Tortillas, Tiswin, and T-Bones
Tortillas, Tiswin, and T-Bones
A Food History of the Southwest
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.
McNamee uses food and cooking as a lens to understanding culture, yes, but also to pinpointing the issues that face us in America as we try to grapple with climate change, to live reasonably and sustainably on the earth, and to work together with our fellow humans.…A masterful work of accessible anthropology.
Those with a taste for Southwestern cuisine will find their hunger satiated by this readable, authoritative culinary and cultural history.
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.
Tortillas, Tiswin, and T-Bones sends the reader on a riveting adventure, tracking the origins of southwestern ingredients and culture to reveal American history through food. McNamee’s prose is deft and authoritative, and this is a highly original, timely book.
Nobody knows the Southwest like Gregory McNamee. He has seen it all, explored it all, and sampled every kind of food the region has to offer. This is a book of many delights—so pour a cup of tiswin and feast upon it.
Gregory McNamee is the author or editor of more than forty books, among them Gila: The Life and Death of an American River, Updated and Expanded Edition (UNM Press). He lives in Tucson, Arizona.
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Chapter One. Origins
Chapter Two. Native America
Chapter Three. Entradas
Chapter Four. La Frontera
Chapter Five. The Anglo Frontier
Chapter Six. Extending the Larder
Chapter Seven. African Americans
Chapter Eight. The Old World and the New
Chapter Nine. Asian Americans
Chapter Ten. Corporatization and Standardization
Chapter Eleven. Drink
Chapter Twelve. The Future of Southwestern Food
References
Index
