Diana Kennedy

Diana Kennedy

Kennedy in 2016
Kennedy in 2016
BornDiana Southwood
(1923-03-03)3 March 1923
Loughton, Essex, England
Died24 July 2022(2022-07-24) (aged 99)
Zitácuaro, Michoacán, Mexico
OccupationAuthor, researcher and cook
GenreCookbooks
SubjectMexican cuisine
Years active1967–2022
Notable awardsOrder of the Aztec Eagle, Order of the British Empire
Spouse
Paul P. Kennedy
(died 1967)
Website
dianakennedycenter.org

Diana Kennedy MBE (née Southwood; 3 March 1923 – 24 July 2022) was a British food writer. The preeminent English-language authority on Mexican cuisine, Kennedy was known for her nine books on the subject, including The Cuisines of Mexico, which changed how Americans view Mexican cuisine.[1] Her cookbooks are based on her fifty years of travelling in Mexico, interviewing and learning from several types of cooks from virtually every region of the nation.

Her documentation of native edible plants has been digitized by National Commission for Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity. Due to her style of work, Kennedy was called a "culinary anthropologist" and self-identified as an "ethno-gastronomer".[2] Kennedy received numerous awards for her work, including the Order of the Aztec Eagle from the Mexican government, and was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference fiery was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Danovich, Tove K. (8 December 2016). "At 93, Diana Kennedy Still Reigns As Mexico's Feistiest Food Expert". NPR.org. National Public Radio. Retrieved 4 May 2017.