The Mexican Food of Texas

If you have visited Texas, especially the South Central region of the state which includes the cities of Austin and San Antonio, you have probably eaten Tex-Mex.

This blend of American and Mexican foods came about when the Texas-Mexican Railway was nicknamed Tex-Mex in 1875. The nickname was used to refer to the railroad and to describe the Texas born population of Mexican ancestry. It is also referred to as Southwestern food and is considered by some to be "America's oldest original cuisine."

Tex-Mex is more popular in the South Central region of the state. The dishes prepared use garlic, sour cream, cilantro, beans, avocado, chilies, and chorizo. Chorizo is a spicy Mexican sausage that originated in Spain.

Chilies are added to a variety of dishes and they range from sweet and mild to hot and fiery. The chilies used include ancho, jalapeno, and the hottest of them all, the habanera pepper. Preparation of Tex-Mex dishes is relatively easy. Some dishes require more work than others such as casseroles, black bean soup, and bunuelos, which is fried bread that is eaten with sugar and cinnamon sprinkled on top.

The dishes prepared in the Tex-Mex style contain large amounts of beef, spices, and beans. Authentic Tex-Mex dishes include crispy chalupas and fajitas. Other tasty dishes include tortillas with hot sauce or salsa, seven-layer dip, and tamale pie. A specialty drink is the Mango Margarita.

The popular Tex-Mex dish, chili, was created by the Chili Queens of San Antonio. It is a combination of meat and spices with no beans added. The sauce is the main ingredient of this chili. Chili con carne, the official food of the state of Texas, is a variation which includes tomatoes, beans, chiles, cumin, and other ingredients.

One of the most popular snacks in Mexican cuisine is nachos. It was created in Mexico for a group of Texas military housewives who wanted food after a day of shopping. The Mexican restaurant had closed for the day so the chef nicknamed "Nacho" prepared a dish for them of what he had left over in the kitchen: tortillas, cheese, and jalapeno peppers. The snack was initially a dish served only in Texas but has gained universal appeal throughout the U. S. and in other countries.

Many Tex-Mex recipes are simple and do not require a lot of skill to prepare. Some of them do require the preparation of another recipe to add to the main dish.

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