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The document discusses the differences between traditional Mexican cuisine and Tex-Mex cuisine. Tex-Mex originated when Anglo-American settlers in Texas incorporated local ingredients like beef and wheat flour into traditional Mexican dishes to suit non-Mexican tastes. Popular Tex-Mex dishes like chili con carne and fajitas are American inventions not typically found in Mexico. While based on Mexican concepts, Tex-Mex uses ingredients like beef, cheddar cheese, and cumin that are more common in the US than in traditional Mexican cooking.

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Eder Alejandro Escobar Alamillo
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115 views

Weaweawea

The document discusses the differences between traditional Mexican cuisine and Tex-Mex cuisine. Tex-Mex originated when Anglo-American settlers in Texas incorporated local ingredients like beef and wheat flour into traditional Mexican dishes to suit non-Mexican tastes. Popular Tex-Mex dishes like chili con carne and fajitas are American inventions not typically found in Mexico. While based on Mexican concepts, Tex-Mex uses ingredients like beef, cheddar cheese, and cumin that are more common in the US than in traditional Mexican cooking.

Uploaded by

Eder Alejandro Escobar Alamillo
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as TXT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Good afternoon, my name is Eder Escobar, today we are going to talk about

traditional Mexican cuisine and Mexican American food.

As a person who has family in the USA, I give myself the freedom to talk about the
stereotype of Mexican food that exists in those places.
Most of the Mexican American food that is prepared there is sold in fast food
restaurants and contains elements that we would not normally have here in Mexico.
It turns out that most "Mexican" food North of the Border is actually Tex-Mex, a
distinctly Northern cuisine with a totally different story.

Tex-Mex food, as we know it today, is a relatively recent invention. Anglo-American


settlers marched ever-Westward into what is now Texas, where they first encountered
Mexican cultures and cuisines.

As more and more people settled in Texas, the popularity of Mexican food (available
due to its proximity) grew and grew. Folks started attempting to make it themselves
in their own kitchens, using Texan ingredients like beef and wheat flour -- two
things that aren't extremely common in Mexico proper.
Mexican restaurant owners in Texas soon started incorporating more gringo elements
into their dishes to accommodate the crowds, like putting ground beef in
enchiladas. What resulted was an entirely new type of cuisine that put a spin on
Mexican food concepts: Tex-Mex.

The differences between Mexican and Tex-Mex food can be summed up in the use of a
few key ingredients found in the US that are scarcely used anywhere South of the
Rio Grande. These ingredients are: beef, yellow cheese (like cheddar), wheat flour,
black beans, canned vegetables (especially tomatoes), and cumin.
Another distinction between Tex-Mex vs Mexican food is in the spices used to flavor
the food. Cumin is used all the time in Tex-Mex. However, in Mexican food it isn't
as common; chile peppers, cacao, oregano, epazote, and cilantro are more commonly
used instead.

Basically, Tex-Mex is a distillation of Northern Mexican and Texan rancher cuisines


into one bready, cheesy bundle.

* Popular dishes.

Mexican cuisine is different across regions, with different dishes, moles, and
cooking methods that region is known for. Yet all of these cuisines are a part of
Mexican culture and tradition. The Northern Region is well-known for its meat
dishes, while Oaxaca and Veracruz are more known for their seafood. Each region has
unique flavors and dishes that they use. Some popular dishes are: mole, which is a
traditional sauce made from chiles and cacao; cochinita pibil, or slow roasted
pork; and tamales, which is masa/dough steamed in a corn husk with meat inside.

Tex-Mex doesn't have many variations in its cuisine, but it's a delicious blend of
cultures. Many of its foods are staples in restaurants, like queso. Other well
known dishes include: chili con carne, which is spicy stew made with ground beef,
beans, and tomatoes; fajitas, which is grilled meat and veggies; and chimichangas,
which are deep-fried burritos.

Lastly, while there are some similar dishes in both Tex-Mex and Mexican food, there
is usually some distinct variation in the ingredients. For example, Tex-Mex
enchiladas are usually filled with ground beef, covered in chili con carne, and
topped with yellow cheese. Traditional Mexican enchiladas are made with either red
or green chile and topped with crema and queso fresco.

Additionally, Tex-Mex tacos are usually made with a flour tortilla or hard corn
shell and filled with ground beef, tomatoes, lettuce, and shredded cheese (think
Taco Bell). Mexican tacos are always on a corn tortilla and filled with meat like
cochinita pibil or carne asada and topped with cilantro, lime, and onion.

* Examples.

Here we have the description of some texmex dishes.

CHILI CON CARNE


Considered by many to be the Tex-Mex dish, this tomatoey stew of ground or cubed
beef, beans, spices, chili peppers, and other accoutrements is very much a gringo
invention, created by Texan settlers out of widely available ingredients. Actually,
it's based on Northern Native American recipes. Not Mexican.

FAJITAS
Derived from the Spanish word "faja" -- meaning "strip" (which refers to the cut of
beef they used) -- fajitas are wholly a US creation (first mentioned in print in
1971) inspired and informed by the ingredients of Mexico, but not usually found in
that country. The wheat tortillas served alongside the meat (and assorted
vegetables) make it pretty apparent where this dish came from.

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