Mexican Dishes Are a Specialty Of
Southwest_ND2006_doc 9/28/06 11:33 AM Page 56 Mexican dishes are a specialty of many restaurants in the American Southwest, like the beef tacos pictured here; a cowboy grills T-bone steaks Southwest style (opposite). Bureau Taco photo courtesy of the courtesy of photo Taco photo other Visitors Bureau; and Convention Austin Visitors and Convention Scottsdale the courtesy of 56 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2006 Southwest_ND2006_doc 9/28/06 11:33 AM Page 57 Tastes of the Southwest From Frito pie and green corn tamales to chili cookoffs and prickly pear margaritas by Libby Boren McMillan n kitchens across west Texas, New I Mexico, and Arizona, menus revolve around ancient traditions and Wild West ingenuity, as well as area crops, Mother Nature, and the queen of all Southwestern ingredients, the chile. America’s great Southwest was born of many cultures, and a meal there reflects the diverse influences (and languages) of Native Americans, Mexicans, Spanish explorers, and herds of cow- boys, all of whom played vital roles in defining and redefining what is perhaps the most unique part of the United States. While Texas takes its culinary cues from the cowboy, neighboring Mexico, and some honest- to-goodness “Chili Queens,” Arizona menus are often inspired by both desert and mountains, an abundance of locally grown produce, and nearby California. New Mexican food is a genre all its own, neither Tex-Mex nor Mexican, but a slowly achieves high pop culture status as the aptly named Frito pie. evolved fusion of Native American recipes, The tales of how chili was created are as varied as its ingredients from regional ingredients, and south-of-the-border tra- cook to cook.
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