Meat, meat and more meat
There’s a saying the locals are proud of in these parts: “We do it bigger in Texas.” And when it comes to the steaks, they’re bang on the money. You’ll get 10oz rib eyes, sirloins, New York cut, filet mignon and the Texas specialty — a ‘chicken fried steak’, a beef steak beaten flat, dipped in batter and deep fried, then drowned in white gravy.
Barbecue
The Texans love a good barbecue. Slow roasted and rubbed with spices, the meat of choice is beef brisket or pulled port. It comes out tender as a baby’s bottom, and one plate is always enough — the Texans don’t know the meaning of a small portion.
Tex-Mex
Tex-Mex is the fusion of Americana and Mexican flavours. The infiltration of flavours is hardly surprising — the two countries are split by little more than the Rio Grande river that runs the length of Texas’ southern border, and there is plenty of cross-polination of flavours.
Tacos, fajitas, chili con carne and tortillas made from wheat flour are all Tex-Mex creations that you won’t find anywhere in Mexico. The big difference is melted cheddar cheese — Tex-Mex is drenched it in, whereas authentic Mexican does without. Tex-Mex also uses spices like cumin, found in Indian cooking. And combination platters are common in Tex-Mex restaurants.
While there are big differences, many ingredients are common to both the USA and Mexico, such as the avocado, known by the Aztecs as ‘ahuacatl’. The preparation of it was called ‘ahuacamole’, or guacamole. It’s an indigenous dish from the highlands of central Mexico that you’ll now find anywhere in the world.
Behind the bar
Lone Star is the Texan beer and tequila, made locally from agarve cacti, is hugely popular as well — and potent!
