as the history and culture of that colorful country. He is currently a restaurant consultant, cooking-school instructor at the Santa Fe School of Cooking, and guide of gastronomic adventure tours in Mexico.

Genres: Cookbooks, Food, Cooking

240 pages, Hardcover

First published November 23, 2005

Reviews

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite the appearance created by the menu at Taco Bell, there is no such thing as a unitary category of food called Mexican. Mexico is a large country, the geography of which creates a considerable diversity of cuisines between the mountains, the plains, the jungles and the coasts. The wide variety of indigenous peoples (more than a hundred languages are spoken in Mexico) and the successive waves of European (mostly but not exclusively Spanish) people have created foods so different as not to appear to belong in the same cuisine. The meat-stuffed baked Gouda cheese popular in the Yucatán is a wonderful example. Daniel Hoyer has arranged his book by region to highlight this sort of diversity. He is a cooking instructor in New Mexico who leads cooking expeditions in Mexico; reading this book is like taking a little one of these trips. The photos are helpful but a bit more detail in describing some of the processes would have been helpful. Do not look for Mex-Tex food in his book; Hoyer seeks to lead the reader in some other directions.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

healthy flavor