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For other uses, see Tex-Mex (disambiguation).
Examples of Tex-Mex dishes and ingredients.
Chili con carne, a typical Tex-Mex dish

"Tex-Mex" (from Texan and Mexican) is a term describing a cultural fusion cuisine of American cuisine and Mexican cuisine, deriving from the culinary creations of Tejanos. It has spread from border states such as Texas and those in the Southwestern United States to the rest of the country as well as Canada. Tex-Mex is most popular in the state of Texas.

Though often conflated with the Southwest cuisine[1][2][3] found in Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah, Tex-Mex is not synonymous.[citation needed]

Common dishes[edit]

Some ingredients are common in Mexican cuisine, but other ingredients not typically used in Mexico are often added. Tex-Mex cuisine is characterized by its heavy use of shredded cheese, meat (particularly beef and pork), beans, and spices, in addition to Mexican-style tortillas. Dishes such as Texas-style chili con carne and fajitas are all Tex-Mex inventions.[citation needed] Moreover, Tex-Mex has imported flavors from other spicy cuisines, such as the use of cumin, introduced by Spanish immigrants to Texas from the Canary Islands and used in Berber cuisine,[4] but used in only a few central Mexican recipes.











See also[edit]


  2. ^ Feniger, Susan; Siegel, Helene; Miliken (2002). Mexican Cooking for Dummies. Scranton: Courage Books.  |first4= missing |last4= in Authors list (help)
  4. ^ Jennifer Steinhauer (Feb 10, 2014). "If It’s Chili, It’s Personal". The New York Times (The Times Company). Retrieved January 6, 2015. it was Canary Islanders who brought a taste for it in heavy doses, as used in Berber cuisine 
  5. ^ 'Mexia Evening News (Mexia, Texas). 23 May 1922.  Missing or empty |title= (help)
  9. ^ Oxford English Dictionary entry for Tex-Mex: 1963 N.Y. Times Mag. 11 Aug. 50/1 Star of the evening was her Texas or Tex-Mex chili. 1966 Great Bend (Kansas) Daily Tribune 19 Oct. 5/4 It's too bad that it has become known as ‘chili powder’ because some homemakers may associate it only with the preparation of ‘Tex-Mex’ dishes.

External links[edit]