Adán Medrano tours U.S. with mesquite-focused Texas Mexican cookbook

By AI, Created 4:52 PM UTC, May 18, 2026, /AGP/ – Chef and food author Adán Medrano is touring the U.S. after the release of The Texas Mexican Plant-Based Cookbook, using live demonstrations to spotlight mesquite agua fresca and the region’s Indigenous food history. The events aim to revive interest in native ingredients and the long arc of Texas Mexican culinary traditions.

Why it matters: - Medrano is using a cookbook tour to reframe mesquite as a living part of Texas Mexican food culture, not just a historical ingredient. - The demonstrations connect contemporary plant-based cooking with Indigenous borderlands traditions in Texas and Northeastern Mexico. - The tour also helps preserve and circulate regional food knowledge through tastings, recipes and historical storytelling.

What happened: - Chef and food author Adán Medrano has been touring the United States following the release of The Texas Mexican Plant-Based Cookbook. - Medrano has presented cooking demonstrations at the Tucson Festival of Books, the Witte Museum and the Benson Latin American Collection at The University of Texas at Austin. - The featured demonstration centered on mesquite agua fresca, a drink made from mesquite pods. - Medrano paired the demonstration with discussion of mesquite’s culinary history and its role in Texas and Northeastern Mexico.

The details: - The demonstrations included preparation of the beverage, historical context about the ingredient and tastings for attendees. - Medrano describes mesquite as a foundational food source for Indigenous communities and later populations in the Texas-Mexico borderlands. - The cookbook says mesquite was central to survival and culture before corn arrived in Texas and Northeastern Mexico around 700 CE. - Medrano writes that the region has been called “la gente del mezquite” or “people of the mesquite,” citing researcher and author Carlos Manuel Valdés. - The book says mesquite agua fresca predates European colonization. - Medrano references Spanish explorer Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca, who documented Indigenous methods of crushing mesquite pods in wooden mortars and in holes dug into the earth. - The recipe demonstrated on tour is included in The Texas Mexican Plant-Based Cookbook. - The recipe uses 5 oz. mesquite pods, 8 cups water and 1 to 2 tablespoons of maple syrup. - The method calls for boiling the pods, blending them with water, straining the mixture and chilling the drink before serving it over ice. - The cookbook combines recipes with historical essays on Texas Mexican food traditions and Indigenous ingredients in borderlands cuisine.

Between the lines: - The tour positions plant-based cooking as a way to recover food traditions that were pushed aside or forgotten. - Medrano’s framing ties culinary heritage to identity, survival and regional memory rather than novelty. - The emphasis on native plants suggests a broader effort to expand the public understanding of Texas Mexican cuisine beyond familiar restaurant dishes.

What’s next: - Medrano is expected to continue promoting the cookbook through public appearances and cooking demonstrations. - Audience interest in mesquite pods and traditional preparation methods could help drive more attention to Indigenous ingredients in home cooking and food education. - The book’s mix of recipes and historical essays gives the tour a built-in platform for future events, talks and tastings.