Jackie
Alpers.
Sonoran Recipes | Food Photography
Award-winning cookbook author creating and documenting traditional and modern Sonoran recipes from the Arizona-Mexico borderlands. Recipes, stories, and photography.
I’m Jackie Alpers and I document the evolving story of Sonoran-style regional Southwestern cuisine of southern Arizona, For over two decades I’ve been exploring the recipes, traditions and cultural influences of the Arizona-Mexico borderlands, experimenting with both time-honored dishes and modern interpretations of this unique regional cuisine.
I am the author of four cookbooks including the award-winning, Taste of Tucson: Sonoran-Style Recipes Inspired by the Rich Culture of Southern Arizona which has earned recognition from UNESCO’s Tucson City of Gastronomy and awards from RUSA, Reading the West and American Photography.
Through my recipes, photography, and storytelling, I explore regional culinary influences, food history, symbolism, and culinary cultural significance. I’m as interested in what makes a chiltepin salsa culturally significant as I am in how Sonoran flavors can inspire something entirely new.
View my food photography portfolio to see a curated selection of my professional food photography work.
What is Sonoran Cuisine?
And Why is it so special?
Sonoran is a unique regional cuisine originating from the Sonoran Desert which spans the lower third of Arizona, a small portion of Southern California, the Sea of Cortez, and the state of Sonora in Mexico. The symbiotic relationship with both Mexico and the desert itself has resulted in a unique style of Southwestern regional cuisine not found anywhere else in the world.
The Sonoran Desert is the most tropical desert in North America with temperatures consistently reaching over 100°F alongside the yearly summer monsoon season. Sometimes it does snow, particularly in the mountain ranges that surround the Tucson, Arizona basin where I live. There are more species of plants here than in any other desert in the world, including the famous Saguaro which like many cacti produces edible fruit. Flora and fauna brought by European settlers, most notably wheat, cattle and citrus, flourishes here and has become as much of the backbone of the cuisine as the corn, chiles, tomatoes and beans native to the Sonoran Desert region.
Sonoran food is light and bright and vegetable forward. This is summer food, year-round. Two of the world’s top health resorts are located in the region and their menus reflect and embrace the multiple health benefits associated with Sonoran cuisine. Their chefs and nutritionists have taught me culinary techniques which I’ve incorporated into my healthy recipes.
This site contains a collection of curated recipes inspired by the history of the region, the mysticism and lore, and how it has contributed to the food of the people who live here. There are contributions from local restaurants and chefs past and present in addition to my own recipes and photographs.
Sonoran Recipes.
Recipes From My Desert Home
Chiltepin Hot Salsa.
Beef Patty Tacos.
Sonoran Hot Dogs.
Black Wild Rice vs. Forbidden Rice: What’s the Difference?
Black wild rice is native to the United States. It is the harvested seed of a grass that grows in shallow water, with a chewy texture and complex, earthy flavor. It’s different from black Forbidden Rice, which is an heirloom grain from China. Black wild rice benefits from an overnight soak to give the seeds time to plump before cooking.
Sonoran Cuisine… And Beyond
Explore Jackie’s Full Recipe Archive Blogroll Style.
Borderlands Breakfasts.
Cooking Sonoran-Style Mexican and Southwestern Breakfast Recipes
MOLLETES.
Breakfast Tacos.
Mexican Shakshuka.
Southwest and Western Americana.
Recipes inspired by Yellowstone
Campfire Corn on the Cob.
"The Fire and The Fury" Whisky Cocktail.
"Meaner Than Evil" BBQ Hot Wings.
Taste of Tucson Cookbook.
Sonoran Style Recipes Inspired by The Rich Culture of Southern Arizona
Taste of Tucson: Sonoran Style Recipes Inspired by the Rich Culture of Southern Arizona.
Named one of the best cookbooks of the year by The Arizona Republic • Phoenix New Times • Arizona Daily Star
Building from tried-and-true basics and tutorials on tacos, enchiladas, carne asada, and huevos rancheros, she divulges secrets to making some of the Tucson area’s most unique Sonoran-style savories and sweets.
Work With Me.
Food Photographer • Recipe Developer • Culinary Creative
