Oaxaca al Gusto: An Infinite Gastronomy (The William and Bettye Nowlin Series in Art, History, and Culture of the Western Hemisphere)

460 Pages·2010·54.72 MB·English

by  Diana Kennedy

O
Oaxaca al GustO
An Infinite Gastronomy DIANA KENNEDY
a
By Diana Kennedy Mexico
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No one has done more to introduce the world to the authen- a British citizen, Diana southwood went to Mexico in 1957
a
tic, flavorful cuisines of Mexico than Diana Kennedy. ac- to marry Paul P. Kennedy of the New York Times. she is widely
claimed as the Julia child of Mexican cooking, Kennedy has considered the foremost researcher, teacher, and writer on the c
been an intrepid, indefatigable student of Mexican foodways regional foods of Mexico and has written eight books on the sub-
a
for more than fifty years and has published several classic ject. she has been bestowed the highest honor given to foreigners

books on the subject, including The Cuisines of Mexico (now by the Mexican government, the Order of the aztec Eagle, for her
a
available in The Essential Cuisines of Mexico, a compilation of work of disseminating Mexican culture through its foods. she has
her first three books), The Art of Mexican Cooking, My Mexico, also received numerous awards from other gastronomic institu- l
and From My Mexican Kitchen. Her uncompromising insis- tions and was decorated with an MBE by Queen Elizabeth for G
tence on using the proper local ingredients and preparation her work of strengthening cultural relations between Mexico and
techniques has taught generations of cooks how to prepare— the united Kingdom, as well as for her work for the environment,
u
and savor—the delicious, subtle, and varied tastes of Mexico. which is always reflected in her texts. For the past thirty years, her
In Oaxaca al Gusto, Kennedy takes us on an amazing jour- studies have been centered around her ecological house in the s
ney into one of the most outstanding and colorful cuisines in state of Michoacán. t
o
the world. The state of Oaxaca is one of the most diverse in
Mexico, with many different cultural and linguistic groups,
often living in areas difficult to access. Each group has its own
distinctive cuisine, and Diana Kennedy has spent many years
traveling the length and breadth of Oaxaca to record in words This is an uncorrected proof. It should not be quoted without
and photographs “these little-known foods, both wild and comparison to the finished book. dd ii aa nn aa kk ee nn nn ee dd yy
cultivated, the way they were prepared, and the part they aDVaNcE REaDER cOPY, NOt FOR salE K
play in the daily or festive life of the communities I visited.” available september 2010 E
Oaxaca al Gusto
Oaxaca al Gusto is the fruit of these labors—and the culmina- $50.00 hardcover
N
tion of Diana Kennedy’s life’s work. 9¾ x 11½ inches, 460 pages, 306 color photographs
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Organized by regions, Oaxaca al Gusto presents some IsBN 978-0-292-72266-8
three hundred recipes—most from home cooks—for tra- Published as part of the William and Bettye Nowlin series in art, E
ditional Oaxacan dishes. Kennedy accompanies each recipe History, and culture of the Western Hemisphere D
with fascinating notes about the ingredients, cooking tech-
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aann iinnfifinniittee ggaasstrtroonnoommyy
niques, and the food’s place in family and communal life. Promotions:
lovely color photographs illustrate the food and its prepara- * advance Reading copies to major media
tion. a special feature of the book is a chapter devoted to the * National print advertising
three pillars of the Oaxacan regional cuisines—chocolate, *author tour: includes austin, Boston, chicago, Dallas, Houston,
corn, and chiles. Notes to the cook, a glossary, a bibliography, long Beach, los angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, New Orleans, san
and an index complete the volume. antonio, sacramento, san Francisco
an irreplaceable record of the infinite world of Oaxacan
gastronomy, Oaxaca al Gusto belongs on the shelf of everyone For more information contact colleen Devine Ellis at the univer-
who treasures the world’s traditional regional cuisines. sity of texas Press, [email protected] or 512.232.7634.
texas
Kennedy ARC cover.indd 1 3/30/10 10:02:30 AM
Oaxaca al Gusto
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d i a n a k e n n e d y
Oaxaca al Gusto
an infi nite gastronomy
University of Texas Press Austin
< Oaxacan utensils/Michael Calderwood
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Cover photo by Diana Kennedy
Copyright © 2010 by Diana Kennedy
All rights reserved
Printed in Singapore
First edition, 2010
Requests for permission to reproduce material from this work
should be sent to:
Permissions
University of Texas Press
P.O. Box 7819
Austin, TX 78713–7819
www.utexas.edu/utpress/about/bpermission.html
∞ The paper used in this book meets the minimum requirements of
ANSI/NISO Z39.48–1992 (R1997) (Permanence of Paper).
Originally published in Spanish as Oaxaca al gusto: el mundo infinito de su
gastronomía, by la Universidad Metropolitana de Monterrey, Monterrey,
Nuevo León, Mexico, © 2008.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Kennedy, Diana.
[Oaxaca al gusto, el mundo infinito de su gastronomía. English]
Oaxaca al gusto, an infinite gastronomy / by Diana Kennedy. — 1st ed.
p. cm. — (The William and Bettye Nowlin series in art, history, and
culture of the Western Hemisphere)
Includes index.
ISBN 978-0-292-72266-8 (cloth : alk. paper)
1. Cookery, Mexican. 2. Cookery—Mexico—Oaxaca. 3. Oaxaca
(Mexico)—Social life and customs. I. Title.
TX716.M4K46813 2010
641.5972—dc22 2010000260
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Contents
Acknowledgments vii
Introduction ix
About This Book xi
Pillars of Oaxacan Cuisine xii
Chocolate, by Fray Eugenio Martín Torres Torres xv
Corn, by Amado Ramírez Leyva xvii
The Chiles of Oaxaca, by Diana Kennedy xix
Map of the Regions 2
Regions of Oaxaca 3
General Introduction, by Marcus Winter 3
City of Oaxaca 4
La Chinantla 66
The Coast 128
The Isthmus 166
La Cañada 232
Mixteca Alta 254
Mixteca Baja 284
Sierra Juárez and Mixe Region 310
Sierra Mazateca 332
Sierra Sur 356
The Central Valleys 376
about Diana Kennedy and the Contributors 425
Notes to the Cook 426
Glossary 428
Bibliography 431
Index 432
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Acknowledgments
This book could never have been written without the generous help of so many peo­
ple throughout the years 1994–2005. First, I would like to thank all the wonderful
Oaxacan cooks who welcomed me into their kitchens and shared their knowledge
so generously and patiently, and without whose cooperation this book would never have
come to fruition. They have been named along with their recipes.
I would like to thank Señora Graciela Cervantes and Arquitecta Claudina López for their
generous help, both moral and financial, at different stages of the research. I am so grateful
to all those friends who have given me such generous hospitality, either in my constant jour­
neys to and from Oaxaca, in the city itself, or elsewhere around the state, including Licen­
ciado Carlos and the late Virginia Barrios in Metepec, Señores Alejandro and Renata Danon
in Tepoztlán, Licenciado Frederic and Wendy Laffan in Cuernavaca. In the City of Oaxaca:
Señora Pina Hamilton de Córdova, Señora Beatriz Hamilton de García, Licenciada Amelia
Lara, Señores Rodolfo and Norma Ogarrio, Licenciadas María Teresa and Rosalba Vargas.
In Cuicatlán: Licenciado Diódoro Carrasco Altamirano and la Maestra Gloria Odriozola
Pacheco. In Huautla de Jiménez: Señora Blanca Vda. de García and the Señoritas Terán Ca­
rrera. In La Esperanza: Señor Eusebio López and his wife. In La Merced de Potrero: Señora
Agustina Santiago Ramírez. In Tehuantepec: Arquitecto Gerardo García of the Hotel Calli.
In Tezoatlán: Señores Josué and Aldegunda Andrade. In Tuxtepec: Señora Eva Sacré de Cué.
In Zicatela: Señores Rodolfo and Norma Ogarrio and the late Señorita Josie Smith.
There were so many people that I would constantly telephone to confirm the details of an
ingredient, a recipe, or a tradition, and among them I am especially grateful to Señora Blanca
Vda. de Señor Renato García and Señores Valente and Aurora Paraguirre in Huautla de Ji­
ménez; Señora Clementina Baños in Tamazulapan; Señor Alfonso García Villagómez from
Yododeñe; Señor Manuel García Isidro and his sister Señora Irma García in Tuxtepec; and
in the City of Oaxaca, Señora Kelly Bolaños and Señora Emilia Arroyo, among many, many
others.
I would also like to thank Dr. Marcus Winter and Fray Eugenio M. Torres for their invalu­
able contributions to the book. Botanists Bob Bye and his wife, Edelmira Linares, of the
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Mexico’s National University, have
always been on hand to answer my queries; to them, and especially to ethnobotanist Gary
Martin, who opened the door to what became my particular interest in the wild foods of the
Sierra Juárez and La Chinantla Alta, my sincere thanks for their unfailing help and friendship.
My thanks also to Pesach Lubinsky, of the University of California at Davis, who enlightened
me on the vanilla of Usila, and a very special thank­you to Señora Pina Hamilton de Córdova
for her constant help through the many years of research for this book.
< Local avocados, Tamazulapan Market, vii
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Introduction
Diana Southwood Kennedy—August 26, 2008
It was about 1994 that I was first asked to write a book for the foods, both wild and cultivated, the way they were prepared, and the
governor of Oaxaca on the traditional foods of that state, but for part they play in the daily or festive life of the communities I visited.
various reasons, politics among them, the project was never real­ Of course, it would take various volumes and many years to do
ized. Two more frustrating attempts were abandoned, and it did not full justice to this fascinating subject, as well as contributions from
get written until about 2003, when I received a definite commitment anthropologists, archaeologists, botanists, and linguists (a pity that
from a Mexican publisher for a joint project with a U.S. publisher. local gastronomy does not play a part in their professional training).
However, when it was apparent that the style and content of the Nevertheless, in these pages I have attempted to relate something of
book were being severely compromised, I broke off negotiations and what I found in my many years of wandering throughout the state
retrieved my material. Another prolonged delay ensued before I was of Oaxaca. I realize that there are notable omissions of the specific
able to find a publisher that was willing to include the text and reci­ foods of the Mixe, Zoque, and Amuzgo areas, for example. I only
pes from the indigenous areas and not just the more familiar material hope that the many wonderful cooks whose recipes I have not been
illustrated with the usual predictably glamorous photographs. able to include will forgive me. They may not agree with my choices
Trying to record the ethnic foods as well as the more sophisticat­ (there are always disagreements and rivalries among cooks about
ed recipes from the urban centers presented an enormous challenge ingredients, quantities, and methods), but I have tried to include
and responsibility. Oaxaca is the most mountainous and diverse state the most representative recipes for the foods that I have eaten and
of Mexico, with many different cultural and linguistic groups, often cooked in Oaxaca since my first visit there in 1965.
living in areas difficult to access, and with an incredible biodiversity. Those who do not know Oaxaca outside the popular tourist areas
Like many authors before me, I am sure that if I had known what it may perhaps get a broader view of the enormous gastronomic wealth
would entail to travel almost constantly through the year, and often that plays a part in the daily, religious, and festive life of Oaxacans of
uncomfortably, to research, record, photograph, and then cook and different cultures and economic levels.
eat over three hundred recipes, I might never have had the courage to Apart from all the intense work and difficult travel over many
start the project in the first place. years, I have been immensely enriched, not only by discovering the
I am not an academic, historian, anthropologist, or botanist, but incredible natural beauty of the countryside but by getting to know
just an adventurous cook and a lover of the natural world who de­ Oaxacans from all walks of life. Even the most humble have invited
lights in the experience of traveling to discover and taste foods, some me into their kitchens to share and demonstrate their culinary
of which I had only heard about, but many that I was yet to discover knowledge; they have fed me and given me shelter without a ques­
in this infinite world of Oaxacan gastronomy. It was an enormous tion asked and with a generosity and caring without limits. They are
challenge to try to record in words and images these little­known the soul of this book.
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