From the Foreword:

The approach of teaching Hispanic culture through food  has many strengths: it engages the students from day one, and it allows an integrative approach to all Hispanic cultures, cutting across centuries and geographical divides while highlighting national, ethnic and personal identities. In addition, the subject matter encourages the use of an extensive vocabulary that students would not otherwise encounter, encompassing areas such as nutrition, medicine, physiology, material and culinary cultures, ethnic practices and more. As a teacher, the topic of food has allowed me to communicate with my students at a personal level that is hard to reach when teaching other subjects. Students like to share memories, stories about their family life, cultural encounters and opinions when discussing food in a way that makes communication fluid, meaningful and enjoyable. Through the topic of food students feel comfortable discussing many other matters that areinevitably linked to it: environmental issues, national identities, global politics, and comparative religion are some of the many areas that are evoked when discussing food.

Although this textbook is not meant to provide a history of food, its internal organization has respected chronology for the sake of clarity. Thus, the textbook begins with the prehistoric diet and moves on to contemporary practices. Similarly, chapters have clusters of sections organized around a geographic area, as I have found that students find this approach to be the most straightforward way of learning. At the same time, the focus on certain ingredients, cooking techniques and eating practices allows for an exploration of topics across countries and time periods. This approach helps students see connections and continuities and encourages them to think creatively outside of learned categories.

The book’s subject matter is evidently vast and it cannot attempt to provide an exhaustive treatment of the subject. Rather, it presents a rich tapestry of meaningful food practices that suggests paths for further learning. For the sake of variety and in order to communicate the richness of the subject, each chapter is organized around a main topic indicated in the chapter title. In addition, there are other sections with related content that are meant to provide variety and complimentary information. At the end of each segment there are questions for further discussion. These are intended to be used among the students in small groups or as a class, or to be assigned as reading comprehension exercises to be completed at home. There is a recipe in each chapter that is related to its content and that is meant to encourage students to cross the line between reading and talking about food and cooking. The recipes also provide the opportunity to learn about the vocabulary of cooking: measures, instructions, kitchen advice, etc. There is also a section with activities at the end of each chapter. These are hands on ideas for the students to put into practice some of the main points they have learned in the chapter, as well as to interact with the world outside of the classroom using food as a familiar platform.