Lois Ellen Frank

Ah, Navajo Tacos! One of the things I miss most about living in the Four Corners was eating the yummy Navajo Tacos for lunch. There are some great recipes in this book with some of my favorite ingredients--I think the prickly pear syrup and blue cornmeal hotcakes are delicious--but my favorite recipe is the fry bread for tacos. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar on them, dip them in melted butter, or serve them with traditional taco toppings; fry bread is divine.

Divided into sections by ingredient, the book begins with corn. The text provides an overview of the role corn played in various native cultures. Traditional methods are described for baking corn, preparing hominy, and making masa from scratch. More modern, traditionally-inspired recipes fill out the chapter. Additional sections cover chiles, vine plants (squash, tomatoes, melons), wild plants, beans, and game.

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Color photographs, cultural essays, and history of the food enhance the recipes; Frank uses natural foods and long-proved NatAm ways to produce food in her own business and for the University of New Mexico, where she is a culinary anthropology; much updated version of an earlier book about Native American cusine - as made from the foods of nature.