Cookbook author Dave DeWitt focuses on southwestern Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona-those areas most influenced by Native American and northern Mexican cookery, as well as American imports and techniques. These are the traditional locations for a unique cuisine-dating to prehistory-that continues to evolve. We often think of Southwestern cuisine as imported from Mexico, but parts of the Southwest were a part of Mexico for more than 200 years. In addition to nearly 200 recipes, the book includes a "Pepper Primer" and a glossary of Southwestern cooking terms and ingredients.