The Best of Mexico (The Best of ...)

Among the world's great cuisines, the foods of Mexico stand out in their diversity and creativity. Rooted in its history of great and ancient Indian civilizations, inspired by the Spanish Conquistadores of the sixteenth century, and influenced by European tastes in the later revolutionary years, it is indeed a dynamic cuisine -- adaptable but remarkably complete even in its melding of different cultures.

In The Best of Mexico, food editor Evie Righter has chosen the finest examples of culinary creativity from this intriguing and vibrant country. From the chiles, chocolate, nuts, and tomatoes pureed into exquisite sauces, to the corn, beans, avocados, and seafood combined into flavorful dishes, she presents the Mexican cook's ingredients and techniques in a clear and accessible style that will enlighten and inspire.

Here are the favorite drinks, salsas, and tacos; festive dishes including enchiladas, tamales, and pozoles; elegant entrees like Mole Poblano de Guajolote and Pescado a la Veracruzana, and well-loved desserts like Flan and Bunuelos.

Color photographs throughout feature the dishes themselves as well as the bountiful waters and lively marketplaces so representative of Mexico. An essential guide to this distinctive cuisine, The Best of Mexico helps turn an ordinary meal into a fiesta.

The pictures alone in this cookbook will captivate you and make you dream of visiting Oaxaca, Tula, Mexico City, Copper Canyon, and the rest of Mexico. Almost every dish sounds enticing to me and the majority of them also contain lovely photos that will make you want to start cooking even more!

Some of the recipes I've tried and would recommend: Spiced Coffee, Huevos Rancheros (topped with the Chili Tomato Sauce recipe), Pork Ribs in Green Sauce, Red Snapper with Tomatoes, Onions and Olives, Arroz Mexicana (with the Chicken Stock recipe), Refried Beans, Fried Plantains with Honey and Cream, and Tacos with Shredded Pork and Chipotles.

Some I can't wait to try: Margaritas, Salsa Verde, Empanadas with Mushrooms, Tamales with Pork and Red Chili, Chilaquiles, Flautas with Sausage, Potatoes and Chilies, Red Enchiladas with Cheese, Turkey in Chili-Chocolate Sauce, Shrimp with Garlic, Onions and Chilies, and Flan. Needless to say, I'm eager to make MOST of the recipes in this cookbook!

Righter rounds off her presentation of these wonderful Mexican dishes with an introduction that enlightens the reader on the rich history of Mexican cooking, making this a cookbook no Mexican food lover can live without!


The Best of Mexico - a cookbook   May 1, 2000
32 out of 44 found this review helpful

I have spent 40 years in Mexico and this book contains recipes which are authentic. I have used the book and look it! I think Diana Kennedy would too!


Excellent!   March 26, 2000
15 out of 33 found this review helpful

This is an EXCELLENT read my lips EXCELLENT cookbook


authentic and yummy   December 3, 2004
lauratov (Providence, RI)
15 out of 16 found this review helpful

wonderful recipes -- the guacamole and the enchiladas suizas always earn me rave reviews and they taste like the stuff i had in mexico!


Can't Go Wrong With This One   November 25, 2006
M. L. Rojas (Southern California)
14 out of 15 found this review helpful

While I have not made anything from this book yet, I can tell the recipes in here are the real deal. I grew up in a Mexican household, but I can never seem to duplicate what we used to eat because I did not take notes while in the kitchen. This book has the recipes wirtten down just as I remember them (only now I have the measurements to make them taste right). There is no modern twists or fusion mixes, just straight-forward, authentic recipes the way they were meant to be eaten.