In 1991 Ruth Reichl, then a "Los Angeles Times" food writer, observed that much of the style now identified with California cuisine, and with nouvelle cuisine du Mexique, was practiced by Encarnacion Pinedo a century earlier. A landmark of American cuisine first published in 1898 as "El cocinero espanol" ("The Spanish Cook"), "Encarnacion's Kitchen" is the first cookbook written by a Hispanic in the United States, as well as the first recording of Californio food - Mexican cuisine prepared by the Spanish-speaking people born in California. Pinedo's cookbook offers a fascinating look into the kitchens of a long-ago culture that continues to exert its influence today. Of some three hundred of Pinedo's recipes included here - a mixture of Basque, Spanish, and Mexican - many are variations on traditional dishes, such as chilaquiles, chiles rellenos, and salsa (for which the cook provides fifteen versions). Whether describing how to prepare cod or ham and eggs (a typical Anglo dish labeled 'huevos hipocritas'), Pinedo was imparting invaluable lessons in culinary history and Latino culture along with her piquant directions. In addition to his lively, clear translation, Dan Strehl offers a remarkable view of Pinedo's family history and of the material and literary culture of early California cooking. Prize-winning journalist Victor Valle puts Pinedo's work into the context of Hispanic women's testimonios of the nineteenth century, explaining how the book is a deliberate act of cultural transmission from a traditionally voiceless group.

About the Author
Dan Strehl, Manager of the Frances Howard Goldwyn Hollywood Regional Branch of the Los Angeles Public Library, is the author of The Spanish Cook (1992) and One Hundred Books on California Food and Wine (1990). Victor Valle is Director of the American Communities Program at Cal State University Los Angeles, Professor of Ethnic Studies at California Polytechnic State University, coauthor of Recipe of Memory (1995), and a member of a Los Angeles Times team that won a Pulitzer Prize for reporting on the Chicano community in Los Angeles.

Reviews
"A historic trove of 300 Mexican recipes from 19th-century California.... Pinedo's work offers a look into kitchens of days gone by, with a flavor whose influence is still apparent today." - Associated Press "Deserves inclusion in both academic and large public library culinary history collections." - Peter Hepburn, Library Journal More than a collection of recipes, the book gives a fascinating glimpse into the lifestyle of a vanished segment of California society." - Barbara Hansen, Los Angeles Times"



Book Information
ISBN 9780520246768
Author Encarnacion Pinedo
Format Paperback
Page Count 222
Imprint University of California Press
Publisher University of California Press
Weight(grams) 318g
Dimensions(mm) 210mm * 152mm * 15mm