We didn’t invent it, we perfected it!
TEX MEX cuisine was born on American soil and enriched by traditions both north and south of the Rio Grande.
In the melting pot that was Southern Texas in the late 1800s, Mexican immigrants brought their traditional foods and recipes with them over the border. A hotter, spicier, and cheesier cuisine was created as these cooks merged their regular ingredients with the ones readily available in the United States.
The hearty, bold food with much more meat and beans than traditionally found in Mexican dishes came to be known as TEX MEX -an American Original. To the surprise of many, chili, salsa and chips, chimichangas, nachos and even fajitas are all TEX MEX inventions from the southern trails of Texas.
The unique combinations of ingredients were complimented by a new taste in meat as the mesquite grill enchased the TEX MEX tradition.
On the plains of West Texas, cooks found a hearty tree that seemed to grow everywhere in places where most other things would not. It was the Mesquite Tree. It burned hot, burned long and provided an amazing new flavor to the beef, poultry and pork that eventually would define a unique TEX MEX taste.
Born in the 19th century TEX MEX continues to grow and prosper into the 21st century. With the TEX MEX tradition of ingredients and preparation, creative new dishes have emerged and surprised new generations of Americans with culinary innovation. The kind of innovation that created the living tradition that is TEX MEX.