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 When it comes to a Tex Mex restaurant and the food they serve, what is the difference between them and a Mexican food restaurant? That is probably a topic still up for debate. Depending on who is asked will depend on the answer one would receive. There are food critics that would say that a Tex Mex restaurant serves up overdone Mexican food, but doing some investigating, one would soon find out how far from the truth that is.
To get to the nitty-gritty about what the differences might be, one would need to learn where the whole Tex Mex restaurant idea started. It started in Texas, and has grown outside of those borders. However, outside of the state, one may find that it is called Southwestern cuisine. The influence is from South of the border, but with an American flare. Some call it northern Mexican and cowboy fare combined. Many food historians would say that it happened when the term was used during the 1940's, but the actual blending of foods has been done for centuries. This occurred by blending the Spanish and Mexican foods with English foods, primarily spices and herbs.
There are some subtle, and obvious, differences between Mexican and a Tex Mex restaurant. They both lend themselves to food and spices that are, were, readily available in their native land. There are herbs and spices that are used in one and less commonly used in the other. Some of the herbs and spices that are commonly found in Mexican food and not in the later are cinnamon, oregano, and cocoa. Foods native to the area are corn and beans. Since Mexico spans such a vast area and has both coastal and mountain areas, there is a wide variety to choose from. There are seafood dishes, variances of meat dishes including goat and ostrich, a bounty of peppers and other vegetables, and fruits like jicama. They tend to use a wider variety of fresh, on hand and in season produce when preparing dishes.
In contrast to that, a Tex Mex restaurant offers a variety of other herbs and spices since the food’s influence is from a different area. Typically, food of this kind has more of a northern Mexican influence. Dishes can offer similar meats and such as the ones listed above, but they are prepared differently. Refried beans are a staple to this fare. Cheeses are used in most of the dishes, and they are typically of the Monterrey Jack or Cheddar variety. The fajita is an entree that has become synonymous with this variety of food, as well as the commonly used ground beef that one would not typically find in a true south of the border meal. Cilantro and cumin tend to be very widely used in most of the dishes as well, which shows the true infusion of this food since cumin is also commonly used in Indian cuisine.
Either way someone puts it, it is all great food. It just depends on the pallet of the person and apparently, what region of the U.S. they live in.
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