Editing Tex-Mex (section)

==Common dishes==
[[File:Selling baked beans and tortillas.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.75|
"Preparing plates of [[tortilla]]s and [[fried beans]] to sell to [[1938 San Antonio pecan shellers strike|pecan shellers]], [[San Antonio]], [[Texas]]" by [[Russell Lee (photographer)|Russell Lee]], March 1939]]

Some [[ingredient]]s in Tex-Mex cuisine are also common in [[Mexican cuisine]], but others, not often used in Mexico, are often added, such as the use of [[cumin]], introduced by Spanish immigrants to Texas from the [[Canary Islands]],<ref name=NYT010615>{{cite news|author1=Jennifer Steinhauer |title=If It's Chili, It's Personal |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/12/dining/if-its-chili-its-personal.html |access-date=6 January 2015 |work=The New York Times |date=February 10, 2014 |quote=it was Canary Islanders who brought a taste for it in heavy doses}}</ref> but used in only a few central Mexican recipes.

Tex-Mex cuisine is characterized by its heavy use of shredded [[cheese]], [[bean]]s, [[meat]] (particularly [[Chicken as food|chicken]], [[beef]], and [[pork]]), [[chili pepper]]s, and [[spice]]s, in addition to flour [[tortilla]]s.

Sometimes various Tex-Mex dishes are made without the use of a tortilla. A common example of this is the "fajita bowl", which is a [[fajita]] served without a soft tortilla.

Generally, cheese plays a much bigger role in Tex-Mex food than in mainstream Mexican cuisine, particularly in the popularity of [[chile con queso|queso]], which is often eaten with tortilla chips (alongside or in place of [[guacamole]] and [[salsa (sauce)|salsa]]), or may be served over [[enchiladas]], [[tamales]], or [[burritos]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Goodgame |first=Dan |url=https://www.texasmonthly.com/food/chile-con-queso/ |title=Recipe: Chile con Queso – Texas Monthly |date=15 July 2013 |publisher=Texasmonthly.com |access-date=2019-03-28}}</ref>

[[Nachos]], although invented in the US-Mexico border town of [[Piedras Negras, Coahuila]], became extremely popular in Texas before spreading across the US. They were named after its inventor, [[Ignacio Anaya|Nacho Anaya]].

Tex-Mex circa the 1950s relied on combination platters using American-style cheeses, did not often have margaritas, and involved pecans in desserts.<ref name=Sharpe101>{{cite magazine|last=Sharpe|first=Patricia|url=https://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/tex-mex-101/|title=Tex-Mex 101 |magazine=[[Texas Monthly]]|date=August 2003|access-date=2023-12-20}}</ref>