Tex Mex vs. Mexican Food, What is the difference?

Question

Examples of specific dishes, restaurants, etc. for each would be helpful.

Answer 1

well, there are a lot of mexican foods other than tacoa and burritos, like it totally depends on the region of mexico that your in, tex mex is like chile beans and nachos, mexican is like enchiladas, menudo

Answer 2

To the guy who thinks Tex Mex is fresher, UH NO! Taco Bell, Taco Cabana, Casa Ole, Pink Taco are examples of Tex Mex and their ingredients are not fresh but PROCESSED!  That includes processed cheese and meat.  Mexican food typically consists of fresh homemade cheese (not Velveeta!) made by hand tortillas de maize (flour tortillas are tex-mex, virtually unheard of beyond the border) and meat is usually bought fresh from the butcher each day.  Poultry and Pork are usually raised at home and butchered as needed.  Refried beans are also Tex Mex, Mexican food usually has beans but they are whole.  Jalapeños are usually served roasted or pickled with pickled carrots, Salsa is ALWAYS freshly made and usually served warm.

Answer 3

Its the way the Mexicans adopted their dishes to the land and culture. Different parts of Mexico have different dishes or variation, Just like southern cooking

Answer 4

Generally speakin, Tex Mex food requires the ingredients to be fresher.  Whereas authentic Mexican food can use meat a week old.  People are more used to the bacteria growing on it down there so it doesn't bother them so much.  But, people in America like fresher ingredients.

Answer 5

tex mex made by texans mexican food made by mexicans

Answer 6

Tex  Mex is a cross between how the Texas cowboys would make something and how  the Mexican people make something.

Lets start with something real simple as an example: Chili

Texas style chili uses relies heavy on beef as raising cattle was originally a vital part of  the Texan economy.

Mexican chili relies heavily on beans stemming as it does from the food the Mayans,ancesters of today's Mexicans, ate.

Tex-Mex chili is a blend of both meat (preferably beef) and vegetables (beans and various chilis)

see source for recipes.

Answer 7

Mexican would be something like Tamales, Mole, etc.

and I see Tex Mex as .. usually American food that try to be Mexican but they never make it, or better yet a cheap recreation of Mexican food..

basically i find most tex mex foods to be mexican foods with "yellow cheese" and other cheap things added :/

I live on a border city with Mexico, most of my family being Mexican, and i see that a lot here

Answer 8

Ethnic Mexican dishes are more natural ingredients. Texans bury everything in hot sauce. That's why when in Amarillo I eat at the Japanese Steak House on I-40