The cuisine we now call Tex-Mex is rooted in the state's Tejano culture (Texans of Spanish or Mexican heritage who lived in Texas before it became a republic) and also Mexican immigrants who hailed largely from Northern Mexico. Until the 1970s, though, most people referred to it simply as Mexican food.

Where did Tex-Mex originate from?

Tex-Mex was first used as an abbreviated name for the Texas Mexican Railway that began operating in South Texas in 1877. The term was later used by some to describe Tejanos, and later still, the term spread to Tejano cuisine.

When did Tex Mex food originate?

Food historians tell us TexMex cuisine originated hundreds of years ago when Spanish/Mexican recipes combined with Anglo fare. TexMex, as we Americans know it today, is a twentieth century phenomenon. Dictionaries and food history sources confirm the first print evidence of the term "Tex Mex" occured in the 1940s.