Hip Young Things

El Paso is a particularly vibrant place in the world, and a very exciting place to observe and jump into world cultures in an experiment of fusions. It shares a border with Juarez, and sometimes the cities are referred to simultaneously. As one might imagine, their histories are deeply connected, and the present is an illustration of these connections, providing a pathway toward a future that is mutually constructed.

It’s not unusual for visitors to come here and fall immediately, and deeply, in love with the food. This is Tex-Mex , and the city is one of the original towns where the cuisine developed. Today, when people refer to Mexican food in the U.S., generally speaking, they are referring to this cuisine specifically.

Real, authentic Mexican food is a term that’s subject to negotiation, however, because it can change every moment, as cultures and people continue to experiment with things that simply taste good. There are regional styles of cooking all over Mexico, and the food in Yucatan will be very different from that in Veracruz. Fresh seafood might be a common factor, but other than that, the tastes are combinations of the multiple cultures that have a presence there.

In El Paso, the common assumption is that Tex-Mex food is simply a combination of Northern Mexico cooking and cowboy food. That is, indeed, one of the ways it developed, but its specific flavors actually come from the Canary Islands. Spanish world travelers from the islands brought spice from the east that they had incorporated into their cuisine more than 500 years ago. The signature flavors, namely cumin and cilanto, are certainly from these origins.

But the other signature ingredient is the hot pepper. There are literally thousands of varieties of pepper, but the ones here are indigenous to the Americas, and have their origins in Central America and the Caribbean. Not all Tex-Mex food is spicy though, and that’s certainly true for most “authentic” Mexican food, but in most restaurants, hot is something that can always be turned up higher. With a reputation for hotness, and for some of the best hotels, El Paso is a place to see, and taste.

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