| Americans may share a common bond of nationality, but it's the regional differences that make this country most interesting. No matter where you go, there's a distinct regional heritage that influences everything from the architecture to the food to the dialect we speak in. It's a reflection separate histories, different cultures of the Native Americans, the origins of first settlers, and which country ruled that region before it became part of the U.S. Today you can drive from Houston, Texas to Mobile, Alabama in one day and encounter a distinctly different dialect and entirely different type of menu each time you stop to eat – not surprising considering that barely 200 years ago that same route would have taken you through provinces of the Viceroyalty of Spain, France, the United States and back to Spain. |
| “Tex-Mex” is a modern day term that describes a tradition that began evolving hundreds of years ago, before the first Spanish explorers arrived in Texas in 1529. Except for a brief occupation by France, Texas was ruled by Spain all the way up to Mexico’s independence in 1821. English was not widely spoken until the first U.S. colonists arrived with Mexican empresario Stephen F. Austin a few years later, and even then not all of the colonists that continued to arrive spoke it. Large numbers of Germans, Austrians, Czechs, Italians, and Poles arrived in the 1800s. Some towns – Fredericksburg and New Braunfels for example - were populated entirely by one group of colonists that continued to speak their native language (German) and practice the customs of their native country for many generations after they arrived. Even the name “Texas,” like everything else Texan, is an example of blending contributions from around the world into its own unique culture. It started with the Caddo Indian word “tayshas,” (meaning “friends”) which the Indians called the first Spanish explorers in the 1500s. The word was pronounced “Tejas” by the Spaniards and eventually evolved into “Texas.” |
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Tex-Mex cuisine is a combination of Native American, Tejano, pioneer and cowboy cooking that resulted in flavor combinations found nowhere else in the world. Some of the flavors, such as chipotle peppers (smoked jalepenos), have origins that go all the way back to the ancient Aztecs, while others were contributed by colonists along the way. One of the major influences on Tex-Mex came from a group of Berber colonists from the Canary Islands that settled near present day San Antonio nearly 300 years ago. Cumin and cilantro, two of the mainstay ingredients that give Tex-Mex its distinct flavors, were contributed by the Canary Islanders. Eventually these spices were adopted by other colonists and added to regional ingredients such as pecans, pinto beans, wild onions, and beef from the local cattle trade, then cooked over mesquite wood on the chuck wagon cocina - and there you have it, the humble birth of Tex Mex. |
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| Over the last few decades, the popularity of Tex Mex has spread far beyond the Texas borders, and now Tex Mex restaurants can even be found in such unexpected locations as the U.K. and France. What may be part of its appeal is that it has never lost its humble roots. This is simple and honest food that is the history of the Old West: chuck wagons that served the cowboys driving massive herds of longhorn cattle up the Chisolm Trail; pioneers who traveled on foot for hundreds of miles to pursue their dream of a better life in Texas, only to find more struggles and danger when they arrived than they could not have possibly imagined; Native Americans that moved their camps with the buffalo. It is the result of what happened when the people who were here, and other people from all over the world, took what could be found here in Texas, spiced it with what they loved most, and cooked it on the move. |
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"Next to jazz music, there is nothing
that lifts the spirit and strengthens
the soul more than a good bowl of chili.
Congress should pass a law making it
mandatory for all restaurants serving
chili to
follow a Texas recipe."
— Harry James, trumpet player.
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One of the most widely known Tex Mex inventions is Texas chili, or “chili con carne.” The correct way to make it is such a serious subject in Texas that gunfights have probably ensued over it. With literally hundreds of chili cook-offs in the state every year and growing, there are clearly an endless number of creative possibilities. There are, however, a few generalities. Traditional Texas chili is typically made from cubed beef and does not contains beans. Most important is that all chili powders are not equal – especially those that have been sitting on a shelf too long. As a rule, grinding whole pepper pods will produce a far better tasting chili. If this isn’t practical, then make sure you like the smell of the chili before you add it - if the smell is gone, the taste will be too. |
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| Key ingredients for good Tex Mex cooking are readily available in most places. If you’re experience with it has been limited to the stuff pumped over hot dogs or tortilla chips at the convenience store, then you haven’t really had Tex Mex. Grab a Mexican beer, get out the colorful dishes, and try some of the recipes below - there’s no time like the present for a taste of the Old West. |
RECIPES
Texas Chili
Green Chili Cornbread
Joy of Tex Mex Cheese Enchiladas
Beef and Chicken Fajitas with Guacamole and
Pico De Gallo
Smoked Chicken Tacos with Queso Blanco
Tortilla Soup
Apple Chimichangas
"The Original" Margarita
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