Kennedy combines the texts of three previous books, "The Cuisines of Mexico, Mexican Regional Cooking," and "The Tortilla Book," into one volume, refining recipes when possible, bringing them up to date without losing the spirit of their generation.

What is a tortilla? A round, thin "pancake" of unleavened corn dough (not including in this book the wheat-flour tortillas of northern Mexico) that has been prepared and eaten in Mexico from the earliest times until the present day. This is not meant to be a "compleat" or definitive book encompassing all the regional variations of the taco and enchilada ad infinitum, but a small selection from the hundreds of versions both known and rare. It is a...