Mercados
Part travelogue, part cookbook, Mercados takes us on a tour of Mexico’s most colorful destinations—its markets—led by an award-winning, preeminent guide whose passion for Mexican food attracted followers from around the globe. Just as David Sterling’s Yucatán earned him praise for his “meticulously researched knowledge” (Saveur) and for producing “a labor of love that well documents place, people and, yes, food” (Booklist), Mercados now invites readers to learn about local ingredients, meet vendors and cooks, and taste dishes that reflect Mexico’s distinctive regional cuisine.
Serving up more than one hundred recipes, Mercados presents unique versions of Oaxaca’s legendary moles and Michoacan’s carnitas, as well as little-known specialties such as the charcuterie of Chiapas, the wild anise of Pátzcuaro, and the seafood soups of Veracruz. Sumptuous color photographs transport us to the enormous forty-acre, 10,000-merchant Central de Abastos in Oaxaca as well as tiny tianguises in Tabasco. Blending immersive research and passionate appreciation, David Sterling’s final opus is at once a must-have cookbook and a literary feast for the gastronome.
A tour of Mexico's most colorful destinations—its markets—led by a guide whose passion for Mexican food attracted followers from around the globe.
The 560 thick, glossy pages of [Mercados] are such a riot of color and photography, the first time I picked up the book, I didn't pause to read a word of it. It took a second pass through David Sterling's gorgeous travelogue to absorb that it is equally rich in information—not so much a cookbook as a treatise on the food and culture of Mexico as told through its vibrant markets.
It's wonderful to see [Mercados] come to fruition, shining a light on so many small-scale markets and the specialty foods and dishes they produce…[Mercados] reflects a lifetime of traveling to markets throughout Mexico to document the diverse foodways of the country.
Even if you never pick up a knife or pan, [Mercados is] an educational journey anyone can appreciate…This one deserves a place in your permanent cookbook collection.
David Sterling was the author of Yucatán: Recipes from a Culinary Expedition, winner of the James Beard Foundation’s Cookbook of the Year Award and International Cookbook Award in 2015. He founded the Los Dos Cooking School, the first culinary institute in Mexico devoted exclusively to Yucatecan cooking, in 2003.
- Publisher’s Note
- 1. Introduction
- About the Markets in This Book
- The Markets of Pre-Columbian Mexico
- The Market as Spectacle
- The Mexican Market: Today and Tomorrow
- Regions of Mexico
- Cultural Groups of Mexico
- About the Recipes and How to Use This Book
- 2. Market Fundamentals
- About Maize and Masa
- Working with Banana Leaves
- Cooking Tamales
- Brining Meats
- Smoking Techniques for the Home Cook
- Charring Vegetables
- Enriching Lard
- Recipes
- 3. Yucatán
- Introduction
- Izamal
- Valladolid
- 4. Southern Highlands
- Introduction
- Chiapas
- Tuxtla Gutiérrez
- San Cristóbal de las Casas
- Comitán de Domínguez
- Chiapa de Corzo
- Oaxaca
- Oaxaca de Juárez
- Teotitlán del Valle
- Tlacolula de Matamoros
- Villa de Zaachila
- Villa de Etla
- 5. The Gulf Coast
- Introduction
- Tabasco
- Villahermosa
- Comalcalco
- Chontalpa Region
- Tapijulapa
- Veracruz
- Heroica Veracruz
- Coatepec
- Xico
- Papantla
- 6. Central Highlands
- Introduction
- Aguascalientes
- Aguascalientes
- Calvillo
- Guanajuato
- Guanajuato
- Dolores Hidalgo
- Hidalgo
- Pachuca de Soto
- Huasca de Ocampo
- Real del Monte
- Querétaro
- Santiago de Querétaro
- Tequisquiapan
- The Querétaro Semidesert
- Zacatecas
- Zacatecas
- 7. Pacific Region
- Introduction
- Jalisco
- Guadalajara
- Zapopan
- Tequila
- Michoacán
- Morelia
- Quiroga
- Pátzcuaro
- Santa Clara del Cobre
- Tlalpujahua
- Glossary
- Bibliography
- Index
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