Food and Migration: Towards a Definition of Border Cooking

Abstract

When we think about border food from northern Mexico, the first thing that comes to most people is Tex Mex food or a food with no definite flavor or personality. In other papers I tried to illustrate that the food of the border has a unique and very special flavor, influenced not only by the food of the U.S, but more likely by the food of southern and central Chihuahua. We also tried to identify the problems that climate and soil conditions have created in the preparation, conservation and presentation of border food. Still, for a lot of people, border food has little or no impact on the overall map of Mexican cooking disallowing residents from central Mexico to understand that border cooking gets its originality not only from its own experience but also from the way that it has opened its arms to other cuisines. This influence ranges from inside Mexico to the big role that constant immigration from other countries has impacted the way that the border eats. The main purpose of this paper is to acknowledge the presence of Chi­nese, Lebanese and Spanish communities in the area and their possible contributions to border cooking.