Tex-Mex Food Trivia: 10 Questions With Answers

Nachos were invented in Piedras Negras, Mexico, by a maître d' named Ignacio Anaya, and tex-mex food trivia explores the border cuisine that followed. Discover San Antonio's chili queens, the cowboys behind fajitas, puffy tacos, queso and the combination plate that became a Texas institution.

Start Tex-Mex Food Trivia

🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Nachos
Who invented nachos?
Chili queens
Where did the chili queens sell chili in plazas?
Fajitas
Which cut of beef was originally used for fajitas?
Name
Where does the word Tex-Mex come from?
Cheese
Which cheese is common in Tex-Mex but rare in Mexico?
Cumin
Which spice is more prominent in Tex-Mex than in most Mexican cooking?
Puffy
Which city is famous for puffy tacos?
Queso
What is Tex-Mex queso?
Diana Kennedy
Which food writer helped distinguish Mexican food from Tex-Mex?
Chili
What is the official state dish of Texas?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: Who invented nachos?
Answer: Ignacio Anaya
He improvised them in 1943.
Q2: Where did the chili queens sell chili in plazas?
Answer: San Antonio
They were famous in the 1800s.
Q3: Which cut of beef was originally used for fajitas?
Answer: Skirt steak
Vaqueros cooked it over fires.
Q4: Where does the word Tex-Mex come from?
Answer: A railroad nickname
The Texas Mexican Railway was called Tex-Mex.
Q5: Which cheese is common in Tex-Mex but rare in Mexico?
Answer: Yellow cheddar
It melts over enchiladas.
Q6: Which spice is more prominent in Tex-Mex than in most Mexican cooking?
Answer: Cumin
It flavors chili con carne.
Q7: Which city is famous for puffy tacos?
Answer: San Antonio
The tortilla puffs when fried.
Q8: What is Tex-Mex queso?
Answer: A melted cheese dip
It is served with chips.
Q9: Which food writer helped distinguish Mexican food from Tex-Mex?
Answer: Diana Kennedy
Her 1972 book was influential.
Q10: What is the official state dish of Texas?
Answer: Chili con carne
It was named in 1977.

Tex-Mex Food Trivia – Born on the Border

Tex-Mex is a regional American cuisine that grew from the cooking of Tejanos, Texans of Mexican descent. It blends Mexican traditions with ingredients common in the United States, such as yellow cheese, beef, wheat flour and cumin.

San Antonio's chili queens sold chili con carne in public plazas in the 1800s, and vaqueros cooked skirt steak that became fajitas. Nachos were invented in Piedras Negras by Ignacio Anaya in 1943, and puffy tacos and queso became Texas favorites.

Food writer Diana Kennedy helped show how Tex-Mex differs from regional Mexican cooking. Today, Tex-Mex is celebrated in its own right, and chili con carne is the official state dish of Texas.

What This Quiz Teaches

Food lovers and travelers will enjoy these questions.

Who invented nachos
Who the chili queens were
Where fajitas came from
What makes Tex-Mex different
What Texas's state dish is

Did You Know?

Frito pie is a Tex-Mex favorite.
Breakfast tacos are an Austin staple.
Chimichangas are Arizona-born.
Combination plates feature rice and beans.
Margaritas are often paired with Tex-Mex.