My Mexico: A Culinary Odyssey with More Than 300 Recipes

My Mexico: A Culinary Odyssey with More Than 300 Recipes
by Diana Kennedy

My Mexico: A Culinary Odyssey with More Than 300 Recipes
List Price: $37.50
Our Price: $22.00
You Save: $15.50 (41%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $10.85 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions


(Click here)
Buy this book at online book store in your country
Canada | UK | Germany | France

Book Summary Information

Author: Diana Kennedy
Edition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 1998-10-20
ISBN: 0609602470
Number of pages: 550
Publisher: Clarkson Potter

Book Reviews of My Mexico: A Culinary Odyssey with More Than 300 Recipes

Book Review: A Delicious Accomplishment
Summary: 5 Stars

No one has better brought Mexican cuisine into the forefront of world gastronomy, and this book assembles a privileged collection of recipes, ingredients, techniques, as well as anecdotes on their discovery and preparation. Diana Kennedy, an adventurer in her own right, is a monument to diligence, against the background of her love and appreciation for Mexico's villages, landscape and singular intricacies, which she explores at will.

Summary of My Mexico: A Culinary Odyssey with More Than 300 Recipes

"Why my Mexico?" asks Diana Kennedy in her introduction to this long-awaited book. The answer is simple and obvious: it is a highly personal book about the Mexico she knows. And no one knows Mexico the way Diana does. When Diana Kennedy first came to Mexico more than forty years ago, she did not intend to become the country's premier gastronome. But that is what she has become, traveling endlessly, learning the culinary histories of families, hunting elusive recipes, falling under the spell of the beauty of a countryside that produces such a wealth of foods. She has published five books and is referred to variously as the Julia Child, the Escoffier, and the high priestess of Mexican cooking. Most important, she has taken as her eternal project to record not only the wealth of Mexican culinary knowledge and folklore but also the fascinating stories behind it all.

My Mexico records Diana's recent wanderings, along with memories stored away from previous trips. With wondrous, novelistic prose, Diana tells the story behind her discovery of each dish, from the Pollo Almendrado (Chicken in Almond Sauce) she discovered in Oaxaca to the Estafado de Raya (Skate Stewed in Olive Oil) that delighted her in Coahuila. Yes, there are some fairly simple recipes for inexperienced cooks--look for the new guacamoles and the addictive chilatas. More complicated ones are for aficionados who know the intricacies of the ingredients.

Times have changed greatly since Diana published her first book. More and more ingredients are available in the U.S., and more and more people have learned of the true joys of real Mexican cooking. One thing has not changed--Diana Kennedy's passion. For those who already are familiar with her work, this volume is a much-needed addition to your library. For those who are not, you are in for a treat of the first order.


Every country should have a Diana Kennedy, someone steeped in its culture and cooking who cruises around recording all the local recipes and sharing them with the world. My Mexico is Kennedy's rambling record of forays in pursuit of dishes that might be of interest. Based on the recipes she found, such as Posole de Camarone, a brothy shrimp and dried-corn stew, sweet Green Mango Roll, and tiny new potatoes cooked Shepherd style, Kennedy's travels have been quite fruitful.

Anyone may enjoy the wealth of recipes in this book, but only connoisseurs of Mexican cooking familiar with the varied and regional nature of its food are likely to appreciate the unusual nature of Kennedy's finds. Concentrating on what is unique, the author refers readers to her previous five works on Mexico for fundamental techniques or other background. Even the method for making masa in My Mexico is an uncommon one, presented to Kennedy by the woman who waters her plants.

This literate work is rich in almost novelistic descriptions. Long passages describe her graphic observations. She shares her love of the country where she has lived since 1957 with equal measures of loving passion and curmudgeonly criticism.

Charts and photos help show the variety of chiles and other foods that help give Mexican cooking its constant, often subtle variety. When recipes call for pulque, a mildly fermented juice from the agave plant, sour tunas, a kind of cactus fruit, or other ingredients you can't get, move on to her more accessible dishes or, as Kennedy did, let this book be a journey of discoveries. --Dana Jacobi

General Books

Book Subjects
Most talked about in Spice up your life with the hot pepper. Recipes, Seeds and Dishware
Sweet Pepper Big Dipper - 1 Pkt. (100 Seeds) ImageSweet Pepper Big Dipper - 1 Pkt. (100 Seeds)
Burpee; Kitchen
Sweet Pepper California Wonder - 1 Pkt (100 seeds) ImageSweet Pepper California Wonder - 1 Pkt (100 seeds)
Burpee; Kitchen
Hot Pepper Mix Packet ImageHot Pepper Mix Packet
Henry Field's; Henry Field's; Kitchen
Lodge Logic Pre-Seasoned Fajita Set ImageLodge Logic Pre-Seasoned Fajita Set
Lodge Logic; Lodge; Kitchen
Best price: $16.88
Price in other shops: $29.99
3-D Chili Peppers candy Molds Image3-D Chili Peppers candy Molds
Unknown; Kitchen
Best price: $4.21
AeroGarden  Chili Peppers Seed Kit ImageAeroGarden Chili Peppers Seed Kit
Aerogrow; AeroGrow; Aerogrow; Release date: 2006-06-01; Lawn & Patio; Lawn & Patio
Best price: $14.88
Price in other shops: $19.95
The Ultimate Low-Fat Mexican Cookbook: All the Flavor Without All the Guilt ImageThe Ultimate Low-Fat Mexican Cookbook: All the Flavor Without All the Guilt
by Anne Lindsay Greer
Gulf Publishing; Published: 1999-07-25; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.01
Price in other shops: $14.95
My Mexico: A Culinary Odyssey with More Than 300 Recipes ImageMy Mexico: A Culinary Odyssey with More Than 300 Recipes
by Diana Kennedy
Clarkson Potter; Published: 1998-10-20; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $22.82
Price in other shops: $37.50
Frida's Fiestas: Recipes and Reminiscences of Life with Frida Kahlo ImageFrida's Fiestas: Recipes and Reminiscences of Life with Frida Kahlo
by Col. Marie Pierre Le, Guadalupe Rivera
Clarkson Potter; Published: 1994-09-20; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $22.00
Price in other shops: $37.50
The Tex-Mex Cookbook: A History in Recipes and Photos ImageThe Tex-Mex Cookbook: A History in Recipes and Photos
by Robb Walsh
Broadway; Published: 2004-06-15; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.92
Price in other shops: $17.95
Similar Books and other products
Mexico One Plate At A Time ImageMexico One Plate At A Time
by Rick Bayless
Scribner; Published: 2000-10-25; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $14.90
Price in other shops: $35.00
Mexican Everyday (Recipes Featured on Season 4 of the PBS-TV series "Mexico One Plate at a Time") ImageMexican Everyday (Recipes Featured on Season 4 of the PBS-TV series "Mexico One Plate at a Time")
by Rick Bayless, Deann Groen Bayless
W. W. Norton; Published: 2005-11-07; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $17.55
Price in other shops: $29.95
The Tortilla Book ImageThe Tortilla Book
by Diana Kennedy
HarperCollins Publishers; Published: 1975-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $42.75
The Food and Life of Oaxaca: Traditional Recipes from Mexico's Heart ImageThe Food and Life of Oaxaca: Traditional Recipes from Mexico's Heart
by Zarela Martinez
Wiley; Published: 1997-12-08; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $19.91
Price in other shops: $35.00
Recipes from the Regional Cooks of Mexico ImageRecipes from the Regional Cooks of Mexico
by Diana Kennedy
Harpercollins; Published: 1978-11; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $30.69
Cuisines of Mexico ImageCuisines of Mexico
by Diana Kennedy
Joanna Cotler Books; Published: 1973-02-22; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $57.06
Authentic Mexican 20th Anniversary Ed: Regional Cooking from the Heart of Mexico ImageAuthentic Mexican 20th Anniversary Ed: Regional Cooking from the Heart of Mexico
by Rick Bayless
William Morrow Cookbooks; Published: 2007-04-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $17.10
Price in other shops: $32.50
From My Mexican Kitchen: Techniques and Ingredients ImageFrom My Mexican Kitchen: Techniques and Ingredients
by Diana Kennedy
Clarkson Potter; Published: 2003-09-09; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $23.24
Price in other shops: $40.00
The Essential Cuisines of Mexico: Revised and updated throughout, with more than 30 new recipes. ImageThe Essential Cuisines of Mexico: Revised and updated throughout, with more than 30 new recipes.
by Diana Kennedy
Clarkson Potter; Published: 2000-10-17; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $20.86
Price in other shops: $35.00
The Art of Mexican Cooking ImageThe Art of Mexican Cooking
by Diana Kennedy
Clarkson Potter; Published: 2008-04-08; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $17.45
Price in other shops: $30.00
Book store. Illustrated catalog of books on different categories