Texas cuisine is the food associated with the U.S. state of Texas. Texas is a large state, and its cuisine is influenced from a wide range of cultural influences, including German, Mexican, Native American, and African American.
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Tex-Mex refers to a style of cooking that combines traditional Mexican cuisine with American tastes and cooking techniques. Tex-Mex cooking differs from traditional Mexican cooking in using meats (like ground beef), melted cheeses, and spices more suited to the American pallate. Tex-Mex cuisine has influenced what is often called "Mexican" cuisine in many parts of the U.S. Dishes associated with Tex-Mex cooking include nachos, tacos, fajitas, quesadillas, chimichangas, and burritos.
Barbecue in Texas is characterized by certain distinct characteristics which make it different from barbecue in other parts of the U.S. Whereas many forms of Barbecue use pork as the primary meat, Texas barbecue depends heavily on beef. Smoked brisket is one of the most common meats used, as is smoked beef sausage. Techniques and flavors associated with Texas barbecue show influences of European immigrants, especially Czech and German, as well as traditional African-American and Native-American influences on the cuisine. Texas barbecue is often served with a side of Texas toast, a thick-sliced white bread.
Texas is known for its own variation of chili con carne which, unlike other chili from other regions, never includes beans. Texas chili is an ingredient in Frito pie, a dish made with the eponymous Fritos corn chip, invented in Texas and produced by Plano, Texas-based Frito-Lay corportation. Chicken fried steak is a traditional Texas dish, a variation on schnitzel that came to Texas along with German immigrants. Czech immigrants brought a tradition of kolache-making. The kolache is a fruit-filled pastry. Southeastern Texas is shows strong cajun and creole influences in its foods. West Texas cooking is characterized by cowboy influences, such as chuckwagon cooking.