Well, let me tell you, the history of the fajita is quite fascinating. Now, I may not be from Texas or Mexico, but I’ve done my fair share of research on this topic. So, here’s what I’ve found.
Texans love their fajitas, there’s no doubt about that. But when it comes to claiming the invention of the fajita, they might have to take a step back. The credit for this delicious dish actually goes to Mexican ranch workers living in West Texas, along the Rio Grande on the Texas-Mexico border.
Now, let’s go back in time a bit, to the late 1930s or early 1940s. Picture this – a group of hungry ranch workers, hard at work under the scorching Texas sun. These workers were often given the less desirable cuts of beef as part of their wages. These cuts, which included skirt steak, were tough and required some special treatment to make them palatable.
So, these resourceful ranch workers came up with a brilliant idea. They marinated the tough skirt steak in lime juice and spices to tenderize it and then grilled it over an open fire. The result? A flavorful, juicy, and tender piece of meat that they could enjoy after a long day of hard work.
Now, the word “fajita” itself comes from the Spanish word “faja,” which means “belt” or “strip.” This makes sense, considering that skirt steak is a long, flat cut of beef. The workers would slice the cooked steak into thin strips, wrap it in a tortilla, and enjoy it with various toppings like onions, peppers, and salsa.
The popularity of fajitas among these ranch workers eventually spread to the local Mexican-American communities and, of course, to the rest of Texas. It wasn’t until the 1960s and 1970s that fajitas started gaining national popularity, thanks to the rise of Tex-Mex cuisine.
In fact, the first mention of fajitas in print can be traced back to an article in The Texas Monthly magazine in 1975. The article described fajitas as “a kind of Mexican sandwich, made of a tortilla wrapped around a steak or grilled meat.” This helped solidify the fajita’s place in Tex-Mex cuisine and its growing popularity across the United States.
So, there you have it. While Texans may love their fajitas, the credit for inventing this delicious dish goes to those Mexican ranch workers along the Texas-Mexico border. Without their ingenuity and resourcefulness, we might not have the mouthwatering fajitas we enjoy today. And for that, we should be forever grateful.
Sources:
– “The Tex-Mex Cookbook: A History in Recipes and Photos” by Robb Walsh
– “The True History of the Fajita” by John Morthland, Texas Monthly Magazine, June 1975.