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

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

and

restaurateur A restaurateur is a person who opens and runs restaurants professionally. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who owns a restaurant, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspe ...

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

indigenous peoples There is no generally accepted definition of Indigenous peoples, although in the 21st century the focus has been on self-identification, cultural difference from other groups in a state, a special relationship with their traditional territ ...

Veracruz Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entit ...

, through her restaurants and food writing.

Biography

Torres was born in

Xalapa Xalapa or Jalapa (, ), officially Xalapa-Enríquez (), is the capital city of the Mexico, Mexican List of states of Mexico, state of Veracruz and the name of the surrounding municipality. In 2020 census the city reported a population of 443,063 ...

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, 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, society, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including archaic humans. Social anthropology studies patterns of behav ...

at University of Veracruz 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 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