Foods of the Maya: A Taste of the Yucatan

Rating:
Summary: A highly recommended sampler of Yucatan cuisine
Review: Foods Of The Maya is a highly recommended sampler of Yucatan cuisine that will intrigue any who enjoy regional cookbooks. Foods Of The Maya focuses on local versions of Mayan cooking, from Garlic Pork with Rice and Black Beans to an orange juice/allspice seasoned Motul Chicken. No photos, but the recipes don't need them.

Rating:
Summary: U yoochoob . . .
Review: The fact that this cookbook exists says a lot in its favor, since--aside from another by Nancy Gerlach--it seems to have no competition. Believe it or not, though, there really is a Mayan cuisine which is alive and well in southern Mexico and areas of Central America (most notably Guatemala). For those who have experienced the real thing, this book will bring back memories. For those who haven't, it will be a chance to experiment with a new palette of flavors, cooking styles, and food combinations.

Though I haven't cooked extensively from Foods of the Maya, my limited experience has shown that the recipes are written quite loosely. You may have to rely more on your intuition than you are used to, but this isn't necessarily bad. Perhaps it lends a sense of authenticity to making these foods--I suspect that many of the people from whom these recipes were obtained are not quite as neurotic about "the right way to cook" as I am. Allow your know-how to guide you when making these dishes and no doubt they'll turn out the second time around if not the first.

The Gerlachs have included information here about traveling in the Yucatan: basic "travel guide" factoids and tips about the region and its history, how to get around, places to see while you're there, and brief descriptions of the largest cities in the Peninsula. Most amusing for me was their description of the Mexican customs system involving a traffic light (in 1990s Guatemala I encountered the same system and found it alarming. I ended up pretending it was a slightly dangerous version of the game Red Light, Green Light). This travel information is interesting, though not extensive. Neither is it useful when the only traveling you're doing is to the local supermarket (unless you happen to live in the Yucatan...).

But the food... Recipes begin with brief descriptions, and most of them offer suggestions on substitutions for ingredients that may be difficult to locate. In a few cases, however, no substitute was suggested for something I suspect would be a challenge to find. Again, your intuition should help with that. Directions for cooking/baking the dishes are among the least descriptive I've seen in a cookbook but it seems the authors figured their readers would be the adventurous type (in cooking as well as travel) who wouldn't require a lot of culinary hand-holding. Make notes in the margins as you go and forge ahead.

Don't let what I've written scare you: there's a lot to try in Foods of the Maya, ranging from salsas and soups to meat, vegetables, rice, beans, poultry, fish, and on through desserts. The recipes are simple and seem to be straightforward, and if the ones I've made are any indication, they're also delicious. In addition to the many recipes, there's a glossary, bibliography, list of resources for ingredients, and a page on useful techniques. Photographs would have gone a long way toward enhancing the book, as would descriptions which go a little deeper than the ones already here. The old-school anthropologist in me would love to know about the ways these recipes are actually prepared in the towns the Gerlachs visited. Stories about the people who made them and offered them for inclusion in this book would also be interesting. Nevertheless, the authors have created a cookbook which is unique and steeped in their apparent fondness for the cuisine and culture of the Yucatan.

Recommended for anyone who wants to go out on a culinary limb with only a moderate amount of effort.