Digital List Price:	$23.33
Print List Price:	$27.95
Kindle Price:	$17.23 Save $10.72 (38%)
	includes VAT & free international wireless delivery via *Amazon Whispernet*

Deliver to your Kindle or other device

Enter a promotion code or Gift Card

Flip to back Flip to front

Audible Narration Playing... Paused You are listening to a sample of the Audible narration for this Kindle book.
Learn more

Planet Taco: A Global History of Mexican Food Kindle Edition

by Jeffrey M. Pilcher (Author)

15 customer reviews

See all 3 formats and editions Hide other formats and editions

Amazon Price New from Used from

Kindle

"Please retry"

$9.99

—

Hardcover

"Please retry"

$21.77

$5.27

$3.42

Audible, Unabridged

"Please retry"

$21.95

or Free with Audible 30-day free trial

As late as the 1960s, tacos were virtually unknown outside Mexico and the American Southwest. Within fifty years the United States had shipped taco shells everywhere from Alaska to Australia, Morocco to Mongolia. But how did this tasty hand-held food--and Mexican food more broadly--become so ubiquitous?
In Planet Taco, Jeffrey Pilcher traces the historical origins and evolution of Mexico's national cuisine, explores its incarnation as a Mexican American fast-food, shows how surfers became global pioneers of Mexican food, and how Corona beer conquered the world. Pilcher is particularly enlightening on what the history of Mexican food reveals about the uneasy relationship between globalization and authenticity. The burritos and taco shells that many people think of as Mexican were actually created in the United States. But Pilcher argues that the contemporary struggle between globalization and national sovereignty to determine the authenticity of Mexican food goes back hundreds of years. During the nineteenth century, Mexicans searching for a national cuisine were torn between nostalgic "Creole" Hispanic dishes of the past and French haute cuisine, the global food of the day. Indigenous foods were scorned as unfit for civilized tables. Only when Mexican American dishes were appropriated by the fast food industry and carried around the world did Mexican elites rediscover the foods of the ancient Maya and Aztecs and embrace the indigenous roots of their national cuisine.
From a taco cart in Hermosillo, Mexico to the "Chili Queens" of San Antonio and tamale vendors in L.A., Jeffrey Pilcher follows this highly adaptable cuisine, paying special attention to the people too often overlooked in the battle to define authentic Mexican food: Indigenous Mexicans and Mexican Americans.

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

This shopping feature will continue to load items. In order to navigate out of this carousel please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the next or previous heading.

Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America
Gustavo Arellano

33

Kindle Edition
$11.63
Larry Rohter

44

Kindle Edition
$14.02
Bet the Farm: How Food Stopped Being Food
Frederick Kaufman

27

Kindle Edition
$18.30
Michael Pollan

1,222

Kindle Edition
$9.60
Charles Bowden

83

Kindle Edition
$9.59
HUNGERING FOR AMERICA
Hasia R. DINER

6

Kindle Edition
$17.27

Product Details

File Size: 1479 KB
Print Length: 320 pages
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (September 3, 2012)
Publication Date: September 3, 2012
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Language: English
ASIN: B008L3SMTY
Text-to-Speech: Enabled

X-Ray:

Not Enabled

Word Wise: Not Enabled
Lending: Not Enabled
Enhanced Typesetting: Not Enabled
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #548,039 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
- #75 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Nonfiction > Politics & Social Sciences > Social Sciences > Special Groups > Hispanic American Studies
- #102 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Regional & International > Mexican
- #139 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > History > Americas > Latin America > Mexico

Would you like to give feedback on images or tell us about a lower price?

Customer Reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars

5 star		47%
4 star		40%
3 star		13%
2 star		0%
1 star		0%

See all 15 customer reviews

Share your thoughts with other customers

Write a customer review

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

Researching the question: what is authentic Mexican food?

By she treads softly on October 4, 2012

Format: Hardcover

In Planet Taco: A Global History of Mexican Food author Jeffrey M. Pilcher shows beyond a doubt that: "The history of tacos, like eating tacos, is a messy business." (Location 373) He researches the question: what is authentic Mexican food? What is mainly viewed as Mexican fare globally is actually an Americanized version of the cuisine - and beyond that authentic food is difficult to precisely locate because there are a variety of dishes that all vary by region.

Pilcher researches the globalization of Mexican food, as most of us know it today. Along the way he also shares many interesting stories and historical notes in this very interesting, accessible account. Much of what is viewed as Mexican food is really Tex-Mex. For example, Pilcher shows that:
"Following the movement of three basic ingredients from the Mesoamerican kitchen, corn, chilies, and chocolate, can help to reveal the emergence of material and cultural patterns that later contributed to the global reputation of Mexican food. Already in the early modern era, these foods acquired vastly different images among elite and popular sectors. The importance of social distinctions can readily be seen in the case of yet another New World plant, the tomato." (Location 635-638)

For those interested in the history of a cuisine and how trade influenced the spread of it, Pilcher is thorough. He exams the history of Mexican food and follows it to today. Along the way he discusses how the cuisine was changed and how it spread world wide.

For all the nonfiction fans out there who appreciate documentation and sources as much as I do, Pilcher includes 46 photos as well as a glossary, select bibliography, notes, and an index. (Yes!)

Warning: you will be craving Mexican/ Tex-Mex food while reading.Read more ›

Comment Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...

Thank you for your feedback. If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.

Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

Beware: Planet Taco will make you hungry.

By Laura Booksnob on December 30, 2013

Format: Hardcover

Planet Taco. A Global History in Mexican Food by Jeffrey M. Pilcher

Planet Taco is a scholarly look into the history of Mexican food. Pilcher dares to ask the question, What is authentic Mexican food? His research and travels take him into modern day Mexico and the Southwest of the United States. Pilcher examines the Spanish conquistadors influence on Mexican food, as well as the influence of the different indigenous populations, the African slaves, and the influx of the Chinese. Mexico doesn't seem to have a National food because their history is so varied and represented by many cultures. Also the traditional food varies based on regional locations within Mexico and in the surrounding areas.

Planet Taco is exceptionally detailed and packed full of educational information. Included in the book are pictures, maps and recipes. Pilcher details the history of maize and wheat and taught me that people in the region of Mexico viewed those who ate corn tortillas as lower class (these were primarily indigenous peoples) and wheat tortilla eaters tended to be Spanish or upper class. He details the rise of Chili Queens and Blue Corn and the American taco and so much more.

Planet Taco is a great book for those willing to put in the time and a great name for a future Mexican restaurant. I can guarentee that you will learn a lot from reading this book. The writing style is intellectual and studious and some people will feel like they are reading a textbook on Mexican food. If you can put in the time to read Planet Taco, it is worth it. This book would make an excellent companion for those traveling to Mexico for a vacation.

Caution: This book will make you hungry for Mexican food. I had three different Mexican style meals while reading this book. Yum!

Comment Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...

Thank you for your feedback. If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.

Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

Too complex for the average reader?

By Autamme_dot_com on February 1, 2013

Format: Hardcover

Ask a non-Mexican to name a typical Mexican dish and be possibly prepared for a long pause and a few incorrect guesses. Maybe they will strike lucky and say tacos without really knowing what a taco is. Through this book you can soon become a "pop up expert" about this Mexican fast food and learn just how versatile it may be.
In this fairly weighty work, the author traces the origin and development of the taco over time and considers its metamorphosis into an Mexican-American fast food that many people, in fact, think is a `Southern American' dish in its own right. Prepare to be surprised when you note the author's findings and consider how American influences have helped, or hindered, the dish in the name of globalisation and marketing.
Described as a struggle between industrialised Tex-Mex foods and Mexican peasant cuisines and a battle between globalisation and national sovereignty, Pilcher suggests that things are even more tense due to American influences. Of course, nothing is ever that clear-cut and black and white, as there are even `strident discussions' over the real nature and character of traditional Mexican food, the whys and wherefores to this situation and the various claims and counter-claims that lay behind it. Needless to say, there is not one single `authentic' cuisine but rather multiple variations of Mexican food. A typical Mexican may, should he or she choose to eat an authentic national dish, look bemused at some of the offerings being presented as `true Mexican fare'. Of course, the enthusiastic foreigner might know no difference and munch on in blissful ignorance!
Make no mistake. This is no lightweight tourist or gastronomic guide to Mexican food.Read more ›

Comment Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...

Thank you for your feedback. If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.

Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again

See all 15 customer reviews (newest first)

Write a customer review

Most Recent Customer Reviews

excellent history of the taco

A nuanced and well informed historical approach to the taco as a product of Mexico and globalization. It's written at an accessible level for any non-historian to enjoy.

Published 4 months ago by Michael C.

Great ensights into Mixican Cuisine

This is a great book! My husband gave it to me for Christmas. I am more of a Tex-Mex cook or New-Mex food cook
but I was fascinated by the history of the foods and recipes... Read more

Published 6 months ago by Jean S. King

A needed book!

this is a school book and is necessary for my class so I don't know whether I can categorize this as a book that I would actually buy to read, but that it is essential for me to... Read more

Published 9 months ago by Lee Lee

Four Stars

Pretty academic for a book about tacos...

Published 10 months ago by Mary R Erwin

Very informative. Denser than you would think.

I liked this book. I liked the information in this book. But it's not a quick read. I didn't expect it to be so dense. Read more

Published 11 months ago by Joseph Betance

Wonderful Book

The author, Mr Pilcher has done a wonderful job and gathering research and putting together a very informative yet interesting book about Mexican culture, history and explains how... Read more

Published 20 months ago by MICHAEL O.

Mexican Food, History, and drama, an all in one story the embryonic...

Enlightening, and interesting from a historical perspective. Although it does read like a lengthy, academic, historical read, I still found it to be very enjoyable. Read more

Published 21 months ago by Amazon Customer

On Time Perfect Condition

Came when expected and now I'm ready to ace that reading exam. Food history isn't hard, but there's a lot of hunger and reading in it.

Published 22 months ago by Jose Emilio Vigoreaux Junior

Planet Taco

Fascinating book on Mexican food and how it has been affected by culture and how culture has been effected by food and the ingredients. Read more

Published on April 22, 2013 by Gordon Moog

Interesting Historical Assessment

Planet Taco is a scholarly exploration of Mexican food conducted by a trip through history. I am partial to Mexican history, Mexican food and societal analyses rooted in history. Read more

Published on January 21, 2013 by Regina

.jsOffDisplayBlock { display: block; } .jsOffDisplayInline { display: inline; } .jsOffVisibility { visibility: visible; } .jsOnDisplayBlock { display: none; } .jsOnDisplayNoneBlock { display: block; } .jsOnDisplayNoneInline { display: inline; } .jsOnDisplayInline { display: none; } .jsOnVisibility { visibility: hidden; } .jqOnDisplayBlock { display: none; } .jqOnDisplayInline { display: none; } .jqOnVisibility { visibility: hidden; } .jqOnDisplayNoneBlock { display: block; } .jqOnDisplayNoneInline { display: inline; }