Our columnist takes a deep dive into Mexican cuisine with the debut cookbook from Adriana Cavita
recipe ADRIANA CAVITA
MELISSA THOMPSON
I consider cooking as an art form,” writes Adriana Cavita in her debut cookbook. “Fleeting and ephemeral… once it is done, it is gone, but the memory can linger.”
Her book, Cocina Mexicana, celebrates that form, acting as a canvas, a stage, a gallery in which this edible art can be appreciated and presented for better understanding.
Few national cuisines capture the imagination quite like Mexican. It’s a gastronomy that is as romanticised by those for whom it is everyday fare, as much as it is by those who are newer to it and intoxicated by its rainbow colours, innate freshness and vibrant, eclectic flavours. And it’s a fascination that has penetrated national consciousnesses beyond its national borders.
It’s taken a while for the UK to catch up though. Our understanding of Mexican cuisine has often been seen through the lens of Tex-Mex, of yellow gooey ‘cheese’ poured over nachos in the cinema, overloaded burritos from high street chains and jarred salsas that in no way reflect the vibrancy and freshness of Mexican produce.
But that’s changing. And while some might argue that it’s still difficult to get a decent taco in Britain, chefs such as Adriana have pushed the narrative of proper Mexican food to the forefront and brought with it a deeper appreciation for it. They have shown us how it is done.
In the book Adriana briefly explains the history of Mexico, and of her family, and how the various strands led her to train as a chef. She trained under some of the world’s best-known chefs as well as traditional cooks in small Mexican villages before opening her restaurant, Cavita, in London.
She also explains the processes and tools unique to Mexican food. There’s nixtamal, the process in which corn kernels are cooked with lime to soften them so they can be ground and formed into a dough to make tortillas or tamales. Or molcajete, a large mortar made out of volcanic basalt used for grinding spices or vegetables.
The recipes in Cocina Mexicana begin with the staples – salsas and sauces, beans, rice and tortillas. They lay the foundation for a meal, and gently urge you to become accustomed with the basics before moving on to dishes that unite the separate components. Breakfast is huge in Mexico and Adriana offers a decent selection of dishes here: huevos rancheros, the hearty dish of beans, eggs and sauces on top of crunchy to
