A Mexican man, Manuel Quiroz, loves chilies with a passion. Perhaps disturbingly so. Not only can he "down dozens of Mexico's spiciest chilies," but he can "rub them on his skin and even squeeze their juice into his eyes without so much as blinking." Why on earth anyone would want to do that on a regular basis - or how they came up with such a bizarre idea in the first place - remains to be seen, but Manuel to showcase his unusual... talents. He believes that he can eat more chilies than any person on the planet and wants to prove his claim with a title. Unfortunately, there are no contests to crown the "World Chili-eating Champion" just yet, so Manuel will have to wait. With the popularity of eating contests, however, he many not have to wait long. The International Federation of Competitive Eating (IFCoE) seems like they are always keen to add new events and if they can get any of their current champs to agree to participate, you can bet that they'd be willing to sponsor such a contest.

Kobayashi vs. Quiroz, anyone?

In their efforts to come up with the "next cheddar" the snack industry uses snackologists, who observe the snacking habits of their target audience "to identify flavors the public will like and then find ways to package those flavors into irresistible morsels." A lot of research is done at restaurants, where trends are introduced to the mainstream. Chipotle and jalapeno were some of the most recent snack flavors to spring from the restaurant industry and snackologists are now pondering whether teriyaki, curry and other Asian flavors can make it into the US snack mainstream successfully. These masters of munching aren't going to reveal anything more specific just yet, but you'll know who the idea came from the ext time you see the word "New!" emblazoned on bags in the snack aisle.

Nancy Zaslavsky is a James Beard Award winning writer that loves Mexican food and shares her passion for and knowledge of authentic, regional techniques and flavors from across the country in Meatless Mexican Home Cooking. Every dish is vegetarian and many have been collected directly from home cooks, not just adapted from meat-based recipes.

Like any book that is intended to give an overview of a whole cuisine, this one starts with a thorough introduction to chilies before getting on to the recipes. And even once you get to the recipe section, it starts with the simple techniques for tortilla-making before jumping into slightly more complex, although not difficult, dishes. The recipes are arranged in chapters that include sauces, tamales, soups, main dishes, egg dishes, desserts and drinks. For the convenience of anyone unfamiliar with the cuisine (or with Spanish) each recipe comes with a translation of the name, so Rajas con Crema also lists "roasted chilies with onions and cream" for clarity. Other dishes include Salsa Chile Habanero ("neon-orange liquid fire salsa"), Tamales Dulces ("sweet tamales"), Huevos Mexicanos ("scrambled eggs with fabulous flavors") and Chocolate-Chile Mole Brownies.

Anyone can make a taco by putting some meat in a tortilla and topping it with salsa, but contrary to what some restaurants would have you believe, there is a lot more to Mexican cuisine than that. Doña Tomás is a restaurant in Oakland, California that specializes in high-quality, authentic, regional Mexican cuisine and the recipes and techniques behind their food is passed along to readers in Doña Tomás: Discovering Authentic Mexican Cooking. The particular regions that the book focuses on are Oaxaca, Veracruz and the Yucatan and is geared towards the experienced - or at least the dedicated - home chef. Since the recipes are much the same as those that are served in the restaurant, the standards to which the food is held are the same. The more than 90 recipes stick with the most traditional ingredients and preparations. Quesadillas start with homemade tortillas and tamales are steamed just before eating. Fortunately, the book also includes a list of sources in the even that some of the ingredients are not readily available in your area. With all the effort that goes into the dishes, the results are well worth it - but keep in mind that you may not want to go back to soft tacos and burritos for some time afterwards.

I know of a guy in the LA area who is often referred to simply as "the tamale guy." He heads out with freshly prepared tamales every morning, cruising by the spots where his loyal customers are waiting to grab one for breakfast and maybe another couple for lunch. They're so good that I've spotted him hanging outside the back of well-known Mexican restaurants, chatting with the chefs, who are invariably eating one of his tamales instead of they ones they're making inside. Now, you might not get results as impressive as the tamale guy's tamales, but everyone has to start somewhere and Tamales 101: A Beginner's Guide to Making Traditional Tamales can provide a good basis in technique to get you off on the right foot. The book walks you through the process of making tamales, including working with masa and learning how to wrap the corn husks properly, and provides plenty of recipes for sauces and fillings. Some of the combinations are traditional, while variations like Greek and Vegetable Curry tamales will keep you coming back to the book even on days when you don't feel like eating Mexican food.

Piloncillo is an unrefined sugar that is commonly used in Mexican cooking. The sugar has been around for at least 500 years, and was being made before the Spanish came to Mexico around 1500. It is made when sugar canes are crushed, the juice is collected and boiled then poured into molds, where it hardens into blocks. The fact that it comes in block form is one of the reasons why white and brown sugars are more commonly used, even in Mexican cooking, than piloncillo once was. To use it, it must be grated or chiseled off the main block - a process which is well worth the resulting flavor boost in food to some, but too time consuming for others to bother.

Unlike white sugar, which is flat and one-dimensional in its sweet flavor, piloncillo is smoky, caramely and earthy. It has far more flavor than brown sugar, which is generally just white sugar with a small amount of molasses added back to it. It can be uses in moles and other sauces, as well as to simple sweeten coffee or top off buttery toast. In most applications, it must be melted down to be incorporated into recipes. You can find piloncillo in many Mexican or Latin American grocery stores or order it online.

Baja California may be well-known to those who live south of Los Angeles, but the beautiful beaches and good eats of the region are unknown to many. Baja! Cooking on the Edge aims to rectify that with over 150 recipes from the area and a few guides that will give an overview of the foods, styles and ingredients that it is known for.

Two of the things that make Baja most famous, though there are certainly many things to recommend it, are seafood and street food. The book covers both and since street food books often focus on Asian food, this marks a nice change of pace. The author of the book Deborah Schneider, is clearly someone who loves the area and her enthusiasm, together with interesting tidbits about the "whys" and "hows" of the food, make the book a good read. It's a great resource for those who love Mexican food and those who are interested in learning about a different region of the country.

You can take a look inside the book here, where you'll be able to get a sneak peek at recipes for fish tacos, carne asada tacos and roast tuna with chipotle.

We know that the big trends are the ones that really shape the food industry and impact us over the long term, but the littler trends that make up those overarching categories are interesting to watch, too. And at the moment, consumers are watching two words: "fresh" and "global".

Research into all areas of food consumption, including stores, restaurants and homes, showed that customers valued freshness over convenience and predictability/reliability. This does not mean that consumers are turning away from packaged goods, just that they are being more discerning and looking for products that can assure them of their freshness, through innovative packaging or marketing.

The "global" aspect comes into play when you look at range of foods available to consumers. Plain potato chips are not the only option. Going out for sushi, or some carnitas, is about as normal as going out for a burger and fries. This is not to mention the fact that those same burger-and-fry places have expanded their offerings with Asian and Mexican inspired dishes, helping to bring previously unfamiliar flavors into the mainstream.

When is a tomato not a tomato? When it's an heirloom and goes by its own name, like "Brandywine" and Marvel "Stripe." Recipes are for: Cavatelli with Cranberry Beans, Warm Spinach Salad with Bacon & Potatoes, Bruschetta With Fresh Ricotta & Cherry Tomatoes, and Sliced Heirloom Tomatoes with Buttermilk Dressing.

The Grande Dame of Mexican cuisine, Diana Kennedy, shares recipes for Tamales Cernidos con Rajas y Queso (Tamales filled with Poblanos & Cheese) as well as an accompanying Salsa Verde.

Edna Lewis' classic The Taste of Country Cooking has been reissued, Scala's Bistro in Union Square has re-opened with a new look and a new menu, Etoile, Domaine Chandon's restaurant has reopened, and Bistro 1689 in a new French-California place in Noe Valley.

Chipotle chiles are not a unique chile, but are actually dried, smoked jalapeno chiles. They are dark brown and wrinkly, in sharp contrast to the glossy look of fresh chiles, but have a wonderfully rich flavor. Most of the heat of the jalapeno is retained when the chile is dried, so chipotles are fairly spicy, falling in the middle ranges of the heat scale. They have smoky overtones, but the real flavor of the chiles is complex and earthy. Instead of causing a sharp and immediate heat, the heat grows gradually as you eat it and takes time to fade away.

In truth, most kinds of chilies can be smoke-dried and sometimes they are all called "chipotle" no matter what they started out as, but the vast majority of the chipotle chiles on the market were originally jalapenos.