`The Tex-Mex Cookbook' by Robb Walsh, the Southwest's answer to Maine's John Thorne, is a truly remarkable book, in that it presents the history from the beginning, in pictures, narrative, and recipes, of a complete cuisine. The credit for this accomplishment cannot be given to Walsh alone, as part of the ability to write such a history is based on the fact that the `Tex-Mex' cuisine is so young, with many of its defining events happening within living memory. And, no events in this history predate the colonization of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona by the Spanish in the 1500's.
One critical `defining moment' in `Tex-Mex' cuisine occurred just thirty years ago, according to the author, when Diana Kennedy, the renowned interpreter of Mexican cuisines identified the style of cooking north of the Mexican border in `The Cuisines of Mexico' as something distinctly not part of Mexican culinary heritage. Having been cut loose from Mexican cuisine by such a distinguished authority left this style of food to establish its own identity.
While other writers may not take the `Tex' part of the term literally, Robb Walsh wishes to define the extent of `Tex-Mex' cuisine as truly that which is done or which originated within the boundaries of Texas, or some location very close by. This rules out several popular gringo dishes such as fish tacos so prominent in San Diego. Ground Zero for Tex-Mex cuisine appears to be San Antonio, in the shadow of the Alamo. Only fitting that the defining venue for Tex-Mex eating is the most memorable location in the battle for Texas independence from Mexico. The word `Tex-Mex' was not invented for the cuisine and may not have been applied to the cuisine until Diana Kennedy banished it from Mexican food styles. It began, however, as early as 1581, when the first European livestock arrived in El Paso, enabling the connection between Old World beef and New World corn and tomatoes. This means that `Tex-Mex' cooking style has some direct connection to Spanish influences. It did not emerge purely from Mexican styles of cooking; however, it is obvious that Tex-Mex owes most of its character to staples and basic preparations that were born in Mexico. The fact which makes the book so vibrant and alive is that many of the most interesting events in Tex-Mex cuisine history happened between 1894 and World War II, which means that so many oral and photographic sources are available for the telling.
The heart of Tex-Mex cooking is probably the chile, and the soul is probably the dish, chili con carne, or, literally translated `chile with meat'. The story of the differences in spelling for these closely related things is an important part of the groundwork Walsh lays for recounting the history of Tex-Mex. He presents a simple but very useful survey of chiles which includes a careful distinction of fresh from smoked forms and red from green forms, with a clarification that the famous Hatch chile is actually a cultivar of the Anaheim variety and not a truly distinct species. He is also careful to note that the Habanero is just another name for the Scotch Bonnet, an identity ignored by some other writers who should know better.
Needless to say, the book also contains many, many chili con carne recipes, most of which follow true Texas tradition and leave out the beans. There are at least two interesting discoveries regarding chili basics. The first is the fact that early chili con carne recipes included pork and the meats were stewed, as one may do in a French daube and not browned. The second tidbit is the fact that there is a special chili die for grinding meat in a hand meat grinder. Never saw that one on Martha Stewart!
The book is filled with a mix of recipes, stories, and pictures, all of which lead to an extremely pleasant culinary / literary experience. It makes one with that John Thorne, Jim Villas, and Calvin Trillin would be a little more creative with using pictures to liven up their essays. Kudos to the book designers at Broadway Books, too, for their effective assembly of all the material. It is rare to find a culinary work that gives so much for its modest $18 list price.
The single most important value to the book, of course, is in the recipes that never find their way into important Mexican cookbooks by Kennedy and the equally well decorated Rick Bayless. This is not to say Bayless does not endorse this work. The back cover can barely hold his praise for it. I loved the recipes for their obvious authenticity and I was truly happy to have a good source for a Tex-Mex party menu. However, the author's obvious attention to every sort of detail in telling the story of Tex-Mex food is what sells me on this book.
As long as you do not grind your own flour and make your own tortillas, almost all of the recipes in this book are relatively simple. You even get the simple recipes for such basics as chile powder and the original Pace salsa. But, even if you want to jump into this cuisine with both feet, the good news is that almost all the special equipment is both simple and cheap, as long as you know the proper techniques. And, this book has them all.
Highly recommended for the reader, dabbler, and the zealot. Few books make a culture and cuisine come alive quite so well.
