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Provenance · Volume IX · In progress

The Mexican Canon

Two hundred and twenty-five entries

Contents
I
Overview & Cultural Context
Why this cuisine is its own thing — roots, history, the living movement.
2 II
The Land & Sea
Terroir — geography, climate, what grows and swims here.
opening III
The Pantry
The defining ingredients, named to species.
18 IV
The Method
The foundational techniques the cuisine is built on.
87 V
The Canonical Dishes
The dishes a serious practitioner is expected to know.
114 VI
The Beverage Tradition
Wines, spirits, ferments, tea and coffee, ceremonial drinks.
1 VII
The Table & Service
How the food is served and eaten — the order, the rituals, the hospitality.
3 VIII
The Thread
Where this book connects to others — migration, trade, diaspora.
opening IX
The Lineage & Authorities
The masters, the literature, the sources an entry is anchored to.
opening X
The Network
The producers and purveyors who carry the real ingredients.
opening
← The LibraryVolume IX · contents
Mexican · IV The Method

Flavour Building

Three entries

Flavour building in Mexican cooking begins with the chilli — its taxonomy determines every subsequent decision. From that foundation, the cook learns to construct salsas across the full spectrum of raw, charred, and cooked preparations. Mole represents the apex of this logic: a family of complex puréed sauces assembled through sequential toasting, charring, grinding, and frying of dozens of ingredients.

Los Chiles: The Mexican Chilli TaxonomyMexican salsa constructionMole construction
IV · The Method · 3 of 9Next chapter → Grains And Dough
Mexican · IV The Method

Flavour Building

‹ IV The Method

Flavour building in Mexican cooking begins with the chilli — its taxonomy determines every subsequent decision. From that foundation, the cook learns to construct salsas across the full spectrum of raw, charred, and cooked preparations. Mole represents the apex of this logic: a family of complex puréed sauces assembled through sequential toasting, charring, grinding, and frying of dozens of ingredients.

3 entries
Los Chiles: The Mexican Chilli TaxonomyMexican salsa constructionMole construction

‹ The Method · Contents · The Library