Every year since 2005 the State Fair of Texas has had a contest known as the Big Tex Choice Awards. The concessionaires try new recipes to win the contest, and some of the recent entries have included fried beer, fried peaches and cream, deep fried seafood gumbo balls and lucky duck dumplin’. However, there are some great creations that are available in Texas that have been around for years.
Who doesn’t enjoy a bowl of chili on a cold day in Texas? Chili con carne is the official dish of the state of Texas. Chili stands started showing up in San Antonio during the 1880s, and there are chili contests every year in various parts of the state at which the participants share years of experience and “secret” ingredients, trying to win the blue ribbon. Surely the most famous cook-off is The Original Terlingua International Championship Chili Cookoff, made famous by Frank X. Tolbert. There is still a Tolbert’s Chili Parlor in Grapevine that is owned by Frank’s daughter.
To cool the taste buds as the chili is consumed, it would be hard to find a better offering than a cold, frozen margarita. The margarita may have been around for a long time, but turning it into a slushy drink started in 1971. Mariano Martinez is well known as the inventor of the frozen concoction. The first frozen margarita was delivered from a repurposed soft-serve ice cream machine and was made with tequila and pale green sherbet. The recipe has since been refined to the frozen drink served in a salt-lined glass with a slice of lime that is commonly drawn from margarita machines in restaurants across the country. Martinez’s original machine now rests in the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.
Another drink that originated in Texas is Dr Pepper. Visit the Dr Pepper Museum in Waco to get the whole story, but the short version is Dr Pepper is the oldest major manufactured soft drink in the United States, manufactured and sold beginning in 1885 in Morrison’s Old Corner Drug Store. A pharmacist named Charles Alderton mixed medicines, but in his spare time, he liked to experiment with flavors at the soda fountain. Eventually, he came up with the combination of fruit syrups that he liked, and Dr Pepper was born. Though there are a number of theories, the origin of the name of the beverage is still a mystery.
Baby boomers in Texas will recall the first time they ever ate a Frito Pie. It may have been from the local Dairy Queen, or maybe from the concession stand at a high school football game. Chances are it was served in an original Frito bag, split open to allow a scoop of chili to be added. Perhaps you garnished yours with cheese, sour cream or chopped onions. While some folks from New Mexico may try to claim fame by saying the dish originated there, the preponderance of evidence seems to be in favor of Texas origins. Texans argue that San Antonio resident Daisy Doolin, the mother of Charles Elmer Doolin (who invented Fritos), dreamed up the dish, including the tradition of adding cheese and onions. It has been around since the 1930s.
Truth is stranger than fiction, but even sweet tea has Texas roots. The first sweet tea recipe came from the book, Housekeeping in Old Virgina, published in 1879 with a Texas contributor. The recipe reads: After scalding the teapot, put into it one quart of boiling water and two teaspoons of tea. If wanted for supper, do this at breakfast. At dinner time, strain, without stirring, … through a tea-strainer into a pitcher. Let stand ’til tea time and pour into decanters, leaving the sediment into the bottom of the pitcher. Fill goblets with ice, put two teaspoons granulated sugar in each, and pour the tea over the ice and sugar. A squeeze of lemon will make this delicious and healthful, as it will correct the astringent tendency.
Texans are creative, and the first recipes for pecan pie appeared in Texas cookbooks in the 1870s and 1880s. Then along came Blue Bell Ice Cream at the little creamery in Brenham in 1907. What could be better to finish off a great plate of Tex-Mex-style enchiladas?
Sources:
1. Spoonuniversity.com.
2. Smithsonianmag.com.
3. Drpeppermuseum.com.
4. Eater.com.
5. Recipebinder.co.uk.
Written by Bill Smith
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