Mexican food is so popular in the United states that 1 in 10 restaurants serve the cuisine; counties in Texas and California have the most eateries.

Food is deeply ingrained in cultural identity, and is one way to learn about a community’s heritage, familial customs and values. In the U.S., Mexican food is one of the most popular cuisines, with 1 in 10 restaurants serving Mexican, according to recent findings from the Pew Research Center. This trend reflects an expanding Mexican American population, with 37.2 million people or 11.2% of the U.S. population tracing their ancestry back to Mexico.

  • hydrospanner@lemmy.world
    6·
    10 months ago

    There’s always at least one in every comments section…

    So please enlighten me (for real because I don’t know), what indicates when a restaurant “passes muster” for an authentic Mexican restaurant?

    • bdonvr@thelemmy.club
      7·
      10 months ago

      No need to be gatekeepy. Tex-Mex is also delicious!

      But some signs:

      1. Any kind of yellow cheese is generally not found in “authentic” Mexican.

      2. Burritos, no. They do exist up north but are quite different. No rice or vegetables. Nothing like Tex-Mex burritos.

      3. Lettuce, diced tomato (other than pico de gallo), sour cream, (or as aforementioned, yellow cheese) on tacos/tostadas is not “authentic”. Onions, cabbage, cilantro, lime. Pico or some salsa optional. That’s “authentic”.

      4. “Authentic” tacos don’t have hard shells. Flour vs corn tortillas vary by region but tacos are always soft tortillas.

      5. Fajitas are an American invention (and they slap, again I’m not here to gatekeep)

      6. Nachos as most generally know them, lots of toppings, etc. that’s an Americanized thing too.

      7. Ground beef. In tacos or otherwise isn’t generally a thing. Really beef isn’t THAT common an ingredient in Mexico (in the north, a bit more common)

      • prole@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
        2·
        10 months ago

        Authentic Mexican food is some of my favorite food in the world, but I love me some Taco Bell. You just have to look at it as a completely different type of food. Sometimes I’m in the mood for one more than the other.

      • afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world
        13·
        10 months ago

        Right I am going to continue to eat what I like and not food that happens to be old. All tradition means is that your are dumber than your ancestors.

    • BigDiction@lemmy.world
      2·
      10 months ago

      I don’t have a solid answer for what is considered authentic, but growing up in California there are a few things I look for.

      • Is the salsa tasty with a nice balance of spice and aromatics? Great chips are a plus, but making them in house is a PITA so I assume most restaurants use a vendor
      • Rice and beans are actually delicious. I prefer refried
      • trying to remember the last time I had tacos served in a flour tortilla but that would be a red flag. Corn tortillas should be the default or only option
      • weird one but I trust a place that does traditional food cost pricing more. $11.40 enchiladas vs $11.25 where the pricing is less rounded