Providing food for the brain as well as the body, this wonderful collection of essays explores the boundaries between Mexican and Mexican-American foods, promotes philosophical understandings of Mexican-American cuisine, and shares recipes from both past and present.

Defining Mexican-American food is difficult due to its incredibly diverse roots and traditions. This unique style of cuisine varies significantly from Mexican and Latin American cuisines, fusing Native American and Hispanic influences stemming from three centuries of first Spanish and later Mexican rule. In Mexican-American Cuisine, renowned authority in Latino culture Ilan Stavans and 10 other experts in southwestern cuisine explore the food itself and associated traditions.

The book presents nine scholarly essays that examine philosophical understandings of Mexican-American cuisine. Covering both platillos principales (main dishes) and postres (desserts), the authors serve up a sideboard of anthropological, ethnographic, sociological, and culinary observations. Essay topics include the boundaries between Mexican and Mexican-American food, the history and uses of the chile, and the derivations of Mexican cuisine. Readers are also treated to recipes and recommendations by 19th-century California chef Encarnación Pinedo who explores "The Art of Cooking."

Stavans, Ilan

Ilan Stavans has been called the czar of Latino culture in the United States by the New York Times and Latin America's liveliest and boldest critic and most innovative cultural enthusiast by the Washington Post. He is Lewis-Sebring Professor of Latin-American and Latino Culture and Five College 40th Anniversary Professor at Amherst College, MA. He has received numerous honors, including a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Latino Literature Prize, the Antonia Pantoja Award, Chile's Presidential Medal, and the Ruben Dario Distinction.