Good, Authentic Mexican Cookbooks?
Digging into the Serious Eats mailbag, we find this message from a reader asking about Mexican cookbooks. Instead of answering privately and keeping other Serious Eaters out of the loop, we thought we'd post the message here so everyone could benefit. Anyone who cares to chime in may do so! —The Serious Eats Team
Dear Serious Eats,
I am in the market for a good, authentic Mexican cookbook—preferably one with a killer tamale recipe. Have you any suggestions? I've seen a lot that are tailored toward Americans (especially in terms of ingredients), but I would love to find something that, while challenging, will also be worth the effort.
Thank you for your help!
—J
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12 Comments:
Rick Bayless' cookbooks are good and authentic. I am also a big fan of Food from My Heart by Zarela Martinez.
Ed Levine at 4:38PM on 08/06/07
I second Rick Bayless. Everyday Mexican might not be as authentic as some of his others, but it's one of my most used cookbooks, and I can't recommend it enough.
josh! at 4:50PM on 08/06/07
I would start with The Essential Cuisines of Mexico (or the original Cuisines of Mexico) by Diana Kennedy and Authentic Mexican by Rick Bayless.
carpetbagger at 4:57PM on 08/06/07
Often referenced for a good reason, Diana Kennedy, The Essential Cuisines of Mexico, includes her first three books, The Cuisines of Mexico, The Tortilla Book, and Regional Mexican Cooking. I think there is little left out but this is incredibly comprehensive.
Also got to say Rob Walsh, The Tex-Mex Cookbook. The man is a great writer and compiler of recipes.
I use both of these often and think they are perfect. Good luck on the tamales.
intheyearofthepig at 5:11PM on 08/06/07
I have the Walsh and Bayless book...planning on getting the kennedy book next. Definitely agree that the Walsh book is good - haven't had a chance to use the Bayless book yet.
carpetbagger at 6:18PM on 08/06/07
Do any of these books do a decent job with Sonoran Mexican food (if any of you are familiar)? The regional book sounds promising, but I'll be much more interested if anyone has some experience with it.
kmnola at 7:39PM on 08/06/07
Rick Bayless for many reasons. He lived in Oaxaca. He is mexican cuisine. The guy is so easy to understand and likable you just want to hug him. Try Mexican Everyday.
JerzeeTomato at 8:56PM on 08/06/07
I'm from Texas and though I feel a bit strange writing this I suggest Williams and Sonoma Mexican cookbook. My brother bought it for me and I was skeptical but it has the basics that I grew up with (I grew up with many Mexican friends who were generous with the food!). I have never been able to make red spanish rice, mostly because my teachers were so adept at cooking it that they had a hard time writing down any sort of a recipe. I can cook it now!
Lauren at 10:15AM on 08/07/07
Rick Bayless' Mexican Kitchen is far and away my favorite. It's a great balance of authentic recipes and accessible ingredients and techniques (and as a bonus side note, he gives good tips for adapting recipes to more "American" preparations).
I wouldn't say that they are Americanized recipes at all.
I found Authentic Mexican a bit too authentic/ traditional: the recipes are very complex and require a laundry list of ingredients, pounded in a mortar, etc.. It's a fascinating read, and tempting for occasions when you might have an entire weekend to work on something, but it's unlikely to be a book you'll get frequent use out of, in my opinion.
Mexican Kitchen is also really informative and interesting to cook and eat from, but it also allows for things like food processors or lack of access to a full-fledged Hispanic grocery.
ren at 3:31PM on 08/07/07
I enjoy all the cookbooks mentioned above, but how come there are no Mexican food cookbooks written by actual Mexicans?
fritolaysia at 10:31AM on 08/08/07
Mexican cookbooks written by Mexicans ... well, in Mexico, most of the cooking is done by women who learned from their mothers and grandmothers. The women I know from Mexico tend to think there's something wrong with a person who uses a cookbook. Diana Kennedy spent a lot of time with a woman in one region and at first, thanks to Gourmet Magazine, Americans were led to believe this was the only type of Mexican cooking that was authentic. Later, as American cooks traveled to Oaxaca and Puebla etc. they discovered that there were other inhabitants in Mexico than the descendants of the Aztecs, and each had a different idea of what Mexican cooking was. Rick Bayless was the one who really went to town showing the variety of food and gives such good advice that it's very possible to replicate the fantastic dishes here, with his books. But if you go to Mexico, you'll see that they are just as innovative as we are, and what is covered by "authentic Mexican" is always expanding.
There is a Mexican cookbook by a woman who has a school in Mexico and Mexican children ... Her name is Susana Trilling and her book is Seasons of My Heart: A Culinary Journey Through Oaxaca. She is a fantastic cook and I've only done a couple of the recipes in the book, but they were marvelous. I've made a ton of Rick Bayless's recipes though and he's my personal favorite.
jumpygrouch at 3:56PM on 08/09/07
Diane Kennedy for true Mexican... Rick Bayless is pretty right-on too.
rockygus at 2:01PM on 08/13/07