La Mesa Mexicana: The food of Mexico

The ultimate compendium of regional Mexican cuisine.

La Mesa Mexicana is the follow-up cookbook to CDMX by Rosa Cienfuegos. Expanding to the eight culinary regions of Mexico, Cienfuegos’s third book is a comprehensive collection of regional Mexican food, with more than 120 recipes that showcase the diversity, breadth, and influence of Mexican ingredients and cuisine on the global stage.

In La Mesa Mexicana, Cienfuegos traverses Mexico in search of the unique dishes that distinguish each region. Starting in the north, including Baja, Chihuahua, and Tamaulipas, Cienfuegos shares the original recipes for Chile con queso, Carne asada, and traditional Tacos de pescado. Moving south to the central heart of the country and the states of Jalisco, Puebla, and Michoacán, you will find recipes for “drowned” Tortas from Guadalajara, local Goat tacos from the semiarid region of Querétaro, and Nayarit’s unique desserts, as well as Uvate, a nonalcoholic grape drink made with sugar and cinnamon. Finally, Cienfuegos traverses the south of Mexico, taking in Veracruz, Yucatan, and the revered foodie state of Oaxaca, where she discovers the secrets to a classic mole negro, tlayudas, and more.

Filled with stunning food and location photography, and stories from each of the regions that explore the history, ingredients, and cultures of this breathtaking country, La Mesa Mexicana is no ordinary Mexican cookbook. It is a heart-stopping ode to one of the oldest cuisines in the world, a celebration of the globally recognized and lesser-known Indigenous recipes that have been passed down through the generations.