Made in Mexico – more than just burritos and tacos, cookbook shows

For many people, Mexican food begins with tacos and burritos and ends with combination plates. These plates are often just tacos and burritos (with a tostada or taquito for the adventurous), but instead of being served on their own they’re accompanied by refried beans and pink Spanish rice.

In Made in Mexico (2019), Danny Mena, the chef of La Loncheria in Brooklyn, New York, shows the diversity of the cuisine of his hometown, Mexico City.

Mena didn’t set out to be a chef, though. In the introduction, he writes, “Mine isn’t the typical chef’s backstory. I was a picky eater as a child and didn’t care about or even much like food. Eating could be a chore for me. That said, food is so integral to everyday life in Mexico City that it was hard to avoid absorbing information about it.

“At any hour, Mexico City residents are eating on the street, in markets, or at the restaurants located on almost every block. It’s where most social and business transactions take place, and eating is a lively topic of conversation in itself. Besides arguments among friends about where to find the best tacos al pastor, food is a lens through which Mexicans discuss class, political, agricultural, economic and social issues.”

When Mena was 16, his parents separated and, as he didn’t want to cook his own food, he started eating at friends’ houses. “Since I had to eat whatever was put on the table, I was exposed to ingredi­ents and flavours I had never wanted to try. I realised that I really loved these dishes I had rejected out of childish stubbornness. Not only did I start paying attention to everything I was eating, food became a focal point of my day.”