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Mexican cuisine fires on many of the culinary cylinders that drive restaurant traffic these days. It can be bold-flavored, exotic without being threatening and even comfort food to some.
But Mexican cuisine as Americans tend to know it has evolved north of the border, with regional differences ranging from the brightly flavored fish tacos of California-Mexican cuisine to homey and rich dishes, such as the chile con carne and Frito pie of Tex-Mex.
Some dishes commonly thought of as being Mexican, in fact, likely originated in the United States. Food historians believe burritos were invented by migrant workers somewhere between Los Angeles and Tucson, Ariz., who wrapped beans in flour tortillas to take into the fields. Flour tortillas have long been the wrapper of choice in Texas and the Mexican states just south of the Rio Grande River. Corn tortillas are more common further south.
Burritos don't traditionally contain rice, either. That addition was made in San Francisco's Mission District, where Steve Ells sampled them and fashioned a menu around them at his Chipotle Mexican Grill chain.
Meanwhile, Arizona claims to be the state in which burritos were first deep-fried, creating the chimichanga.
Residents of New Mexico also have had a hand in shaping Mexican food as we know it in the States. New Mexico, in fact, has an official state question related to its distinctive Mexican-style cuisine: "Red or green?"
The question refers to the two chile sauces that can top dishes in the state. One is prepared with the completely ripe, usually sweeter red chiles, while the other is made with the generally spicier, earthier greens.
Green chile also can refer to a stew similar to...