Cuisine of the Southwestern United States

The cuisine of the Southwestern United States is food styled after the cooking of the Oasisamerican Native Americans, Hispanos of New Mexico, caballero, cowboys, hillbillies, and Mexican Americans.

One such style within the Southwest is New Mexican cuisine, named after the state of New Mexico and the Southwest's historical naming convention of Nuevo México. It is most popular in the states of New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, Southern Nevada and Utah. This cuisine is known for its use of New Mexico chile; the majority of the crop is grown in Hatch, New Mexico. A hallmark of New Mexican cuisine is smothering dishes with either red chile, green chile, or both (a combination referred to as "Christmas"). Beyond chiles, it incorporates flavors such as piñon, and dishes such as breakfast burritos, biscochitos, and sopapillas. Another popular variety is the Tejano foods from Texan cuisine, called Tex-Mex, which includes dishes like fajitas and from Texan barbecue. Additionally, parts of Arizona’s Southwestern cuisine are often called Sonoran, named after the Mexican state of Sonora and the Sonoran Desert that covers a third of the state, and include dishes like Sonoran hot dogs.

A number of casual dining and fast food restaurants specializing in Southwestern cuisine have become popular in the United States. Several brands specialize in Southwestern foods for grocers.

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