Southwestern Cuisine

Browse All Southwestern Recipes: Southwestern Appetizers | Southwestern Beverages | Southwestern Soups | Southwestern Salads | Southwestern Vegetarian | Southwestern Meat Dishes | Southwestern Snacks | Southwestern Desserts

Southwestern - Cooking and Food

Overview of Southwestern Cuisine History
Southwestern cuisine is a mixture between the rusting cooking of more South Western US states, such as Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Utah and Colorado. It is considered to be comprised of a blending of recipes representing the things that might have been included in the cuisine of the cowboys, Native Americans and Mexicans throughout the post-Columbian period. The Southwestern cuisine has been strongly influenced by the Mexican cuisine. The basic difference between the two cuisines is that the Mexican cuisine involves larger cuts of meat. The Southwestern cuisine is well known for its use of spices, such as chili pepper and Tabasco sauce. Some of the most famous Southwestern dishes are the Chili con carne and fajitas. During the last few decades the Southwestern cuisine have become quite popular, thus several chains of restaurants specialized in this cuisine have developed in the United States.

Cuisines of Southwestern


By Geographic Area and Style:



Add an Southwestern Article or Recipe:

createpageform-southwestern The Southwestern cuisine is hot, spicy and delicious and that is mostly due to the Mexican and Native American influences. The quesadillas, guacamole, enchiladas and tequila are some of the tastiest and potent treats that the Southwestern cuisine has to offer. The cornerstones of this delicious cuisine are corn and beans. The Southwestern cooking uses corn is many various ways. For instance, cornhusks are dried and then used in order to wrap tamales, corn kernels is the basic ingredient in tortilla and it can also be ground into cornmeal. Corn kernels are also very ingeniously used for oil or as flour when dried and milled. The tortilla shells stuffed with a variety of ingredients have become a Southwestern cuisine icon and has entered nearly almost every kitchen in the United States. Native Americans used to eat tortillas every day the same way people use bread today. In combination with pinto beans, another Southwestern favorite, the tortilla was the basis of almost any meal even breakfast. Another food that comes to mind when talking of Southwestern cuisine is chili. The chili is also known as chili peppers although they are not actually peppers. One of the best ways to enjoy chili is in salsa, which is one of the most favorite condiments in the Southwestern cuisine and the US altogether.

Southwestern Food Glossary
Finding the ingredients for an Southwestern Recipe is not so easy when you do not know the names of the ingredients. Take time to make a list of ingredients and the name they may be found under at the Local Markets.


 * Check out the Southwestern Food Glossary

 Add a Term to the Southwestern Food Glossary:

createpageform-southwesterningredients

Preparation Methods for Southwestern Cooking
The Southwestern cuisine is very much influenced by the Mexican cuisine. Thus many of the Mexican preparation methods are used in cooking the Southwestern dishes. Southwestern cuisine, however, involves larger cuts of the ingredients especially meat. One of the most used preparation methods in Southwestren cuisine is frying. Almost all dishes involve fried vegetables or/and meat. Boiling is another quite popular preparation method, but usually the ingredients are also boiled in oil. Corn is one of the most used ingredients in the Southwestern cuisine and it has various ways of preparation. Its kernel can be dried and milled and used as flour and its husks can also be used as wraps when dried.

Special Equipment for Southwestern Cooking
Most Southwestern dishes don’t require you to purchase any special tools. However, having a coffee grinder helps with roasting and grinding spices and maximizes their volatile oils, which, in turn, provides your food with more flavor.

However, here are a few kitchen utensils you might want to use:

People in Southwestern Food

 * Are you into Southwestern Cooking and would like to be interviewed?

Southwestern Cuisine Related Recipes

 * Category Southwestern Cuisine