Hoppin’ John or Hopping John (Limping Kate; Limping Susan)
"Hoppin' John" (or "Hopping John") is a popular dish in Charleston, South Carolina, but it's also served throughout the South. The dish consists of black-eyed peas…
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Mexican Straw Hat (similar to Frito pie)
"Mexican straw hat” is a recipe that’s similar to Frito pie. It contains corn chips (Fritos), plus beef, cheese, and more. The recipe dates from the 1960s. "Mexican straw hat" is…
South Texas Crossroads (Victoria city, county nickname)
The city of Victoria, Texas (county seat of Victoria County) is centrally located from Austin, Houston, Corpus Christi, and San Antonio. The city/county has been called the "South Texas…
Texas Rice Salad (Texmati Rice Salad)
Texas barbecues usually have potato salad as a side dish, but many barbecues also have rice salad. Rice salad can also be served with shrimp, salmon, and just about any other main dish. Texmati…
Taco Tech
Various universities with large Hispanic populations have been called "Taco Tech." The University of Texas-El Paso and the University of Texas-Pan American (Edinburg, TX) have most often…
Borderplex
"Borderplex" is a term for the Texas and Mexican cities on that border. It is similar to the term "metroplex" (for Dallas-Fort Worth) from the early 1970s.…
Cala (rice fritter)
Calas (seldom written in the singular "cala") are rice fritters that were popular in Creole New Orleans in the 19th century and early 20th century. These rice fritters or rice doughnuts…
“Drop edge of yonder”
In 2007, author Donis Casey published a book titled The Drop Edge of Yonder. In 2008, author Rudolph Wurlitzer published a book titled Drop Edge of Yonder. Both books have western settings. Casey…
“Play west of the Hudson (River)”
"(Can't/Won't) play west of the Hudson (River)" means that something is too "New York" to succeed in the rest of the country. The comedian Alan King was often told…
Comeback Sauce (Come Back Sauce; Cumback Sauce; Kumback Sauce; Kumbak Sauce)
Comeback sauce (also spelled as "come back sauce," "cumback sauce," "kumback auce," and "kumbak sauce") is sauce that supposedly so good, you'll…
Walled City (Brooklyn)
Brooklyn became a city of warehouses by at least the Civil War (1860s). In Henry Reed Stiles's important three-volume work, A History of the City of Brooklyn (1867-1870), Brooklyn's…
Big Guava (summary)
After the 1970s popularity of "the Big Apple," everybody started getting into the act. "Big Guava" (for Tampa, Florida) is from the 1970s, but it remains popular. Tampa…
Mr. Brown (“Mr. Brown Goes to Town”) & Miss White (BBQ terms for light/inside and dark/outside meat)
"Mr. Brown" means the dark, smoky outside of pork barbecue, and "Miss White" (sometimes "Mrs. White" or "Ms White") means the light, moist inside of pork…
Texas Crutch (using aluminum foil in BBQ)
Kansas City "Baron of BBQ" Paul Kirk posed with a crutch covered with aluminum foil, titled "Texas Crutch," in 1999 or January 2000. Kirk coined or certainly popularized the…
Asphalt Capital of the World (Talco nickname)
Oil was discovered at the small town of Talco, Texas in 1936. The oil was low gravity crude, but it yielded a high percentage of asphalt. By at least March 1939, Talco was being called the…
Pecos Cantaloupe
The Pecos area of West Texas began irrigation and cultivation of the cantaloupe in the early 1900s. By 1913, Pecos cantaloupes were famous for their sweetness and overall flavor. The term…
Marranitos or Cochinitos or Puerquitos (little gingerbread pigs)
"Marranitos" or "cochintos" or "puerquitos" are Latin American pastries that mean literally "little pigs." They're often called "gingerbread…
Vuelve a la Vida (“Back to Life” or “Return to Life”)
"Vuelve a la Vida" ("Back to Life" or "Return to Life") is a ceviche cocktail that appears to have originated in Veracruz, Mexico. It contains various seafoods such as…
Machito (“Texas Haggis”)
"Machito" is sometimes called "Texas haggis" -- two dishes not for the faint of heart. Machito is made from the internal parts of a goat (such as the esophagus, heart, lungs,…
Enmolada
An "enmolada" is a rolled tortilla dipped in mole and usually with fillings, similar to the enchilada. Although the "enmolada" is from Oaxaca, Mexico, it's become an item…