Milton, Jane. Mexican: Healthy Ways with a Favorite Cuisine. Anness Publishing Ltd., London, 2000
This book is another book from Anness Publishing's Hermes House imprint, and I've liked almost everything else that I've picked up from this line. The fact that this book covers a favorite cuisine of mine, Mexican, is an added bonus. It follows the usual Hermes House pattern: a brief history, a description of some of the culinary influences, a description of the different regions and regional cuisines, followed by a pantry section and the usual recipe sections. If your experience of Mexican cuisine consists of the type of food one can get at large fast food chains where the meat is better left alone (and you know who they are), you will certainly find those recipes here and they will be much, much better than stuff from the drive-thru. If, however, you suspect that if all Mexicans ate that way they'd probably all be dead from heart disease before they were thirty, well, you'd be right and this book will help you find the way toward more authentic, tasty and healthful Mexican cooking. The illustrations are stunning. The recipes are easy to follow and rarely call for ingredients that can't be found in a normal supermarket.
My only real complaint about this book is that it seems a little... well, a little basic. It certainly covers a lot of ground, and everything is tasty, but there isn't anything that makes you sit up and say, "Wow, this is Mexican food?" I do refer to it frequently, but it just doesn't set my heart and taste buds on fire the way that, say, Rick Bayless' cookbooks do. In general, though, I'd highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a little more exposure to this vibrant and delightful cuisine.
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