In 2010, Mexico’s traditional cuisine was declared part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. It was the first time the food of any country had received such an honor.
According to archaeologist Dr. Rodrigo Esparza, the history of Mexican comida goes back more than 8,000 years to ancient farmers who raised corn, beans, chile and squash.
One of the most important researchers studying Mexican food – both before and after the Spanish Conquest – is Guadalajara’s Maru Toledo, author of some 20 cookbooks and founder of Mujeres del Maíz, an organization of Mexican women dedicated to “rescuing Jalisco’s oral and gastronomical tradition.”
Mujeres del Maiz, which started in 2011, has now released the first fruit of their labors: a beautifully designed, 450-page full-color book entitled “Antes de Que El Tiempo Nos Alcance” (Before It’s Too Late), presenting 185 recipes contributed by 51 women mostly living in small communities in Jalisco.
“The title explains exactly why this book was written,” says author Maru Toledo. “It’s clear to me that we are about to lose the generation of people who still practice the old style of cooking. In a family there may be only one person left who remembers these culinary secrets and that person may die at any moment. Then, all will be lost because the next generation can’t cook at all. I am focused on research and I want to recuperate as much information as possible before it is too late.”
Toledo’s second aim is to make it clear that the authentic cuisine of Jalisco is much more than birria, pozole and tortas ahogadas. These popular foods are also part of the picture, she says, but hopes this book will open the public’s eyes to recipes most people in Jalisco – and even fewer outside the state – have never heard of. “Nobody can love what they don’t know,” she says.
The third reason behind Toledo’s new book is the group of women involved in this project: Las Mujeres de Maíz.
“It’s important for them to have a book of this quality to provide a broche de oro, a dramatic finishing touch for this project, which has reached the conclusion of its first stage,” Toledo says. “Next comes stage two, where we will try to replicate in other municipalities what we have accomplished here.”
This publication is much more than just a cookbook. Biologist José Pablo López Ruvalcaba dedicates 100 pages to detailed descriptions of the plants, animals and even insects used in traditional Jalisco cuisine. Most importantly, scientific names are given, making it possible for chefs in other Mexican states or countries to pinpoint the exact ingredients of a recipe. For example, yerbabuena could refer to at least six different plants depending on whether you are in Central America, Cuba, the United States or another part of Mexico. Toledo’s new book specifies that the botanical name of this yerbabuena is Menta spicata.
“Antes de Que El Tiempo Nos Alcance” is a jewel of a cookbook with 400 gorgeous color photographs taken by Pascual and Daniel Aldana, who also did the graphic design. The Aldana brothers are highly acclaimed for their award-winning “Explora México” documentaries on subjects such as the origin of mezcal and the Guachimontones of Teuchitlán.
“This is our first attempt at graphic design and we like the results so much that we are already working on Maru’s next book,” Pascual told me.
The filmmakers have also made a documentary on Las Mujeres de Maíz, that will soon be released on DVD with both Spanish and English sound tracks. Look for it at exploramexicodocumentales.com.
Maru Toledo’s “smoky kitchen,” as she calls it, is located off the beaten track in the pueblito of Teuchiteco, near Ahualulco, about 61 kilometers due west of Guadalajara.
“A lot of young people are coming here to take classes from Guadalajara, Zapopan and Ameca, from universities and schools where they are studying gastronomy,” says Elba Núñez, one of the Mujeres de Maíz. “We show them how to prepare a pipián, for example. How to prepare the corn, the pumpkin seeds, the spices; how to prepare the underground oven and the rocks; how long to wait before it’s ready. Each meal has its techniques and you can’t do it just any old way.”
Because she is offering something more than cooking instruction, Mexican universities and even internationally famous chefs such as Ricardo Muñoz and Rick Bayless are finding their way to Toledo’s smoky kitchen.
Of the new book, Toledo says, “There’s a story behind every one of these recipes. This is what I would like readers to discover. It’s not just a recipe, but along with those cooking instructions there’s a context which deserves to be known and remembered.”
“Antes de Que El Tiempo Nos Alcance” was officially launched July 6 at Casa ITESO Clavigero, where a preview of the Mujeres del Maíz documentary was also shown. The cookbook (hardback edition) can be purchased for 880 pesos from Pastelería Monique Café in Guadalajara (Av. Unión 410 at the corner of Montenegro, 3615-6851) and from Los Mitotes de María (a restaurant) in Tlaquepaque, Donato Guerra 242, 4444-0888.