What are the main differences between Tex-Mex and Mexican cuisine?

What are the main differences between Tex-Mex and Mexican cuisine?

What kind of dishes do Mexicans eat that aren't common in America, and vice versa?

Tex-Mex is characterized by the ubiquitous side dishes: "Mexican rice" and refried beans. A lot of the dishes have a cheese sauce on them. The meats used are commonly white-meat chicken, pork, or beef. Offal is rarely seen in Tex-mex but is very common in actual Mexican food.

Tex-mex tacos are typically made with a hard shell, whereas tacos in Mexico are nearly always made using soft tortillas.

Tex-mex taco: hard shell, sour cream, meat, red salsa, shredded mild cheddar cheese.

Mexican taco: soft tortillas (often two), offal, pico or other raw vegetable. No cheese.

Tex Mex is stuff sort of like what Mexicans know how to cook but they use ingredients common in America and they sell foods to appeal to the gringo. And it's fucking delicious.

Mexican uses more ingredients, uses more flavors, has a better food culture like street food, comida corrida (which is like an italian food structure) and fine dining. Mexican food has seafood which is basically non existent in tex mes

all in all tex mex is one dimensional while Oaxaca alone has a more redefined regional cuisine than most countries in the americas

What's the difference between a soft shell taco and a fajita?

Don't forget shredded lettuce. Lots of Tex Mex dinners, tacos and burritos have lettuce. Also literally every Tex Mex restaurant comes with complimentary tortilla chips and salsa, I'm not sure I've ever sat down in a taqueria or real mexican dive and had a waiter rush over with a basket of chips.

>Mexican taco
>no cheese
usually, but it's hardly a rule. the idea that people in Mexico don't eat cheese on their street food is absurd

Depends on the cheese. Mexicans use crumbled cheese, tex mex use that velveeta cheese smothered on everything

Well, having grown up in Central Texas, the main differences seem to be these:
>cheese factor - TexMex really likes using lots of cheese, especially cheddar
>more use of flour tortillas
>the ubiquitous "combo plates"

Texas also has plenty of authentic mexican food as well, you can find both mexican and tex mex in every city and town (except in northeast texas and the panhandle). Just depends on what you're in the mood for.

Mexicans use melty cheese all the time. You're misinformed when you say they only use crumbly cheese.

>usually, but it's hardly a rule.

Agreed. I was making generalizations, I didn't mean you'd never see cheese on a taco in Mexico.

I live in Texas. A lot of the Tex-Mex places are cookie-cutter copies of each other, their menus are pretty much exactly the same. Others lean heavier to the Mexican side and you get more offal like actual cheek-meat babacoa, meneudo (tripe soup), and so on. Then you have the actual Mexican places. The line is certainly a blurry one in many cases.

>DEPENDS ON THE CHEESE
where did i imply they only use crumbly cheese?

ffs autist

>Mexicans use crumbly cheese
>implying they only crumbly cheese

>The line is certainly a blurry one in many cases.
Well of course it is, just look at the very many different kinds of people - "imported" mexicans (kek), naturalized mexicans, mexicans who've been there for 8-10 generations, half mexican - half whites, whites who grew up around mexicans, whites who make mexican-ish food......it's a hodgepodge. But, you can still find solid examples of both authentic regional mexican food AND classic TexMex, easily.

i never said the ONLY use crumbly cheese. try again.

You implied it. Do you know what an implication is, dummy?

Whats the point of two tortillas?

I said it depends on the cheese. the only implication I made is depending on the cheese. There are some cheeses that aren't use in Mexican cuisine but used in Tex mex and the other way around

fajita is the name of a dish. usually grilled meat with onions and peppers, on a tortilla. a soft shell taco is a tortilla

In this case, the only "implication" is in your own head. Stop reading more into what people write than what they actually do write.

To tell you the truth I don't know the exact reasoning for it, but I have a few thoughts. The tortillas used in that case are smaller than the typical "American" tortilla. So two of them may be used to make up for the fact that each one is smaller. Also, they tend to be corn tortillas, which are more fragile than flour. Two may be used to provide extra protection against one of them breaking and thus leaking/spilling food.

>so butthurt he had to reply twice
kek

It's not the whole dish, it's specifically just the meat (and perhaps the veggies).

When you take that and put it in a tortilla then you have a "Taco al carbon".

no way jose

fajitas aren't always made al carbon.infact the majority of fajitas arent inthe US

Tex-mex tends to have more spice and flavor.

Authentic Mexican has spice, but usually just from jalapeƱos and habaneros. Avocados on everything.

I dated a Mexican once, and found out the beef they use actually comes from the head of the cow. I always wondered why it tasted different. And it was only meat, onions and a ton of cilantro.

Tex-mex is about seasoned meat and sauces.

Agreed. I didn't say that was the only way fajitas was served. I was simply explaining the naming of fajita-related dishes.

Most of the time in Tex-Mex places I see fajitas served as a combo, with mexican rice and refried beans on the side. Often other stuff like pico, guac, or sour cream is included too.

At many places you can also order the "taco al carbon", which is a taco filled with fajitas.

>the beef they use actually comes from the head of the cow
Only when it's labelled as "cabeza", stupid. This is possibly the worst post currently on Veeky Forums
>Tex-Mex tends to have more spice and flavor
kill yourself

Northeast Texas here.

Can confirm.

The only way to get "real" Mexican food is to get in good with Mexicans. After eating in a Mexican home I have never been able to find the same type of food unless I go to San Antonio.

>habaneros and jalapenos
You must have forgotten the mulato, chipotle,chile pasilla, serrano, ancho, guajillo piquin and spices like cloves, all spice, anise, ginger, cinnamon, etc etc

You are right.

Two tortillas because one usually breaks.

kex-mex

Is that a grill?

Well fuck me for not being Mexican. Just sharing my experience. You seem to be intensely sensitive to the subject, user. Why so angry?

I'm not Mexican, either. I'm not even from the Southwest. Why are you so retarded? Why do you speak on subjects you know nothing about?

nope

I live on Long Island and all we have is Tex-Mex restaurants, it sucks

I'm a white guy from New York and I still know you were speaking out your ass

What cut of beef does the average taqueria use in their carne asada tacos?

Are Conas Frijoles common in the southwest US? I remember seeing them quite often in mexican border towns but I haven't spent enough time in Texas or New Mexico to know how prevalent they are.

skirt steak

is that generally a cheaper cut of meat?

depends on the region, but its a mid-grade cut. cheaper than filet, better than stew meats. I am no expert obviously.

...

is it always best to put the salsa verde on the taco, or is it sometimes best to omit it for particularly flavorful fillings?