1 in 10 restaurants in the US serve Mexican cuisine, reflecting expanding population, study shows
1 in 10 restaurants in the US serve Mexican cuisine, reflecting expanding population, study shows
Mexican food is so popular in the United states that 1 in 10 restaurants serve the cuisine; counties in Texas and California have the most eateries.
Food is deeply ingrained in cultural identity, and is one way to learn about a community's heritage, familial customs and values. In the U.S., Mexican food is one of the most popular cuisines, with 1 in 10 restaurants serving Mexican, according to recent findings from the Pew Research Center. This trend reflects an expanding Mexican American population, with 37.2 million people or 11.2% of the U.S. population tracing their ancestry back to Mexico.
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The weird part is that they don't even sell real mexican food, but Tex-mex. Mexican coucine ≠ American cheese.
I've never been to a Mexican place that serves anything with American cheese on it. Even taco bell doesn't stoop that low. Many fast food places have the crappy movie theater cheese though.
No not American cheese. They don't use really any yellow cheeses in Mexico. On a taco, if there is cheese it's generally Queso Fresco, a white cheese that doesn't melt.
But in Americanized dishes they often add yellow cheese. Shit even at the store they sell "Mexican Blend" bags of cheese with yellow cheese lol
Of course, just because it isn't "authentic" doesn't mean it isn't good. Know the difference sure but you can still enjoy both.
There's always at least one in every comments section...
So please enlighten me (for real because I don't know), what indicates when a restaurant "passes muster" for an authentic Mexican restaurant?
No need to be gatekeepy. Tex-Mex is also delicious!
But some signs:
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Any kind of yellow cheese is generally not found in "authentic" Mexican.
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Burritos, no. They do exist up north but are quite different. No rice or vegetables. Nothing like Tex-Mex burritos.
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Lettuce, diced tomato (other than pico de gallo), sour cream, (or as aforementioned, yellow cheese) on tacos/tostadas is not "authentic". Onions, cabbage, cilantro, lime. Pico or some salsa optional. That's "authentic".
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"Authentic" tacos don't have hard shells. Flour vs corn tortillas vary by region but tacos are always soft tortillas.
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Fajitas are an American invention (and they slap, again I'm not here to gatekeep)
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Nachos as most generally know them, lots of toppings, etc. that's an Americanized thing too.
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Ground beef. In tacos or otherwise isn't generally a thing. Really beef isn't THAT common an ingredient in Mexico (in the north, a bit more common)
Authentic Mexican food is some of my favorite food in the world, but I love me some Taco Bell. You just have to look at it as a completely different type of food. Sometimes I'm in the mood for one more than the other.
Same.
Right I am going to continue to eat what I like and not food that happens to be old. All tradition means is that your are dumber than your ancestors.
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I don’t have a solid answer for what is considered authentic, but growing up in California there are a few things I look for.
- Is the salsa tasty with a nice balance of spice and aromatics? Great chips are a plus, but making them in house is a PITA so I assume most restaurants use a vendor
- Rice and beans are actually delicious. I prefer refried
- trying to remember the last time I had tacos served in a flour tortilla but that would be a red flag. Corn tortillas should be the default or only option
- weird one but I trust a place that does traditional food cost pricing more. $11.40 enchiladas vs $11.25 where the pricing is less rounded
It's the décor, if you can see at least 3 pinatas and 2 sombreros when you enter, you have found the right place.
/J
They? Like, America as a whole doesn't sell Mexican food, but only Tex-Mex?
No. America is absolutely massive and not homogenous.
There may be some areas without authentic Mexican food, but if you go anywhere within ~50 miles of a major city, you can usually find an authentic Mexican restaurant.
That said, they're both great. Tex-Mex can also be great. They're completely different types of food.
This is mostly true for the entire US. But not just Texmex, there are a lot of variations. Like the Chipotle burritos that started in San Fransisco.
And not just Mexican food, most food is altered somewhat for the US tastes. That orange chicken at the Chinese restaurant was invented in the us.
I have found what I believe are authentic Mexican restaurants. But we were the only non-Mexicans there and they were cooking dishes like whole fried fish.
There are a lot of Mexican neighborhoods with a lot of authentic Mexican food in America.
Dont get me wrong, there is a lot of Americanized Mexican food. But I'd bet for every Qdoba/El Rancho, there is a local family Mexican restaurant with an old guy watching Mexican soap operas.
It depends on the region. Texas absolutely. Iowa not so much. Though you can still probably find some if you try.
Spent a lot of time exploring Iowa?
I'd imagine there is less of everything in general, but ranch/farmland with seasonal employment doesn't seem like it'd be lacking Mexican culture
Fairly enough no. But I've been, and to many other places.
I've lived in both San Antonio, TX and Kansas. And know them well.
In San Antonio TexMex and more authentic food abound. In Kansas some TexMex and very few more authentic places. You gotta seek them out.
As I said, they still exist. But it's not like there's one traditional place for every TexMex place
Texas and Iowa aren't the only two regions in the US. My experience has been that, if you're within 50 miles or so of a major US city (maybe more), you can usually find an authentic Mexican restaurant.
Absolutely, but what the other person said was it's like one to one. You can find an authentic Mexican place in a ton of areas, but in a lot of the US it will take some looking.