CDMX: The Food of Mexico City by Rosa Cienfuegos – Hardback Cookbook

CDMX: The Food of Mexico City is a hardback Mexican cookbook by Sydney restaurateur Rosa Cienfuegos that teaches the home and street food of Mexico City, from chilaquiles and tacos to seafood, salsas and sweets. It's the follow-up to her first book, Comida Mexicana, and it doubles as a handy guide to where to eat when you get there.

Mexico City, cooked from a Sydney kitchen

Rosa grew up eating this food, and she now cooks it every day at her two Sydney restaurants, Tamaleria and Icatate. The book captures what chilangos (Mexico City locals) actually eat at home, in the markets and from street stalls, rather than a restaurant-polished version of it. The design is loud and joyful, and the food photography is shot to make you hungry.

What's inside

The recipes sit in eight chapters: Desayunos (breakfast), Antojitos y Bebidas (snacks and drinks), Tacos, Sopas (soups), Comida Corrida (set meals), Mariscos (seafood), Postres (desserts) and Salsas. Between the recipes you get on-the-scene photography from the city and a short travel guide to its best bars, restaurants, street eats and markets.

Standouts include Chilaquiles con Huevo for the morning after, Esquites con Tuétano (street-style corn with bone marrow), Tacos Gobernador loaded with cheesy prawns, Tacos de Bistec con Queso and the smoky shredded chicken of Tacos de Tinga de Pollo. The salsa chapter is the engine room, and it'll lift everything else you pull off the grill.

Who it's for

Anyone who loves tacos and wants to go deeper than a supermarket kit. Confident beginners will find plenty of quick snacks, tacos and salsas, while keener cooks can tackle the soups and set meals. It's a cracking gift for the Mexico tragic in your life, or anyone with a trip booked.

About Rosa Cienfuegos

Rosa Cienfuegos is a Mexican-Australian restaurateur based in Sydney, where she runs Tamaleria and Icatate. She travels back to Mexico regularly to keep learning about the cuisine she grew up with, and CDMX follows her first cookbook, Comida Mexicana.

The Rub Smuggler's Verdict

The Smuggler reckons this is the closest thing to a Mexico City street crawl you can fit on a shelf: breakfasts, tacos, soups, seafood and a salsa chapter that does the heavy lifting. His soft spot is the Tacos Gobernador, cheesy prawns folded into warm tortillas, and he's not ashamed to say it. Grab a copy and taco night will never look the same. Stack it with Salsa Daddy for even more salsa firepower and Tacos from the Breddos crew for a London taqueria spin, then stir a spoon of Gran Luchito Chipotle Paste through your tinga.

Questions answered

Who wrote CDMX: The Food of Mexico City?

CDMX was written by Rosa Cienfuegos, a Mexican-Australian restaurateur who runs Tamaleria and Icatate in Sydney. It's the follow-up to her first cookbook, Comida Mexicana.

What's inside CDMX?

Eight chapters covering breakfast, snacks and drinks, tacos, soups, set meals, seafood, desserts and salsas, plus a short travel guide to eating and drinking in Mexico City.

Is CDMX good for beginners?

Yes. Many of the snacks, salsas and tacos are straightforward, and the soups and set meals give you somewhere to grow as your confidence builds.

Is CDMX a hardback, and how many pages?

Yes. It's a 256-page hardback published by Smith Street Books in 2023.

Is CDMX by an Australian author?

Yes. Rosa Cienfuegos is a Mexican-Australian restaurateur based in Sydney, and the book is published by Australian publisher Smith Street Books.