The Origin of Tex Mex Cuisine
Tex Mex cuisine or Texas Mexican cuisine comprises dishes which are made primarily using cheese, beans, pork, chicken, and beef, among other different types of meat. Some dishes have tortillas as the base. Dishes part of this cuisine include fajitas, nachos, yellow cheese, beans, etc.
Tex-mex cuisine is very popular across the United States and is slowly gaining popularity around other parts of the world. The cuisine is based on the Tejano culture - the Tejanos are Mexican immigrants living in Texas.
Where did it all start?
In 1875, a Texas Mexican railway was abbreviated as Tex-Mex. In the 1920s, the same term came to be used as a way to describe railroad and people of Mexican American descent born in Texas.
Tejanos comes from the word Tejano means feminine, and tejana refers to a lower caste in Spanish. In the homes of Tejanos living north of the Rio Grande, Tex-Mex cuisine began to differentiate itself from traditional Mexican dishes. This community of people combined traditional family recipes with new flavours that arrived in the area, as Americans migrated to the state.
This food travelled from homes and ranches to be served on the streets and became popular as a staple food in the 1880s. In the early 1900s, when street stalls were banned, Tex Mex moved to restaurants. Later in 1972, the term was used by a food author in her book the cuisines of Mexico.
Tex-Mex Dishes
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Chilli Con Carne: Chilli Con Carne consists of ground beef stew and chilies. As the name suggests, it is made using bell peppers laced with chillies. This dish does not include beans.
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Burritos: Burritos are filled with unique flavours. This dish comprises a tortilla filled with various ingredients. It is a portable dish that got its name from a waiter who used to search for the ingredients to put into the tortilla.
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Nachos: Nachos are air-fried or low fried tortilla chips. They are eaten with cheese sauce or salsa. Sometimes ingredients such as beef or other condiments can be added as toppings.
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Refried Beans: Refried beans are a mistranslation of the Spanish term frijole refritos. This dish is made by mashing the beans into a paste-like structure. Different parts of tex mex culture use different toppings and spices to make this cuisine.
Conclusion
Tex-Mex or Texas-Mexican cuisine started out as street food and later developed into a restaurant dish. In 1986, a very famous film made the concept of Tex-Mex more powerful.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How is Tex-Mex cuisine different from Mexican cuisine?
When you say the tex mex cuisine, you typically talk about food items coming from two different countries. Mexican food is heavily based on Mexican culture whereas tex mex is influenced by both countries.
- What is the most popular Tex-Mex dish?
Chilli Con Carne is one of the most popular Tex-Mex dishes. This dish is made using chilli powder, meat and bell peppers.
- What is Tejano culture?
Tejanos are people who identify themselves as a citizen of Texas city. These people have descended from the state of Texas. They can be native Spanish or Latino groups also. Tejano culture is known for its food, arts and music art.
- Can you say Tex-Mex is a culture?
Yes, Tex-Mex can be called its own unique culture. It is most popular in San Antonio and the southern border of Texas.
- Name some Tex-Mex dishes.
Tex-Mex dishes include fajitas, nachos, and many other dishes that use canned vegetables, beef, black beans, wheat flour, and yellow cheese.
