Mexican Modern: New Food from Mexico [Hardcover]

Fiona Dunlop (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2009

An enthralling gastronomic journey that captures the incredible vitality and color of this country and the remarkable food of Mexico today

Mexico is experiencing a gastronomic revolution. A return to pre-Hispanic cooking techniques and ingredients combined with modern presentations are sweeping a wind of change through the country's legendary food.

From Mexico City to Veracruz, from Michoacán to Puebla and from Oaxaca to the Yucatán, Fiona Dunlop has sought out 12 chefs at the forefront of Mexican cooking to discover the recipes at the heart of this revolution. Backing them up are sections on market food cooks who still make old classics in time-honored ways. Among the recipes, you will find inventive new dishes as well as modern versions of classics. Chilies, seafood, chicken, duck, pork, game and corn tortillas play a central role as do vegetable dishes based on beans, tomatoes, avocadoes, squash, corn, sweet potatoes, pumpkin seeds and mole sauces.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"An impressive and highly useful book that could only be improved if it came with a plane ticket to Mexico... Dunlop's third cookbook makes for a Mexico that's a world away from packet taco mixes and servings of micro-waved nachos. Divided into six of the central or southern states--the capital México DF, south-central Puebla, west coastal Michoacán, southern Oaxaca and Veracruz, and the far easterly Yucatán--it's evident that Dunlop traveled extensively while researching this book. Dunlop presents two local chefs for each area, such as DF's Martha Ortiz and Oaxacan housewife Abigail Mendoza, thereby offering firsthand insights into the traditions and realities of modern Mexican cuisine. Recipes? Plenty of those, ranging from street food through to first class restaurant fare. Caldo de mariscos (spicy seafood broth) made a soup every bit as good as we'd enjoyed recently in Mexico City, while the classier recipes such as fillets of fish with tomato marmalade are perfect for dinner party hosts to show off. Aptly for such a cookbook, it's richly colored with gorgeous photography." --Time Out Magazine

British food writer Dunlop (The New Tapas) here focuses on the contemporary Mexican food scene, showcasing 12 talented chefs. She offers an intriguing look at an evolving cuisine, with a brief nod to tradition in shorter sections on Mexican street foods. Striking color photographs add to the appeal of the book. For most cooks. --Library Journal

About the Author

Fiona Dunlop is the author of the critically acclaimed New Tapas in which she explored Spain's best tapas bar food and, more recently, The North African Kitchen, which featured the sumptuous home cooking of North Africa. For her latest book she travelled extensively throughout Mexico, a country that she has known for 15 years, tasting the food in restaurants and on the street, and talking to chefs and market people. She writes regularly for the London Observer, Financial Times, Sunday Telegraph and CNN Traveler and has written numerous travel guides, including titles for National Geographic.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Interlink Pub Group (March 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566567440
• ISBN-13: 978-1566567442
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 8.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #153,919 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #44 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Regional & International > Mexican

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting mix of Mexican recipes organized by region, April 28, 2010

By 

Chicago Book Addict (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Mexican Modern: New Food from Mexico (Hardcover)

Overal I enjoyedMexican Modern: New Food from Mexico. At first I wasn't sure what to expect because modern can mean different things to different people. Sometimes in cookbooks it seems to suggest fusion food or food that has been updated in some way. In the case of this book, it seemed to mean that the food goes beyond the expected items that most Americans associate with Mexico. That means things like crab and avocado ravioli and stuffed chilies that include a savory-sweet mix of fruit and ground meats and a walnut sauce. However, there is nothing in here that seems too out of the box or that would be inappropriate for a home cook. One of the recipes did call for a foam, but otherwise the components are very accessible.

Overall I thought this was an interesting cookbook and there were a lot of recipes in here that I had not seen in other Mexican cookbooks. There was also a good assortment of photos of the dish, which visual cooks are sure to appreciate. My only slight complaint is that while I appreciated that the food was organized by region, practically I find this hard to cook from. Often I am looking for something specific (i.e. an appetizer, a fish dish, etc.) and an organziational structure that is region-based means more time spent flipping. However, this is a personal preference so I did not deduct any stars from this, but felt it was worth noting.

Overall this is a solid cookbook. I'm still more of a fan of Rick Bayless as I like his style and range of recipes, but this is a great book as well.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fine choice for those who want to expand their culinary horizons, May 11, 2009

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mexican Modern: New Food from Mexico (Hardcover)

Mexican food did not stop with just tacos and burritos, and modern Mexican chefs are as innovative as those of any other nation. "Mexican Modern: New Food from Mexico" breaks from the standard Mexican tradition that so many American cooks associate and brings readers and cooks new dishes from south of the border. With fine spins on something as simple as marinated shrimp, to seafood broth, to desserts such as strawberries with cheese and honey, the Mexican diet can revolutionize one's own. Each entry has the dish's Spanish name, ingredient list, and step by step directions. "Mexican Modern" is a fine choice for those who want to expand their culinary horizons.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting book on Mexican food, June 24, 2009

By 

Steve Sando (Northern California) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mexican Modern: New Food from Mexico (Hardcover)

Warning: This book was published earlier as 'Viva La Revolucion" in the UK. Only the title and the cover are different.
The recipes are an nice mix of things modern and traditional. This shouldn't be the only or first Mexican cookbook you get but there's plenty of interesting things here to justify buying.