Mexican Food Vs. Tex-Mex Food

Mexican vs. Tex-Mex food
“Many of the so called Mexican foods that we love like hard-shell tacos, burritos, and nachos are a Tex-Mex creation.” Anglo people were the first to encounter these delicious Mexican cultures and cuisines, but Tex-Mex did not appear until the 1940s, but in the 1970s everyone mostly knew about Tex-Mex foods because “as more people settled in Texas or wrote for cook books (Diana Kennedy) Mexican food grew and grew. People tried to make these Mexican cuisines by using Tex-Mex foods which are considered to be: beef, yellow cheese (cheddar), wheat flour, black beans, canned vegetables, and cumin which are not common in Mexican foods. Beef and cumin were used in a lot of Tex-Mex creations. Like “beef was the meat choice

for Texan ranchers but hardly used in Mexican cuisines” but, “cumin are seeds which are used in most foods which were imported to the U.S, England from India and slowly incorporated in Mexican dishes, But the U.S was quicker to make it into a spice.”
Did you know actual Mexican tacos are smaller than the tacos here in the U.S because Mexican tacos are made with a soft-shell taco (corn tortilla) with chicken, pork or seafood. You can also add avocado, salsa, chopped onions, cilantro, and to finish it off some lemon juice, but tacos in the U.S are made with hard shells, beef, cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and sour cream. Instead of nachos try “chilaquiles which are fried corn tortillas simmered with salsa (green or red) and topped with an egg, a very nice traditional dish” because even though nachos are a Mexican cuisine but don’t really count since they were invented by the U.S which soon became another Tex-Mex creation. Also instead of buying jars of salsa that can be found in

Stores you can make your very own Pico de Gallo which is a “raw, salad-like tomato salsa with diced and chopped vegetables mixed with cilantro.”
Another delicious Mexican dish is Mexican enchiladas which are usually not cooked in the oven like the Tex-Mex enchiladas that are “wrapped around ground beef and cheese and dipped with enchilada sauce or gravy then topped more cheese and baked in an oven”. Mexican enchiladas are fried corn tortillas which are dipped in either green or red sauce then topped with white cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, and then served immediately. Instead of fajitas delicious Tex-Mex creations try cochinita pibil which is a “slow-roasted pork marinated in citrus juice, coloring it with annatto seed, and roasted while rapped in a banana leaf”. Fajitas has used Mexican ingredients, but pretty much everything like queso dip, chimichangas, enchiladas are all Tex-Mex and are usually served in restaurants here in the U.S, but they are still really good.
Mexico uses lots of different cheeses which are queso blanco, queso Oaxaca, queso panela, añejo, Chihuahua, cotijo and many others, but all these types of cheese you can put on those delicious tacos de barbacoa and add some salsa to give it a good taste. Also instead of buying regular bread at the store you can get pan de mantequilla or Conchita’s which could be bought at panaderias where there are varieties of many other delicious breads like pan de maranito, pan de Calabaza, and many more other delicious breads which could also be made at home. Not just sweet breads, but another type of Mexican bread which is used for posole and menudo is pan blanco. This type of bread is mostly used in eating certain types of foods as well.

Also instead of eating churros for dessert try paletas “which are healthy fresh popsicles”.

“Churros came from an ancient Chinese salty dish called youtiao which then the Portuguese got ahold of it and introduced it to the Europeans who then replaced the salt with sugar then the Spaniards introduced it to Mexico”. Paletas are made with fresh delicious fruits and sold in either carts or kioskos at markets or mostly anywhere. They are really good to have on a hot summer day, but also a mangoñada is very healthy and made with real fruit which is usually chopped mango that is blended with ice then combined with chamoy, chili powder, and lime.
Instead of oatmeal make aroz con leche that can be easily made at home. This is really common in Mexico all this recipe contains is milk, vanilla flavoring, cinnamon, rice, sugar, and raisins if wanted but it is very good and tasty. Flan is a great dessert for any occasion it only contains sugar, eggs, condensed milk, evaporated milk, and vanilla extract this delicious dessert is a family tradition in Mexico. If you are barely learning about these desserts I consider you trying them you won’t regret it.
Coming from a Mexican cultured family eating these types of food has been a tradition. People from all over the U.S like to eat these types of food because it’s really popular and delicious. I personally love to eat these dishes, and would recommend them to those who have not yet tried them. If your one of those people who have not tried Tex-Mex food or Mexican food go out there and try something

new.