A tortilla rolled around, say, chicken and smothered in a blanket of gloppy, neon-hued cheese is the image typically conjured when thinking of the enchilada. But Texas-bred Chris Waters Dunn and Cappy Lawton wanted to delve beyond such a simplistic notion of the cantina favorite in Enchiladas: Aztec to Tex-Mex (Trinity, Oct.).

"I was brought up on what we thought were enchiladas—and personally, I really like the Tex-Mex style; it's a native foreign food. But then I traveled through Mexico, and I saw how truly great the enchilada can be. Each region has its own version," says Lawton, the proprietor of Cappy's Restaurant, in San Antonio, Tex.

Dunn, a country music singer–turned–food writer, notes that there are ample books devoted to Mexican cuisine, yet none focus solely on the pivotal role and evolution of the enchilada. "It's a simple, everyday food that embodies thousands of years of Mexican life. The subject was just too important to not be explored and documented. People need to be made aware of the enchilada's complexity and depth," he explains.

In addition to the comprehensive lore and recipes, to "authentically honor the traditional cocina" Dunn and Lawton also show readers how to make, from scratch, the likes of beans and queso fresco, the enchilada's classic accompaniments.

Over the course of their research, the duo were perhaps most struck by the enchilada's deep roots. For example, the enfrijolada, essentially a version of the enchilada in which a bean puree is served over tortillas, traces back to 7,000 B.C., while enchiladas teeming with meats like beef, pork, and goat are direct reflections of Mexico's Spanish conquest.

The authors will host a chips and salsa party in booth 1042 today, at 11 a.m., where homemade corn tortilla-making kits will be available for the first 100 booksellers, and all visitors can enter to win a free trip for two to San Antonio.