13 Dishes That Aren't Actually Mexican

    So you're totally convinced that your dinner last night was an original Mexican recipe? Think again.

    by
    Conz Preti
    by Conz Preti

    BuzzFeed Regional Director, Americas

    ,
    Norberto Briceño
    by Norberto Briceño

    BuzzFeed Staff

    1. Fajitas

    Flickr: sanctumsolitude

    Although delicious, its origin goes back to the mid 30s in Texas.

    2. Margaritas

    Flickr: samsmith

    Margaritas were first mentioned in My New Cocktail Book (1930) by G. F. Steele.

    3. Burritos

    bhofack2/bhofack2

    Although its origins go back to Ciudad Juarez during the Mexican Revolution, Los Angeles' El Cholo Spanish Cafe served the first restaurant-style burrito in the 1930s.

    4. Chimichangas

    Regina H. Boone/Detroit Free Press / MCT

    This deep-fried dish has roots in two places: Tucson and Phoenix, Arizona. Either way, neither one of them is Mexico.

    5. Taquitos

    Via commons.wikimedia.org

    In 1934, Aurora Guerrero served these fried tacos at her restaurant Cielito Lindo in Los Angeles.

    6. Hard Shell Tacos

    mikafotostok/mikafotostok / Via commons.wikimedia.org

    The recipe for hard shell tacos first appeared in the 1914 English language cookbook California Mexican-Spanish Cookbook.

    7. Nachos

    debstheleo/debstheleo

    Spontaneously made by Ignacio "Nacho" Anaya in the bordertown of Piedras Negras in Mexico, they were first served to the wives of U.S. Army officers during World War II.

    8. Queso

    MSPhotographic/MSPhotographic

    This authentically Texan dip was inspired from melted cheese dips in Chihuahua, Mexico.

    9. Rosca de Reyes

    Via commons.wikimedia.org

    This pastry commonly used to celebrate Los Tres Reyes Magos (Three Wise Men) on January 6. Although popular throughout Mexico and in hispanic communities in the U.S., this pastry is actually from Spain.

    10. Churros

    Via commons.wikimedia.org

    Churros actually go all the way back to Ancient China with a salty dish called youtiao. The Portuguese took this dish and introduced it to Europe, replacing the salt with sugar. Eventually, the Spaniards introduced the churro to Mexico during the Conquistador era.

    11. Tapatio Salsa Picante

    Via ebay.com

    The beloved Tapatio Salsa Picante with the iconic charro on the bottle is actually from Maywood, CA.

    12. Tostitos

    Dwight Burdette / Via commons.wikimedia.org

    These mandatory party pleasers were actually made by Frito-Lay in 1978.

    13. Taco Bell

    Via commons.wikimedia.org

    This one goes without saying.

    Correction: Links in the captions for #1 and #2 have been changed to more accurately credit sources.