In Texas, everything is big. The state is big, the hair is big, and of course, the food is big. If you’ve ever been to the Lone Star State you know just how appetizing the food is. Tex-Mex is something all its own — that ooey gooey queso, or Frito pie. Then there are the steak houses with every kind of cut you can imagine. And the barbecue! You can’t go to Texas without having brisket, ribs and pulled pork.
Jessica Dupuy, a fourth-generation Texan, decided to take us on a culinary tour of Texas through her new book United Tastes of Texas: Authentic Recipes From All Corners of the Lone Star State. Each chapter explores a different region of Texas, thoroughly going through Central, Coastal, East, South, and West Texas. The book also talks about the influences on Texan cuisine, brought to the Lone Star State from immigrants from Czechoslovakia, Germany, Mexico, and Spain. First Dupuy starts out with the history of each area, then she goes into the chefs and restaurants that made the food in Texas what it is today.
The book also features 125 recipes — Black-Eyed Peas, Skillet Cornbread, Shrimp Creole, Smoked Brisket, Smoked Tortilla Soup, and Chicken Fried Steak. So whether you’ve visited the state or not, are a native or recently relocated there, this book will tell you everything you need to know about the ingredients, the personalities, the regions and the dishes that make Texan cuisine one of the tastiest regional cuisines in the United States.
United Tastes of Texas: Authentic Recipes From All Corners of the Lone Star State, $17.11 at amazon.com.
