Adán Medrano draws a line between Texas Mexican and Tex-Mex

By AI, Created 1:03 PM UTC, May 16, 2026, /AGP/ – Houston food writer Adán Medrano says Texas Mexican cuisine and Tex-Mex are often confused, but differ in history, flavor and restaurant identity. His new cookbook argues the distinction matters because it preserves the culinary history of Native Mexican American families in Texas.

Why it matters: - Adán Medrano is pushing back on a common shorthand that flattens two distinct food traditions into one label. - The distinction affects how Texas Mexican culinary history is understood, especially for Native Mexican American families in Texas. - Medrano frames the issue as cultural documentation, not culinary criticism.

What happened: - Medrano explains the difference in his new cookbook, “The Texas Mexican Plant-Based Cookbook.” - He says Texas Mexican cuisine and Tex-Mex cuisine have different histories, flavor profiles and restaurant identities. - Medrano writes, “When I make this distinction, I do not disparage… Both are beloved by many, but they are in fact very different.”

The details: - Medrano groups the differences into three categories: history, flavor profile and signage. - Texas Mexican cuisine is described as the indigenous cooking of Native Mexican American families of Texas whose ancestors arrived and began cooking in what is now Texas 15,000 years ago. - Texas Mexican cooking favors ancient techniques such as roasting, boiling, steaming and drying. - Medrano cites dishes including nopalitos con huevo, caldo de res, capirotada, fideo, carne guisada, machacado and powdered shrimp croquettes during Lent. - Family cocineras/os call the food “Comida Casera,” or home-style cooking. - Texas Mexican restaurants use Mexican restaurant on exterior signage. - Tex-Mex is described as Texas restaurant cooking that became popular around the 1930s. - Medrano says Anglo-run restaurants began imitating the flavors of indigenous Texas Mexican food. - Tex-Mex favors deep fat frying. - Tex-Mex dishes build on Comida Casera but use more cumin and yellow cheese, often as a topping. - Medrano says Tex-Mex restaurants will not serve core Texas Mexican dishes such as caldo de res, nopalitos con huevo, fideo or machacado. - Tex-Mex restaurants prominently use the Tex-Mex label on signage, with examples such as Chuy’s Tex-Mex and Gringo’s Tex-Mex.

Between the lines: - The cookbook is also a statement about naming power. - Medrano appears to argue that restaurant labels shape what diners think the cuisine is, and who gets credit for it. - His plant-based approach suggests he is translating a traditional food culture for a wider contemporary audience without erasing its origins.

What’s next: - Medrano’s book adds to the effort to document Texas Mexican food history in a way that separates it from Tex-Mex branding. - The distinction could influence how chefs, restaurants and diners describe regional Mexican American food in Texas. - Medrano is also promoting the cookbook through social media and JM Communications contacts listed in the release.