Fajita

Fajita

Mixed beef and chicken fajita ingredients, served on a hot iron skillet
Place of origin United States
Region or state Northeastern Mexico, Southwestern United States[1]
Main ingredients Tortillas, meat, onions, peppers
Food energy
(per serving)
 500 kcal (2093 kJ)
Cookbook:Fajita  Fajita

A fajita (/fəˈhiːtə/; Spanish: [faˈxita]) is a term found in Tex-Mex cuisine,[2] commonly referring to any grilled meat usually served as a taco on a flour or corn tortilla. The term originally referred to the cut of beef used in the dish which is known as skirt steak.[3] Popular meats today also include chicken, pork, shrimp, and all cuts of beef. In restaurants, the meat is usually cooked with onions and bell peppers. Popular condiments are shredded lettuce, sour cream, guacamole, salsa, pico de gallo, cheese, and tomato. The northern Mexican variant of the dish name is Arrachera.

Popularity

The first culinary evidence of the use of skirt steak and the cooking style (directly on a campfire or on a grill) goes back as far as the 1930s in the ranch lands of South Texas. During cattle roundups, beef cattle were butchered regularly to feed the hands. Throwaway items such as the head, the entrails, and meat trimmings such as skirt were given to the Mexican cowboys, vaqueros, as part of their pay. Hearty border dishes like barbacoa de cabeza (head barbecue), menudo (tripe stew), and arracheras (grilled skirt steak) have their roots in this practice. Considering the limited number of skirts per carcass and the fact the meat wasn't available commercially, arracheras remained regional and relatively obscure.[2]

The term "fajita" was coined by Austin, Texas butcher and cook Sonny Falcon, who introduced fajitas in September, 1969 at a food concession stand at the week-long Dies y Seis outdoor event in Kyle, Texas, just south of Austin. By 1970, several restaurants in Austin were serving fajitas on their menus.

Fajitas were soon popularized by various Texas restaurants such as Ninfa's in Houston, the Hyatt Regency in Austin, and Maggie's Restaurant in San Antonio.[4] In California and Arizona, fajitas were unknown until the 1990s, when chain restaurants like Chili's and Z'Tejas began offering them on their menus. In recent years, fajitas have become popular in casual dining restaurants throughout America, and are popular in home cooking.[5]

In most restaurants, fajitas are brought to the table sizzling loudly on a metal platter or skillet, with tortillas and condiments.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Patterson, Frank (October 14, 2003), Fajita, retrieved Nov 6, 2013
  2. ↑ Wood, Virginia B. (March 4, 2005). "Fajita History". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved Jan 11, 2010.
  3. ↑ Wood, Virginia B. (March 4, 2005). "Just Exactly What Is a Fajita?". The Austin Chronicle.
  4. ↑ Wood, Virginia (2005-03-04). Austin Chronicle http://www.austinchronicle.com/food/2005-03-04/261130/. Retrieved 2015-02-24. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  5. ↑ Ortega Flour Tortillas

External links

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