"Mexican cooking today starts with ingredients that ancient peoples would have grown or gathered, raised, or hunted. Add to that the European influences from Spanish and French colonials, and you have a vibrant culinary tradition," states author Judith Fertig in the introduction to "500 Mexican Dishes." This happily informs us that we are about to find recipes that reflect authenticity and the traditions of what is essentially regional Mexican cooking, rather than adapted Tex-Mex cooking. In these pages are recipes that range from Baja to Veracruz, incorporating the vast territory in between, one that reflects the Mayan and Aztec cultures.
This collection offers a full range of authentic Mexican dish recipes, from appetizers and snacks to savory stews, fabulous fajitas, delicious casseroles, mouthwatering sauces, grilled dishes, and big platter foods for entertaining. Classic foods that were given from the new world to the old are in abundance here, foods such as chocolate and vanilla, chilies that are hot, chilies that are mild and sweet, guava, key lime, nopales, and the classic 'three sisters' - corn, squash and beans.
There are color photos throughout to tempt and tantalize.
This is a welcome addition to the popular "500" series of compact books, each diminutive in size, but packed with recipes. Compact and uniform, these books make an attractive library.
To see individual reviews please see our series page.
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