Tacos, tamales, and enchiladas. These are a sample of dishes of the American Southwest that Americans have eaten in different forms. Every region has its own distinct food; for example, barbecue varies by locale in the American South. Gregory McNamee (Gila: The Life And Death Of An American River) examines the ethnic and cultural traditions that have contributed to the food history of the Southwest since the earliest farmers of Mesoamerica. His book is very readable and enjoyable with not only a history of Southwest food but also with predictions of food sources in the future.
Southwest food has continuously changed, brought on by waves of new peoples to the region. Perhaps one of the most significant events in the region's food history was the "Columbian exchange" (named after Christopher Columbus), or the widespread of plants and animals and disease) between Europe and the Americas between the ate 15th and 16th centuries. Columbus introduced crops including avocados, chiles, and maize native to the Southwest and Mexico to European markets while the Europeans brought citrus crops to California including ranges and fig trees. The "exchange" was not an even one, because European diseases decimated the native Southwest and Mesoamerican populations. McNamee illustrates how European and Asian immigrants in the late 19th and 20th centuries also brought changes to the Southwest palate. Along with cultural changes, climate change has payed a significant role in shaping Southwest food. For example, when the earliest peoples migrated to the Southwest, the climate was significantly wetter than it was today. Livestock introduced by the Spanish to the Southwest, including chickens, cattle, and pigs, could not have thrived in the environment if the climate was harsh. Perhaps one of the biggest questions hanging over us now is how climate change will affect Southwest food production in the 21st century. McNamee’s book is interesting on a number of counts. It provides recipes for popular dishes such as green chile stew, huevos rancheros, and tamales, but also instructions on how to make lesser-known foods, like huitlaoche, or corn smut. The author shows how the ancient peoples of the Southwest made salt and speculates how they roasted mastodon and prepared other game. Second, McNamee shows how through globalization, or rather “southwesternization," the Southwestern palate has impacted world cuisine. Global restaurant chains like Taco Bell (founded by entrepreneur Glen Bell, who first opened a hot dog stand named Bell's Drive-In in San Bernardino, California in 1948) and national ones such as Rubio’s Coastal Grill (specializing in fish tacos) are evidence of that fact. McNamee also underlies the importance of cimate in Southwest food changes. ne can only imagine what effects climate change will have on the Southwest. Have a good appetite when reading this book. McNamee, Gregory, Tortillas, Tiswin, and T-Bones: A Food History of the Southwest. University of New Mexico Press, 2017.
1 Comment
MickeyWhite
1/23/2019 01:41:55 pm
Really good review. He has a lot more topics in the book then his lecture he gives around the state. The review make my interested in reading his book.
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CategoriesAuthorTom Schmidt lives in Prescott Valley, AZ. Archives
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