Where did Tex-Mex get its Name?

The origin of “Tex-Mex” is actually with a railroad that was chartered in 1875.

The Texas Mexican Railway was often abbreviated as Tex-Mex in newspaper and schedule listings for its running times. This train line was mainly used for transporting sheep as well as agricultural goods from Texas ranches to the Gulf of Mexico.

 

 

This railway was owned and operated by Kansas City Southern Railways and they also had a subsidiary down in Mexico.

 

The first time “Tex-Mex” was found in print and related to food is recorded to have been in a New York Times article in 1966, but the main reason that “Tex-Mex” caught on, in relation to Texas and Mexican cuisine was due to a book written by Diana Kennedy.

 

This book has become famous because Kennedy is credited with distinguishing the food that was made in Mexico with what was made north of the border.

 

One of the main differences she discovered was the “mixed plate” that she found served in Texas Mexican restaurants. It is she that used the term Tex-Mex to describe this blended mix of Mexican and Texan styles and she is known for having the term become popularized.