Tex-Mex Cooking & Classic Tex-Mex Dishes
This is a glossary of terms and definitions for Tex-Mex cooking dishes. Most of these dishes can be found at Texas-Mexican restaurants and from Texas cooks. Others are fairly recent additions to this style of food, and came from other places around the country and world. Fajitas
The word literally means "little belts". It is actually a grilled skirt steak, but over the years the Tex-Mex version has come to be referred as any kind of meat that is grilled and served on tortillas, and with fixings like onions, guacamole, sour cream, cheese, as well as other condiments of your choice. Nachos
Nachos are corn tortilla chips topped with cheese and jalapeno slices, which are then broiled until the cheese melts. Sometimes sour cream, guacamole, and other ingredients are added. Panchos
Basically, these are nachos with refried beans spread on the tortilla chips before anything else is added on top. This Tex-Mex dish has its roots in the Rio Grande Valley in South Texas. Tacos
In Mexican cooking, these are just a filling wrapped up in a tortilla. Generally in Tex-Mex cooking, tacos come in two styles. One is corn tortillas fried into a U-shaped shell, where they are filled with meat, cheese, and vegetables. The other is just flour tortillas filled with similar ingredients to hard tacos. Quesadillas
These are flour tortillas that are folded over cheese and other fillings, then lightly grilled or fried until the cheese melts. Burritos
Often categorized as a Tex-Mex dish, burritos have long been popular in Arizona and California. and were no burritos found in Texas until recently. Burritos are made by wrapping a large flour tortilla around a filling. Tostadas
Meaning "toasted" in English, this Tex-mex dish consists of whole corn tortillas, fried flat, and topped with similar ingredients to tacos. Chalupas
Real Mexican chalupas are made by pressing tortilla dough into long boat-like shapes before cooking. Tex-Mex chalupas (interchangeable with tostadas) are usually made by frying a corn tortilla into a flat shape, then frying it like a taco. It is typically topped with meatless toppings like beans, cheese, lettuce and tomatoes. Tamales
Mexican tamales are made with masa, or tortilla dough, while the Tex-Mex version can be made Mexican style, or Southern-style, where a cornmeal paste or mush is used. This is then topped with a filling, rolled up in corn husks or banana leafs, and steamed. Chilaquiles
Chilaquiles are tortilla pieces cooked in a sauce, usually with meat and cheese. They are similar to migas (below). Enchiladas
Tortillas enchiladas are corn tortillas that are softened in hot oil, then dipped in a chile sauce. Enchiladas were originally served with no fillings, and were topped with some white cheese (queso blanco). Tex-Mex enchiladas are usually rolled with a filling of either meat or cheese, or both, then topped with more sauce and cheese. Stacked enchiladas, which are common in El Paso and West Texas kitchens, are chilled tortillas served just like a stack of pancakes, with cheese and onion in between the tortillas, and then topped with more sauce and cheese. Gorditas
These are made with tortilla dough (masa), which is patted down into a circle and dropped into hot oil, where it puffs up. It then is split open into a pocket, where fillings of beans, shredded meats, or cheese are placed inside. Enchuritos
The name of this modern Tex-Mex cooking invention suggests a half burrito and half enchilada dish, but usually it is a burrito topped with enchilada sauce and cheese. Refried Beans
These are cooked beans mashed in hot oil. They are the most common of all the prepared Tex-Mex foods. The bean used is almost always the pinto, but refried black beans are beginning to show up on many menus. Carne Guisada
This hearty beef stew is one of the Tex-Mex comfort foods. Carne guisada can be eaten from a bowl, or stuffed into corn or flour tortillas. Migas
In Tex-Mex cooking, migas are a popular breakfast dish, usually made with scrambled eggs and crushed corn tortilla chips. Other ingredients often added are onions, cheese, and serrano peppers. Chimichangas
The name means whatchamacallits. Chimichangas are similar to a burrito that has been fried. Rumor has it the that first chimichanga came about by someone dropping a burrito into a deep-fryer by accident. Envueltos
These are tortillas wrapped around a filling and then fried or cooked in a sauce. Botanas
Throughout Mexico and a large part of Texas, botanas means appetizers. A botana plate is a sampler plate. But in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas (the southernmost part of Texas), a botanas platter is a large plate of nachos and tostadas, topped with guacamole, and fajita meat. It is served with tortillas and salsa on the side. Picante Sauce
In Tex-Mex cooking, this is the a sauce made of finely chopped tomatoes, onions, and hot peppers. This is what you see served in dipping bowls for chips in Tex-Mex restaurants. There are undoubtedly many more Tex-Mex cooking dishes, and similar versions of these keep popping up all the time. But what is known is that Tex-Mex is a unique regional cuisine all its own, and Tex-Mex cooking is here to stay and to grow in popularity for many years to come.
Historical Tex-Mex Cooking Ideas
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