Quote:
Originally Posted by BroadHopper
Question for you food junkies.
What's the difference between, Mex, TexMex and Southwestern cuisine?  |
Here is what Wikipedia has to say on the topic:
"Tex-Mex" (portmanteau of Texan and Mexican) is a term used to describe a regional American cuisine that blends food products available in the United States and the culinary creations of Mexican-Americans influenced by the cuisines of Mexico.
The Cuisine of the Southwestern United States is food styled after the rustic cooking of the Southwestern United States. It is also known to be very popular in the west coast state of California. It comprises a fusion of recipes for things that might have been eaten by Spanish colonial settlers, cowboys, Native Americans,[1] and Mexicans throughout the post-Columbian era; there is, however, a great diversity in this kind of cuisine throughout the Southwestern states.
The staples of Mexican foods are typically corn and beans. Corn is used to make masa, a dough for tamales, tortillas, gorditas, and many other corn-based foods. Corn is also eaten fresh, as corn on the cob and as a component of a number of dishes. Squash and chili peppers are also prominent in Mexican cuisine. Mexican cuisine is considered one of the most varied in the world, after Chinese and Indian.
Locally, I find that the difference between tex-mex and mexican food is that the tex-mex is usually very heavily focused on the cheese. Mexican dishes tend to be more focused on corn, rice and beans. Clearly, the recipes and spicing are different as well.
Hope this helps.
Jetskier
