Raquel Torres Cerdán, also Raquel Torres (born 19 November 1948) is a

Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

anthropologist An anthropologist is a person engaged in the practice of anthropology. Anthropology is the study of aspects of humans within past and present societies. Social anthropology, cultural anthropology and philosophical anthropology study the norms and ...

and restauranteur, who has worked to record, preserve and showcase the cuisines of the

indigenous peoples Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...

Veracruz Veracruz (), formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave), is one of the 31 states which, along with Me ...

, through her restaurants and

food writing Food writing is a genre of writing that focuses on food and includes works by food critics, food journalists, chefs and food historians. Definition Food writers regard food as a substance and a cultural phenomenon. John T. Edge, an American foo ...

Biography

Torres was born in

Xalapa Xalapa or Jalapa (, ), officially Xalapa-Enríquez (), is the capital city of the Mexican state of Veracruz and the name of the surrounding municipality. In the 2005 census the city reported a population of 387,879 and the municipality of which ...

on 19 November 1948.SABORES A TRADICIÓN.
Experiencias de mujeres de la región cafetalera del Estado de Veracruz Radio Teocelo 2012 Her parents were Guillermina Cerdán, a housewife, and Abel Torres García, who was variously an itinerant coffee-seller, bricklayer, waiter and eventually restaurant owner. She credits meeting the chef

Angel Objeco In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles include ...

, who worked at her father's restaurant of ''La Parroquia,'' in inspiring her interest in cuisine. She initially worked as a civil servant, but made the move to study

Anthropology Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including past human species. Social anthropology studies patterns of behavi ...

University of Veracruz Universidad Veracruzana (Spanish for ''University of Veracruz'') is a public autonomous university located in the Mexican state of Veracruz. Established in 1944, the university is one of the most important in the southeast region of México. It ...

in order to expand her knowledge of the food of the indigenous peoples of

. The accumulation of this knowledge and its preservation has become an important aspect of Torres' career. Research into indigenous cuisine inspired Torres to open her first restaurant, ''La Fonda'', which served a menu dedicated to the regional foods. She later opened ''La Churrería del Recuerdo,'' where she intended to serve recipes that were over 130 years old. However, Torres discovered that whilst there were recipe books available from that period, they recorded middle and upper class foods, not those of the working classes. In addition to running two restaurants, Torres teaches workshops on the skills of Mexican cookery, with a focus on the food of the Veracruz region.

Recognition

In 2019 the National Council for Tourism, Culture and the Arts in Mexico and the Xalapa City Council paid tribute to Torres' work, citing the influence she has had on the preservation of the gastronomic heritage of Xalapa. The chef and writer

Diana Kennedy Diana Kennedy MBE (; 3 March 1923 – 24 July 2022) was a British food writer. A primary English-language authority on Mexican cuisine, Kennedy was known for her nine books on the subject, including '' The Cuisines of Mexico'', which changed ...

has cited Torres' work as an influence.

Selected works

* Torres Cerdán, Raquel. ''La Cocina de Xalapa.'' (2015). * Torres Cerdán, Raquel. ''Las flores en la cocina mexicana''. Vol. 22. Conaculta Culturas Populares, 2000. * Torres Cerdán, Raquel; Careaga Gutiérrez, Dora Elena; and Cruz, Carretero Sagrario. ''La cocina afromestiza en Veracruz''. (1995).

References

External links

¡Así se come en Veracruz! , Raquel Torres Cerdán. Promotora de la cocina indígena mexicana

Narratives of a Strident Kitchen
(blogpost) {{DEFAULTSORT:Torres Cerdán, Raquel 1948 births Living people Mexican women anthropologists Mexican restaurateurs Mexican chefs Universidad Veracruzana alumni Food writers People from Xalapa