| You live in Dallas, Houston, San Antonio or | | | | Serving tortilla chips and a hot sauce or salsa as |
| elsewhere in Texas and you love TexMex cuisine. | | | | an appetizer is also an original TexMex dish. In |
| That makes you a bona fide "chile head." TexMex | | | | addition, TexMex has imported flavors from other |
| food is the specialty in these here parts and it's | | | | spicy cuisines, such as the use of cumin (common |
| got quite a history! | | | | in Indian food), but used in only a few authentic |
| The term "TexMex" first entered the common | | | | Mexican recipes. In the 20th century, TexMex |
| lexicon as a nickname for the Texas-Mexican | | | | took on elements such as yellow cheese from |
| Railway, chartered in 1875. Train schedules, | | | | the United States, because it became cheap and |
| published in newspapers, abbreviated the names | | | | readily available. |
| of railroads. For example, the Missouri Pacific was | | | | The cuisine evolved during the 1950s in Mexican |
| called the Mo. Pac. and the Texas-Mexican was | | | | restaurants, whose popularity coincided with the |
| abbreviated Tex. Mex. It was in the 1920s that | | | | arrival of large numbers of Mexican immigrants |
| the hyphenated form was used in reference to | | | | and created the style of TexMex food, the mix |
| the railroad as well as to describe people of | | | | of Northern Mexican peasant food with Texas |
| Mexican descent who were born in Texas. | | | | farm and cowboy fare. Chili was unknown in |
| Food historians claim that the first print evidence | | | | Mexico and derived from the use of beef in |
| of "TexMex" in reference to food happened in | | | | Texan cooking. Refried beans were a |
| 1945. From there, TexMex restaurants slowly | | | | mis-translation of the Mexican dish, frijoles |
| surfaced outside the Southwest U.S. in cities with | | | | refritos, which actually means well-fried beans. |
| substantial Hispanic populations. Then TexMex | | | | With this followed the combination platters, replete |
| went "gourmet". In the 1970s Mexican culinary | | | | with enchiladas, tacos, and tortillas, which have |
| expert Diana Kennedy is credited for taking this | | | | now become the standards of the Tex-Mex |
| common food and making it trendy fare and a | | | | menu. New dishes, like chimichangas and nachos |
| new "must-eat" cuisine for a younger generation. | | | | were created to please the American palate. One |
| What exactly is TexMex cuisine? | | | | of the most successful ethnic TexMex dishes to |
| Several hundred years ago, during the mission | | | | date is the fajita |
| era, Spanish and Mexican-Indian foods were | | | | Yo quero Taco Bell! |
| combined Anglo fare in Texas, as in other parts | | | | The food community began referring to |
| of what was called the Northern Frontier of New | | | | Americanized Mexican food as "TexMex," a term |
| Spain. It was this cuisine that would eventually be | | | | previously used to describe anything that was |
| called TexMex. The cuisine actually originated with | | | | half-Texan and half-Mexican. Texas-Mexican |
| the Texans of Hispanic descent or Tejanos, as a | | | | restaurant owners considered it an insult. Yet this |
| hybrid of Spanish and Mexican Indian foods when | | | | insult launched many successes. For the rest of |
| Texas was still part of New Spain and, later, of | | | | the world, TexMex had reflected the wilder, |
| Mexico. | | | | untamed parts of Texas. It evoked images of |
| Served at dinner tables across the South Texas | | | | cantinas, cowboys and the Wild West. Dozens of |
| region, between San Antonio to Brownsville, this | | | | Tex-Mex restaurants sprang up in Paris, and |
| cuisine has varied little from its earliest origins and | | | | across Europe, to Bangkok, Buenos Aires and |
| was heavily influenced by the cuisine in the | | | | Abu Dhabi. |
| neighboring northern states of Mexico. Originally, | | | | Tortilla chips, margaritas and chili con carne are |
| TexMex started with a taste for cabrito (kid | | | | now well-known TexMex staples around the |
| goat), barbacoa (barbecued cow heads), carne | | | | world. The cuisine is found in many independent |
| seca (dried beef), and other products of cattle | | | | and chain restaurants in the state of Texas as |
| culture that were common on both sides of the | | | | well as throughout the rest of the country. |
| Rio Grande during that period. | | | | TexMex chain restaurants include Chili's, Ninfa's, |
| TexMex incorporates ingredients common to | | | | Casa Olé, Chuy's, El Fenix, El Chico, |
| Mexican cuisine, although some unknown in Mexico | | | | and Taco Cabana. While Chili's serves some |
| are often added. This cuisine is also characterized | | | | TexMex items, it is considered to be more |
| by its heavy use of meat (particularly beef), | | | | Southwestern cuisine. And of course, there's the |
| beans and spices, in addition to Mexican-style | | | | ubiquitous Taco Bell; a conglomeration of fast |
| tortillas (maize or flour), fried or baked. Nachos, | | | | food versions of Mexican and TexMex dishes, |
| crispy tacos, crispy chalupas, chili con queso, chili | | | | owned by Yum! Brands, Inc., based in Louisville, |
| con carne, chili gravy and fajitas are all TexMex | | | | KY. |
| inventions. | | | | |