Churros (Spanish fritters or doughnuts)
Churros are neither Texas nor Mexican, but have become associated with both cuisines and are sometimes served as a Tex-Mex dessert. Churros are fried dough, usually stretched into a long string and…
Archive for 01/2008
Pan Dulce (Mexican Sweet Bread)
Pan dulce (pahn DOOL-say) is Mexican sweet bread, and there are many different varieties. Texas got its "pan dulce" from Mexico, and even non-Mexican bakeries in Texas serve some pan…
Capirotada (Mexican Bread Pudding)
Capirotada is a Mexican bread pudding that is traditionally made of leftovers during Lent. The surprising ingredient in this bread pudding is cheese, and capirotada also often contains raisins,…
Roscas (Rosca de Reyes—Three Kings’ Cake or Three Kings’ Bread or Kings’ Ring)
"Rosca" means "to curl," and "roscas" are curled or ringed sweet bread with fruits, like a fruitcake. "Roscas" have been cited in Texas newspapers since the…
Piedras (Mexican pastry “rocks” or “stones”)
"Piedras" (meaning "rocks" or "stones") are served at Mi Tierra Restaurant & Bakery in San Antonio, described as "a raisin pecan cookie with sweet pink…
Orejas (Mexican pastry “ears”)
"Orejas" ('ears") are similar to Spain's "palmeras," France's "palmiers," and America's "elephant ears." The Mexican pastry is flaky…
Semita (Cemita)
Entry still in progress. Any speculation about the etymology (from "Semite" or "seed"?) will be appreciated. Wikipedia: Cemita MexicoThere are several kinds of cemitas in…
Besos (Mexican pastry “kisses”)
"Besos" ("kisses") are Mexican sweet bread ("pan dulce") especially popular on holidays such as Valentine's Day. A "beso" consists of two round domes…
Campechanas
"Campechanas" are pastries found at many Mexican bakeries and some Texas supermarkets as well. The name "campechana" has been translated (below) as "hammock" and…
Pan de Huevo (Mexican egg bread)
Pan de huevo is "egg bread," a popular item in Mexican bakeries that is also called "conchas." The shell-shaped pastry is lightly sweetened on top with chocolate, vanilla, or…
Tampiqueña Plate (Carne Asada Tampiqueña; Steak Tampiqueña )
A Tampiqueña plate usually has carne asada (thinly sliced steak), plus enchiladas, beans, and white panela cheese. It is the only major combination plate in Mexico, and it's served in Tex-Mex…
Third Coast
The United States has an east coast and a west coast, but it's sometimes said to have a "third coast." In the 1960s and 1970s, the "third coast" was the Great Lakes region…
Purple Drank
"Purple drank" (also called "drank" and many other names) is a potentially dangerous drink that mixes cough syrup (containing codeine) with another drink, such as Sprite or rum…
North Austin (Stillwater, OK nickname)
Stillwater, Oklahoma is a college town (Oklahoma State University) that enjoys its music scene. Stillwater has recently been called "North Austin" (after the "Live Music Capital of…
Funkytown or Funky Town (Fort Worth nickname)
"Funkytown" was a 1980 disco song by Lipps Inc., from Minnesota. The place called "Funkytown" wasn't any particular city; it was, perhaps, a sexual reference. Fort Worth…
SA Town (San Antonio nickname)
San Antonio is sometimes called "S.A." or "SA" or "SA Town" (or hyphenated as "SA-Town"). It's pronounced like "say town," not the two letters…
Fort Worthless (Fort Worth nickname)
"Fort Worthless" is an unfortunate -- but probably inevitable -- nickname of the city of Fort Worth. The nickname was popularized in the late 1980s, when speaker of the United States…
Chili Capital of the World (Terlingua nickname)
The city of Terlingua was a ghost town that was re-invented in the 1960s as the "Chili Capital of the World." In 1967, the Chili Appreciation Society International began its first annual…
Countdown City or 210 (San Antonio nickname)
San Antonio has the telephone area code 210, so the city is sometimes called "210" or "Countdown City" (as in "2-1-0"). This borrows somewhat from the television show…
Big Money Texas or BMT (Beaumont nickname)
The city of Beaumont has been abbreviated "BMT" since at least the 1990s. "Big Money Texas" has been used to spell out "BMT" in print since 2003. Wikipedia: Beaumont,…