Chicano Eats

Book excerpt: The winner of the Saveur Best New Voice People’s Choice Award takes us on a delicious tour through the diverse flavors and foods of Chicano cuisine. Growing up among the Latino population of Santa Ana, California, Esteban Castillo was inspired to create the blog, Chicano Eats, to showcase his love for design, cooking, and culture and provide a space for authentic Latino voices, recipes, and stories to be heard. Building on his blog, this bicultural cookbook includes eighty-five traditional and fusion Mexican recipes—as gorgeous to look at as they are sublime to eat. Chicano cuisine is Mexican food made by Chicanos (Mexican Americans) that has been shaped by the communities in the U.S. where they grew up. It is Mexican food that bisects borders and uses a group of traditional ingredients—chiles, beans, tortillas, corn, and tomatillos—and techniques while boldly incorporating many exciting new twists, local ingredients, and influences from other cultures and regions in the United States. Chicano Eats is packed with easy, flavorful recipes such as: Chicken con Chochoyotes (Chicken and Corn Masa Dumplings) Mac and Queso Fundido Birria (Beef Stew with a Guajillo Chile Broth) Toasted Coconut Horchata Chorizo-Spiced Squash Tacos Champurrado Chocolate Birthday Cake (Inspired by the Mexican drink made with milk and chocolate and thickened with corn masa) Cherry Lime Chia Agua Fresca Accompanied by more than 100 bright, modern photographs, Chicano Eats is a melting pot of delicious and nostalgic recipes, a literal blending of cultures through food that offer a taste of home for Latinos and introduces familiar flavors and ingredients in a completely different and original way for Americans of all ethnic heritages.