The Essential Cuisines of Mexico: Revised and updated throughout, with more than 30 new recipes.

In 20 chapters--from appetizers to sweets and drinks--the book presents old friends like Pozole de Jalisco and chile con queso, and new delights, including pico de gallo with peaches, Arroz a la Tumbada (rice with seafood), Pollo en Cuiclachoce (chicken in a sauce made with cuitlacoche, the wonderfully exotic corn fungus), snacks from Yucatan cantinas, and a delicious barbecued chicken from Chiapus. The recipe revisions reflect increased ingredient availability and our evolved appreciation of the Mexican palate (Kennedy now requires fresh poblano chilies in her Sopa de Elote, for example, and instructs that they be charred). The sections on masa "fantasies" and tortillas bring together a wide range of these corn-based treats, including Garnachas Yucatecas (delicious filled masa tartlets). With a comprehensive glossary and essays such as "A Weekend Barbecue in Oaxaca," the book reminds us of Kennedy's great contribution to our culinary pleasure, and the recipes that made it possible. --Arthur Boehm

Product Description
More than twenty-five years ago, when Diana Kennedy published The Cuisines of Mexico, knowledge and appreciation of authentic Mexican cooking were in their infancy. But change was in the air. Home cooks were turning to Julia Child for an introduction to French cuisine and to Marcella Hazan for the tastes of Italy. Through Diana Kennedy they discovered a delicious and highly developed culinary tradition they barely knew existed. The Cuisines of Mexico, Mexican Regional Cooking, and The Tortilla Book became best-sellers, and Diana Kennedy was recognized as the authority on Mexican food.

Now a new generation has discovered that Mexican food is more than chimichangas, that they can find fresh hierbas de olor (pot herbs, including marjoram and Mexican bayleaf) and chilacas in their markets. The book that will become indispensable in their kitchens is The Essential Cuisines of Mexico.

Diana has combined her three classic books in one volume, refining recipes when possible, bringing them up to date without losing the spirit of their generation. Old friends will be delighted to revisit these refreshed classics and to find more than thirty new recipes from different regions of Mexico. Among these discoveries are the very popular arroz a la tumbada (rice with seafood) from Veracruz, a pico de gallo with peaches from the state of Mexico, and tasty snacks from the cantinas of Merida.

Newcomers will delight in Diana's "word pictures" -- descriptions of her travels and discoveries -- and in her off-the-cuff comments. Whether they turn to this book for the final word on tamales, recipes for tasty antojitos to serve with drinks, or superb tacos, they will find there is no better teacher of Mexican food. How enviable to attempt for the first time Calzones del Diablo (yes, the Devil's Pants), and what a pleasure to succumb to Diana's passion for Mexican food.

I first discovered Diana Kennedy from a friend who was also seriously addicted to good Mexican food in 1973. I immediately bought a copy of her first book, The Cuisines of Mexico, and authentic Mexican food began to appear in my kitchen. Mexican food is the only food I make, other than something that can go directly into the microwave. Believe me, if I can get good results with this cook book, you'll be a regular Julia Child by comparison.

In fact, Diana Kennedy is a lot like Julia Child in many ways. Ms. Kennedy is an American who came to live in Mexico after she married a New York Times foreign correspondent. There, she learned Mexican food from the local people. Her book is full of beautiful tales about how people prepare and enjoy each dish. For years, she has offered cooking instruction, so she knows the kinds of things that people need to learn. For example, the book contains general information about what kind of equipment you need, basic descriptions of the various ingredients (which can get pretty complicated with the various chilies), and how to handle various ingredients for advance preparation (something I always do), storage, and freezing (something that always happens because I make so much).

The reason I say that this is the book to have is because this book contains the essential material from her three earlier cook books (The Cuisines of Mexico, The Tortilla Book, and Mexican Regional Cooking) updated and improved. She has added more basic information and included 33 new recipes not in the originals (such as pico de gallo with peaches from the state of Mexico, rice with sea food from Veracruz, chicken in corn fungus sauce, many snacks from cantinas in Merida and Yucatan, and barbecued chicken from Chiapa).

Concerned about how healthy your Mexican food is? By making it from scratch, you can leave out the pork lard that makes it so tasty, and substitute some healthy vegetable oil instead. Or you can broil rather than fry. You get the idea. It won't be authentic, but it will taste a lot better than most of the other healthy food you eat. Most of the wonderful flavor actually comes from the vegetables and seasonings rather than the oils.

The book is broken out into the following sections: appetizers; Masa (corn meal) fantasies; tortillas and tortilla dishes; tamales; soups; soup stews; beans, rice, and pasta; egg dishes; light meals; salads; vegetables; sauces and relishes; meats; pork; beef; assorted meats; poultry; seafood; sweet yeast breads; desserts and cookies; drinks (included Craig Claiborne's favorite, Sangrita); and general information.

After you have finished enjoying this book, I suggest that you make a Cinco de Mayo dinner or party an annual event. I always like to have Mexican food for my birthday, as well.

Vaya con Dios!



Should have been better   February 1, 2001
75 out of 81 found this review helpful

I'm the biggest Diana Kennedy fan ever. I wouldn't be without her earlier books except MY MEXICO, which is good but for me not essential. This is a compilation and some things are cut, some are added and some recipes refer to the earlier books that this one volume is supposed to replace. An example is tamales. Her earlier books have pages of instructions and theories in addition to stories. Here, we get the same story but then are referred to CUISINES OF MEXICO for detailed instructions for tamale masa. CUISINES has overly-pedantic recipes in the style of MASTERING THE ART OF FRENCH COOKING so the update in style is welcome, but I wouldn't dream of not having the complete versions of the earlier books. Personally, I think her editor needs to be spanked.


THE classic on Mexican cooking. Buy It.   July 9, 2005
B. Marold (Bethlehem, PA United States)
41 out of 41 found this review helpful

`The Essential Cuisines of Mexico' is Diana Kennedy's Mexican answer to Julia Child's `Mastering the Art of French Cooking'. It has a similar style and quality and, like Child's encounter with French cooking, it came about as a result of her marriage to a husband who was posted to Mexico by his newspaper, `The New York Times' as their Caribbean / Mexican correspondent. This, plus a little help from New York Times colleague and friend, Craig Claiborne lead Ms. Kennedy to start teaching Mexican cooking and prompting her to write a book on the subject.

There are two big differences between this book and Ms. Child's `magnum opus'. The first is that this volume is an amalgam of three earlier books, while `...French Cooking' was a distillation from a manuscript at least twice the size of the final published volume. The second major difference is that while Ms. Child is documenting `cuisine bourgeois', Ms. Kennedy is looking at Mexico's `cuisine provincial'. This is highlighted by the fact that the geographical home of all recipes is cited, and the geographic specifics are given for all the major ingredients cited in the appendix.

The three earlier books being combined here are `The Cuisines of Mexico', `The Tortilla Book', and `Mexican Regional Cooking'. The author also states that some new material has been added to the recipes from these three books. To my eye, the integration of the three volumes is seamless. The author and her editors have not simply pasted the three volumes together, they have merged all the material to create a single work easily superior to the original three.

By the time this book was published, it should be evident to the English speaking world at large that Ms. Kennedy has some serious competition from Chicagoan, Rick Bayless in the world of Mexican culinary authorities. Just as Ms. Kennedy presents recipes very similar to fellow amateur Julia Child and fellow `culinary archeologist' Paula Wolfert, chef Bayless does a much more analytical approach to Mexican cuisine, deconstructing dishes into their component parts in `Rich Bayless' Mexican Kitchen' and giving us multiple versions of important dishes in `Mexico One Plate at a Time'.

In spite of these differences, Ms. Kennedy and Mr. Bayless agree on virtually everything important when they address the same subjects. The most important point on which they agree is the central place of Oaxaca as, to coin a phrase, the Provence of Mexican cuisine. On which author to prefer, if you are a fan of Mexican dishes, buy both authors, bypassing the earlier books which were folded into the current volume and also bypassing Mr. Bayless' `Salsas That Cook' as there is some overlap with `Rick Bayless's (sic) Mexican Kitchen'. If you are a culinary professional, Mr. Bayless may be just a bit more useful. If you simply want lots of good recipes, go with Ms. Kennedy. Also, Ms. Kennedy probably has the edge when it comes to giving recipes for Mexican baking, as that is one of her special interests. And, if that is where your strongest interest lies, go for her latest book, `From My Mexican Kitchen'. On which writer is more `authentic' I am taking it on faith that both authors are incredibly faithful to the tastes and the spirit of the Mexican originals while being very considerate of their gringo audience's kitchen equipment and skills.

The one thing about which one may be disappointed in this book, based on the title, is that there is very little discussion of general regional differences. There is not even a dusty little map of Mexico and its regions. This is surprising in that, for example Penelope Casas includes a map of Spanish regions in all her major cookbooks and Diane Kochilas includes one in her excellent book on Greek cuisines. And, both authors give us recipes by region. Ms. Kennedy's omission is doubly puzzling as chef Bayless' first book, `Authentic Mexican' opens with a very good map of Mexican regions. This, of course, is only important if you are really interested in regionality, as when you plan to travel to Mexico. If all you want is recipes, this consideration is of no importance.

Following the model of her spiritual mentor, Julia Child, Ms. Kennedy's recipes are exceptionally well written. To those of us for whom this is important, note that all volumetric measurements are given in both English and metric units. And, Ms. Kennedy's admonition on careful measurement, regardless of the unit, is well taken. In spite of the fact that these are interpretations of very provincial recipes, Ms. Kennedy goes to great lengths to add warnings and suggestions regarding what can be prepared in advance, what should be served immediately, and what can be refrigerated or frozen safely, without loosing flavor or texture.

This book is not compulsively chatty, if that is something which annoys you. Many recipes have short headnotes, but not all recipes do. The overall book is organized by type of recipe, which makes it ideal for quick reference. In that regard, it is much better than Mr. Bayless PBS tie-in volumes. I went directly to the egg recipe chapter and was greeted immediately with the familiar `Huevos Rancheros', only to discover that Ms. Kennedy does anticipate Mr. Bayless a bit (and copies her Julia Child model as well) by separating the Salsa Ranchera recipe from the egg recipe with citations in the Salsa recipe for the dishes in which it is used.

I do not miss pictures in cookbooks, but if you do, go for Bayless' first book, `Authentic Mexican'. Otherwise, if you simply need Mexican recipes, pick this book first, especially as Ms. Kennedy is a better and more engaging writer than chef Bayless in his first book. My only real regret with this book is that there is no `analytical' listing of recipes by Mexican region. Otherwise, this is a real classic!



Authentic Recipes for Mexican food foodies   March 29, 2006
LatinaGirl (California)
18 out of 23 found this review helpful

This is a wonderful cookbook with authentic Mexican recipes. Diana Kennedy has spent many years in Mexico and her knowledge of Mexican food reminds me of an anthropologist. Its very detailed and well documented. Most of the recipes are authentic and easy to recreate. Others (a few) are more difficult to recreate in an American kitchen but are wonderful to read in order to get an idea of the variety and richness of the food found in Mexico.

Some of the recipes are old and need to be updated (For example, ou can no longer find a bread called "Pambazo" in Mexico City--some of her terms are from the 50's)

I do notice that the anecdotes and introductions to the recipes show how much Diana Kennedy loves Mexican food but dislikes Mexican peasants, maids and servants. She gives credit to middle class and upper class Mexican cooks who give her recipes for this book but she in turn gives little credit or approval to recipes given to her by maids, peasants and Indian people. If she does give credit to a recipe given to her by a maid or a cook she only gives a first name or credits "the maids" that came with her rented house. Its a little offensive and gives you the impression that she loves the food but not the people who eat it.

This is a true shame because many of the best cooking is done by regular home cooks and poor people. This book would probably be better if she "lowered" herself to talk to Indian and peasant cooks and then treated them on equal footing as the wealthy and middle-class "Senoras" who give her most of her recipes.

If you can overlook the attitude toward the people its a worthwile book.


Umm....Sprechen Sie Deutsch?   April 6, 2006
Sophie (astoria, ny)
17 out of 32 found this review helpful

Not for someone that doesn't have loads of spare time to devote to this. I think I'm a pretty good cook, and I'm used to working with cook books. But I found this book very overwhelming. There are no pictures, so you better already know the cuisine very well. Most cookbooks have at least a few pictures thrown in for inspiration -- or at least scenes of the environment where the dish originated. How else am I to evoke that Mexican feeling? Not from the book. Also, I was hoping I could get away with making something that would take less than 5 hours, but out of luck on that count too. You are supposed to make your own tortillas for every recipe, yeah right! That would be like making your own pasta every time you wanted to have dinner.
Perhaps if you had a house full of maids like the author to do all the hard stuff for you, but then they would probably not need this book!