Connections between what people eat and who they are--between cuisine and identity--reach deep into Mexican history, beginning with pre-Columbian inhabitants offering sacrifices of human flesh to maize gods in hope of securing plentiful crops. This cultural history of food in Mexico traces the influence of gender, race, and class on food preferences from Aztec times to the present and relates cuisine to the formation of national identity. The metate and mano, used by women for grinding corn and chiles since pre-Columbian times, remained essential to preparing such Mexican foods as tamales,...

In an easy-to-follow format, this book provides handy background and travel information about Mexico and some of its ruins before dipping into the ninety-one recipes included here, organised according to meal course. There are recipes that will suit most everyone's palate, from sauces and salsas to soups and sausages; from vegetarian and meat appetisers and main dishes to simple drinks and desserts. Each section begins with a brief description of the course and the types of food involved. The recipes are clear and easy to understand -- one need not be a trained chef with a vast kitchen to...

One of the great food fads of the 1980s, fajitas, brought widespread acclaim to Tex-Mex restaurants, but this novelty was simply the traditional Mexican method of preparing beef. Hispanic carne asada, thin cuts of freshly slaughtered meat cooked briefly on a hot grill, differed dramatically from thick Anglo-American steaks and roasts, which were aged to tenderize the meat. When investors sought to import the Chicago model of centralized meatpacking and refrigerated railroad distribution, these cultural preferences for freshness inspired widespread opposition by Mexican butchers and consumers...

Why was Cantinflas, actor Mario Moreno's film persona, the most popular movie star in Mexican history? Was it because every Mexican - rich or poor, Creole or Indian, man or woman, young or old - could identify with him?