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.
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?
No need to be gatekeepy. Tex-Mex is also delicious!
But some signs:
Any kind of yellow cheese is generally not found in “authentic” Mexican.
Burritos, no. They do exist up north but are quite different. No rice or vegetables. Nothing like Tex-Mex burritos.
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”.
“Authentic” tacos don’t have hard shells. Flour vs corn tortillas vary by region but tacos are always soft tortillas.
Fajitas are an American invention (and they slap, again I’m not here to gatekeep)
Nachos as most generally know them, lots of toppings, etc. that’s an Americanized thing too.
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)
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.
Same.
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.
It’s the décor, if you can see at least 3 pinatas and 2 sombreros when you enter, you have found the right place.
/J
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.