Everything about Tex-mex Cuisine totally explained
» For the musical style, please see Tejano music.Tex-Mex is a term for a type of
American food which is used primarily in
Texas and the
Southwestern United States to describe a
regional cuisine which blends
food products available in the
United States and the culinary creations of
Mexican-Americans that are influenced by the
cuisines of Mexico. A given Tex-Mex food may or may not be similar to Mexican cuisine, although it's common for all of these foods to be referred to as
"Mexican food" in Texas, the United States and in some other countries. In other ways, it's Southern cooking using the commodities from Mexican culture. In many parts of the country outside of Texas this term is synonymous with
Southwestern cuisine.
History
"Tex-Mex" first entered the
language as a
nickname for the
Texas-Mexican Railway, which was
chartered in
1875.
In
train schedules published in the
newspapers of the 1800s, the names of
railroads were abbreviated. The
Missouri Pacific was called the
Mo. Pac., and the Texas-Mexican was abbreviated Tex. Mex. In the 1920s, the
hyphenated form was used in American newspapers in reference to the railroad and to describe people of Mexican descent who were born in
Texas.
In the
mission era,
Spanish and
Mexican Indian foods were combined in Texas as in other parts of the
Northern Frontier of
New Spain.
This cuisine that would come to be called Tex-Mex actually originated with the
Tejanos (Texans of
Hispanic descent) as a hybrid of Spanish and native Mexican foods when Texas was part of New Spain and later Mexico.
From the
South Texas region between
San Antonio to the
Rio Grande Valley, this cuisine has had little variation and from earliest times has always been influenced by the cooking in the neighboring northern states of Mexico. The
ranching culture of South Texas and
Northern Mexico straddles both sides of the border. A taste for
cabrito (kid
goat),
barbacoa (
barbecued cow heads),
carne seca (
dried beef), and other products of
cattle culture are common on both sides of the
Rio Grande. In the twentieth century, Tex-Mex took on such
Americanized elements as yellow cheese, as goods from the United States became cheap and readily available.
Diana Kennedy, an influential food authority, first delineated the differences between
Mexican cuisine and Americanized Mexican food in her
1972 book
The Cuisines of Mexico. The first use in print of "Tex-Mex" in reference to food occurred in the
Mexico City News in
1973.
Award-winning Texas food writer
Robb Walsh (of the
Houston Press) updated Kennedy and put her comments regarding Tex-Mex cooking into historical and socio-political perspective in (
New York:
Broadway Books,
2004).
Some
ingredients used are common in Mexican cuisine, but ingredients unknown in Mexico are often added. Tex-Mex cuisine is characterized by its heavy use of melted
cheese,
meat (particularly
beef),
beans, and
spices, in addition to Mexican-style
tortillas (
maize or
flour),
fried or baked (most traditional
Mexican cuisine isn't so heavily
starch-based as Tex-Mex). Texas-style
chili con carne,
crispy chalupas,
chili con queso,
chili gravy, and
fajitas are all Tex-Mex inventions. A common feature of Tex-Mex is the combination
plate, with several of the above on one large
platter. Serving
tortilla chips and a
hot sauce or
salsa as an appetizer is also an original Tex-Mex invention. Moreover, Tex-Mex has imported flavors from other spicy cuisines, such as the use of
cumin (common in
Indian food, but used in only a few authentic Mexican recipes).
Tex-Mex restaurants
Tex-Mex cuisine is found in many independent and
chain restaurants in the state of Texas and the country. Chain restaurants include
Chico's Tacos,
Ninfa's,
Chuy's,
El Fenix,
El Chico,
Taco Cabana,
On the Border Mexican Grill & Cantina,
Pancho's Mexican Buffet and the now-defunct
Chi-Chi's.
In
London, England there's the
Texas Embassy Cantina, located approximately 500 meters away from the site of the former
Texas Legation.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Tex-mex Cuisine'.
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