In this entertaining history, Gregory McNamee explores the many ethnic and cultural traditions that have contributed to the food of the Southwest. He traces the origins of the cuisine to the arrival of humans in the Americas, the work of the earliest farmers of Mesoamerica, and the most ancient trade networks joining peoples of the coast, plains, and mountains. From the ancient chile pepper and agave to the comparatively recent fare of sushi and Frito pie, this complex culinary journey involves many players over space and time. Born of scarcity, migration, and climate change, these foods are now fully at home in the Southwest of today—and with the “southwesternization” of the American palate at large, they are found across the globe. McNamee extends that story across thousands of years to the present, even imagining what the southwestern menu will look like in the near future.
This food study forwards a fascinating human history of a region like no other. . . . A wonderfully absorbing foodie saga that drills down to the heart of its chosen locale.
--Foreword Reviews
Those with a taste for Southwestern cuisine will find their hunger satiated by this readable, authoritative culinary and cultural history.--Kirkus Reviews
Those with a taste for Southwestern cuisine will find their hunger satiated by this readable, authoritative culinary and cultural history.--Kirkus Reviews
This book feels like sitting down to a dinner with Diana Kennedy and Jim Harrison, tequila in hand and great conversation going long into the night. It's alive, a love story, a timeless journey. I absolutely loved reading it and will treasure Gregory McNamee's words for a long time to come.--Tracey Ryder, coauthor of Edible: A Celebration of Local Foods
