The Cuisines of Mexico facts for kids

The Cuisines of Mexico is a famous cookbook by Diana Kennedy. It was her very first book, and it helped teach people in America about real Mexican food. Before this book, many people only knew about "Tex-Mex," which is a mix of Texas and Mexican cooking. Diana Kennedy's book showed them that Mexican food is much more diverse and exciting!

How the Book Began

Diana Kennedy loved Mexican food. She first discovered it when she moved to Mexico City in 1957. She lived there with her husband, Paul P. Kennedy, who was a reporter. She spent years learning about the different foods and flavors.

After her husband passed away in 1967, Diana moved to New York City. To earn a living, she started teaching cooking classes. She taught people how to make authentic Mexican dishes in her apartment. At that time, Mexican food was quite new to many people in New York.

A food writer named Craig Claiborne from The New York Times thought Diana's classes were great. He even told her she should write a cookbook! Later, an editor named Fran McCullough took one of Diana's classes. Fran worked for a publisher called Harper and Row. She offered to help Diana write her book.

Diana had already collected many recipes from her time in Mexico City. But she decided to go back to Mexico to do even more research. She traveled all over the country. She wanted to learn how different regions made their food. This deep research is what made her book special. She explored Mexico to find out how the cuisine changed from place to place.

Diana Kennedy had never written a book before. But after working hard and rewriting parts, The Cuisines of Mexico was published in 1972. It quickly became a very popular book. Many people still see it as one of the best books about Mexican cooking.

What the Book Changed

The Cuisines of Mexico helped change how Americans thought about Mexican food. It showed them that there was much more to it than just "Tex-Mex." The book introduced people to many different regional dishes from all over Mexico. It helped bring authentic Mexican food to the United States.

Later, some of Diana Kennedy's books, including The Cuisines of Mexico, were put together into one big book called The Essential Cuisines of Mexico in 2000. However, this new version did not include all the interesting stories and pictures from the original book. The original The Cuisines of Mexico was also updated and reprinted in 1986. You can still find copies of it today!