Southwest Region - Southwest American Cooking
Arizona - New Mexico - Texas - Utah

This section of my web site is a celebration of one of the world's greatest cuisines - American Cuisine. It tells the story of what Americans eat and why. Many people think that American food has become homogenized and nationalized, but the following articles, history, and recipes show that American regional cuisine is very much alive. It has expanded to include new and exciting foods and dishes that we now call our own. Most of us grow up taking local specialties for granted. It is when we move away that we realize our beloved dish is missing and just how much we enjoyed it. Even if we can find it in other others of the country, it never tastes quite as good as when we had it in our hometown and our mother and/or grandmother made it.

So just what makes a food Mexican food, and does it really have anything to do with Mexico?  If we call something Mexican, then it should be Mexican. If we call it Tex-Mex, then it should be influenced by the pioneers and settlers into Texas, and by the Ranchers who supply the beef that way. If it is Cali-Mex, then California cuisine should be fused into the mix. Fusion cooking is not a new idea, it has been the basis of all culinary evolution since people began to travel among the various parts of the world.

To learn more, check out The Heart and Soul of Southwest Cooking by Cynthia Detterick-Pineda of Andrews, TX. Learn about the history and recipes of southwest cooking. Includes Mexican, New Mexican, Tex-Mex, and Cal-Mex Recipes.

Back to the main American Regional Foods' Index (Recipes of favorite foods of America by regions).

American Regional Cuisine articles by Linda Stradley of What's Cooking America.

 

Check out our very large Southwest Recipe Collection that includes over 200 recipes of Mexican, New Mexican, Tex-Mex, and Cal-Mex recipes. New recipes are continually being added, so check back often.