Tex-Mex: Texas’ Native Cuisine

The Tejano roots of this regional comfort food

Photo by Ting Tian on Unsplash

I was never a big fan of Mexican food until I moved to Texas.

When we moved to Wichita Falls, I was surprised by how great the small, local, Mexican restaurants were.

Mexican food is Texan comfort food

I realized that, in Texas, Mexican food was to Texans what Indian take-out was to the British. It was ethnic and exotic, but also comfort food. Traditional Mexican dishes had been modified to cater to Anglo tastes, just as Indian restaurants in the West have dishes that were never served in Mumbai or Calcutta.

When I visited a white friend who was born and bred in Texas, she served me queso and corn chips. She made the queso using Velveeta and Ro-tel with green chiles. For those who would never use anything else but shredded cheese from an artisan cheddar, I would say — don’t knock it until you try it.

I used to be a cheese snob, but for those craving a really rich, creamy queso, my friend’s recipe hit the spot.

Texas barbecue is also delicious, however, most Texans enjoy this as an occasional treat while Tex-Mex is comfort food. Many people have breakfast burritos every morning. And when people do go for barbecue — the best places to go are…