As a native Texan/Houstonian, I rave about food in Texas. Yes, I admit I'm a little bit biased, but with all of our major, diverse cities, proximity to Mexico, and cowboy/southern background, there are so many different options for food.
Buc-ee's Beaver Nuggets
You know how you try the different snacks from convenience stores in other countries, this is practically the same thing 🤪 If you haven't heard of Buc-ee's, it's a massive gas station and convenience store with every snack you could possibly think of, clothes, home decor, some groceries, barbecue, and the cleanest bathrooms you'll ever use. Now this snack is not necessarily for everyone. It's basically just sugar (but honestly what sweet snack in Texas is not just sugar). Technically, beaver nuggets are puffed corn coated in a syrup made from brown sugar, butter, corn syrup, and vanilla. Like I said, it's not for everyone but it doesn't hurt to try!
Brisket
Honestly, you just have to try the barbecue in Texas. You can't go wrong with any of our smoked meats here. If you go into a traditional BBQ restaurant, you typically order in kind of a cafeteria-style way. You order a meat of choice based on weight (1/4 pound, 1/2 pound, whole pound) and then you choose whatever sides you want. Then, you obviously also have dessert options to choose from. They then charge based on weight of the meat and number of sides/desserts.
Big Red
Big Red is a soft drink that was created in Waco, Texas. It's bright red, just as the name suggests, and it's sugary. You can find this soda at stores, like HEB, Walgreens, and Lowe's, and at some restaurants (cough cough, get it at barbecue restaurants).
Dr. Pepper Shake from Whataburger
Dr. Pepper is a Texas staple. DP is another delicious soda that can be found at pretty much any convenience store, grocery store, or hardware store fridge. Have you ever heard of a DP shake, though? That's right! Whataburger (don't knock it, I know it's not for everyone but it's special for Texans) made a DP milkshake! It's not like a float, it's actually a Dr. Pepper flavored milkshake.
Breakfast Tacos
This is a must!! There's nothing like a fresh, homemade tortilla with scrambled eggs, bacon, cheese, and potatoes with a bit of salsa or chipotle sauce. You can find breakfast tacos all over Texas!
Tex-Mex/Mexican Food
You can't go to Texas without eating Tex-Mex. There are just too many things to eat at a Mexican or Tex-Mex restaruant in Texas. You can't go wrong with fajitas, enchiladas, tacos, or nachos! You also can't leave the restaurant without ordering queso and a margarita also!
Chicken Fried Steak
If you haven't noticed already, a lot of these foods are pretty unhealthy. This one is quite possibly the worst of them all. It just happens to be delicious though. Chicken fried steak is a piece of tenderized beef that is breaded and cooked like fried chicken. It's usually topped with white gravy and comes with a side of mashed potatoes and green beans. It's not found at every restaurant, I'd say it's usually on the menu of country cookin' kind of places.
King Ranch Casserole
King Ranch chicken casserole is pretty rare to find in my experience. It's like a deconstructed enchilada in casserole form. It's corn tortillas, chicken, onions, chiles, cream, and cheese. It's sooooo so so good! King Ranch casserole is a Texan comfort food and whenever it's on a menu, you bet I'm ordering it.
Kolaches
You may have heard of Czech fruit kolaches, which is a bread-y kind of pastry holding fruit or cream cheese in the center. Those are delicious and can be found all over Texas, but a Texas kolache is even more popular. It's the same kind of bread-like pastry wrapped around some kind of meat, ususally a hot dog or a piece of link sausage, with cheese. Technically, this kind of kolache is called a koblasnik, but most places just call them sausage kolaches.
Frito Pie
Frito pie is another Texan comfort food. It's essentially chili and shredded cheese piled on top of regular Fritos. Whether you put beans in your chili or not, this dish is still so yummy and easy to make. Some people will even open a personal-sized bag of fritos and put the chili and cheese in the bag... less dishes and easy to eat with a fork!
If you're heading to Texas any time soon, or even if you're just trying to broaden your cuisine horizon, these are just some of the incredible Texas foods that you should try! If I have left an important one off the list or if you've tried one of these and have strong opinions on one, please let me know!
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