Adriana Cavita grew up in a small village in Mexico and was inspired to enter the food industry by her grandmother who ran a street-food business. She has since travelled extensively around the country, from Mexico City the capital (where she was born), across to Oaxaca and the Yucatán. Visiting the small towns around the coast and perched up in the mountains sparked in Adriana a fascination with traditional cooking methods, and how these vary from region to region. This collection of recipes is built around her experiences, from breathing in the aroma of woodsmoke from a barbacoa (food cooked over open flames), to seeing first-hand the care that goes into preparing seemingly simple dishes, from salsas and moles to tortillas and tostadas.

Adriana’s extensive travels have influenced this collection of recipes. From the northern, more rugged dishes of Baja Fish Tacos and Birria (beef stew), through the centre of the country with a wealth of quesadillas and Pollo en Adobo (chicken adobo), all the way to the southern regions of Yucatan and Oaxaca featuring Tlayudas con Carne Asada (often referred to as the Oaxaca pizza!). Adriana also introduces the basics of Mexican cooking, including salsas, corn dough, tostadas, and moles and includes a selection of tantalizing Mexican cocktails heralding the popularity of tequila and mezcal. Adriana’s take on traditional Mexican dishes tell a story of her heritage and the people who taught her the craft of cooking and will open your eyes to real, authentic Mexican food.