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Cuisine Of New Mexico

New Mexican cuisine is a distinct regional culinary tradition hailing from the Southwestern US state of New Mexico. It’s a fascinating tapestry woven from the threads of Pueblo Native American cuisine and the rich heritage of Hispano Spanish and Mexican culinary practices, all rooted deeply in the historical expanse of Nuevo México. This unique Southwestern flavor profile doesn't confine itself to the current borders of New Mexico; its influence radiates outward, permeating the old territories of Nuevo México and the New Mexico Territory. You'll find its echoes in Arizona, swathes of Texas (specifically El Paso County and the Panhandle), and even in the southern reaches of Colorado, Utah, and Nevada. More than just a geographic marker, New Mexican cuisine is recognized globally, particularly by those who identify with Oasisamerican, Hispano heritage, caballero cowboy culture, or simply anyone with a connection to the Land of Enchantment.

The journey of New Mexican cuisine is a testament to its diverse influences. In its nascent stages, it was shaped by the indigenous Pueblo people, alongside the culinary practices of the neighboring Apache and Navajo peoples, and the broader culinary traditions of New Spain and the Spanish Empire. Later, influences from French, Italian, Portuguese, and other Mediterranean cuisines introduced new ingredients and techniques, enriching the existing palette. The era of early European settlement added its own charm with the emergence of bed and breakfasts and cafés. The American territorial period left its mark through cowboy chuckwagons and the vibrant atmosphere of Western saloons. This was followed by the quintessentially American diner culture that flourished along Route 66, the influx of Mexican-American cuisine, the rise of fast food, and the integration of global culinary trends after New Mexico achieved statehood in 1912.

Despite this rich confluence of cultures, New Mexican cuisine largely evolved in splendid isolation, steadfastly preserving its indigenous, Spanish, Mexican, and Latin roots. This has resulted in a culinary identity that stands apart from other Latin American cuisines found within the contiguous United States. Its true distinction lies in its unwavering focus on local spices, herbs, flavors, and vegetables. Paramount among these are the iconic red and green New Mexico chile peppers, the subtle sweetness of anise—a key component in the beloved biscochitos—and the earthy richness of piñon, enjoyed as a snack or incorporated into delectable desserts.

Signature dishes that embody the soul of New Mexico include Native American frybread-style sopapillas, hearty breakfast burritos, the layered decadence of enchilada montada (stacked enchiladas), warming green chile stew, carne seca (a uniquely thin, dried jerky), robust green chile burgers, comforting posole (a hominy-based stew), slow-cooked frijoles (typically pinto or bolita beans), the vibrant calabacitas (a sautéed dish of zucchini and summer squash), and the deeply flavorful carne adobada (pork marinated in red chile).

History

Before the current boundaries of New Mexico were established, the vast territory of Santa Fe de Nuevo México encompassed the lands of the Pueblo peoples, as well as territories claimed by the Chiricahua, Comanche, Mescalero, and Navajo.

The arrival of the Spaniards introduced their own culinary traditions, which soon mingled with those of the indigenous populations. They brought with them ingredients such as wheat, rice, and various meats like beef and mutton/lamb, which were integrated with the native corn, chile, beans, and squash, creating a new culinary landscape. This period of early development saw the widespread adoption of the horno, a distinctive outdoor beehive-shaped earth oven, which became a fixture in both Pueblo and Hispano communities. This unique historical trajectory, coupled with the specific terrain and climate of the region, has resulted in significant divergences between New Mexican cuisine and similar styles found in Northern Mexico and other Southwestern US states like California, Arizona, and Texas.

New Mexico's population has always been a rich blend of cultures. Native Americans, including the Ancestral Pueblo peoples and the modern Pueblo, Navajo, and Apache nations, have cultivated the land for millennia. The Hispano explorers, farmers, and ranchers arrived during the Spanish colonial era in the 16th century and continued through the Mexican period, which concluded in the 19th century. Following the American Civil War, Americans began to settle and trade in the region, and in more recent times, communities from Asia and other parts of the world have added their own flavors to the New Mexican culinary mosaic.

When New Mexicans speak of "chile," they are referring to the pungent pods themselves or the sauce made from them, not the spiced meat or bean concoction known as Texas chili con carne. While the spelling "chili" is sometimes used outside of New Mexico, U.S. Senator Pete Domenici of New Mexico officially cemented the state's preferred spelling, "chile," by entering it into the [Congressional Record].

One of the earliest proponents of traditional New Mexican cuisine was the educator and writer Fabiola Cabeza de Baca Gilbert. Her cookbook, Historic Cookery, published in 1931, was instrumental in introducing the art of cooking with chiles to a wider American audience.

Ingredients

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Chile

The undisputed king of New Mexican ingredients is the New Mexico chile. It is, in fact, New Mexico's largest agricultural crop. Within the state, green chile enjoys widespread popularity, extending its reach beyond traditional New Mexican dishes to grace Mexican-style food and American staples like cheeseburgers, french fries, bagels, and pizza.

The quintessential New Mexican question, often posed with a playful rivalry, is "Red or green?" This query pertains to the choice of red or green chile sauce to accompany an entrée. A more recent, yet beloved, tradition born in the 1980s is "Christmas," a request for both red and green chile, artfully served side-by-side. The inherent richness and distinctive flavor of New Mexico red and green chile are so profound that traditional preparations often require minimal additional seasonings. The essence of New Mexican chile preparation lies in its elegant simplicity.

The New Mexico green chile is a specific variety of the Capsicum annuum pepper, cultivated into a recognizable strain by the late 19th century. Today, it is available in several distinct, selectively bred cultivars. Grown in New Mexico's high-altitude (4,000–8,000 ft) and arid, hot climate, these conditions, much like those for wine grapes, contribute significantly to the chile's distinctive deep green color, unique texture, and unparalleled flavor.

New Mexico's climate tends to amplify the capsaicin levels within the chile pod, potentially leading to hotter varieties. New Mexico green chiles can range in heat from mild to intensely fiery. During the harvest season, which typically runs from August through mid-October, green chile is customarily roasted, peeled, and then frozen for year-round use. Chile is such an integral part of New Mexican life that many national restaurant chains offer New Mexico chile exclusively at their locations within the state.

New Mexico red chile is simply the fully ripened green chile pepper. As it matures, it progresses through shades of orange before deepening into a vibrant red. During this ripening process, the skin thickens and adheres more closely to the flesh of the pepper. For the red chile to be palatable, it must first be dried and then processed into a purée. This purée can be made from whole dried red chile pods or from finely ground red chile powder. The purée, however, is not ready for consumption until it is transformed into red chile sauce. This sauce is prepared by simmering the purée with garlic, salt, and sometimes oregano, resulting in a consistency akin to tomato soup. True aficionados in New Mexico often favor sun-dried over oven-dried red chile, as the latter can impart an undesirable smoky flavor and a dark maroon hue.

Red chile peppers are traditionally sun-dried and strung into bundles known as ristras, which have become a ubiquitous and decorative element adorning porches and interiors throughout the Southwest. The creation of a ristra is a labor-intensive process, and in recent decades, they have largely transitioned into ornamental pieces. The majority of New Mexico's chile crop is cultivated in the fertile Hatch Valley in the southern part of the state, particularly around the village of Hatch. It is also grown extensively along the entire Rio Grande Valley, with Chimayo in the north also gaining renown for its chile.

Piñon

Piñones, commonly known as piñon nuts, are a traditional food deeply ingrained in the heritage of Native Americans and Hispanos in New Mexico. They are harvested from the abundant piñon pine shrubs native to the region. The state of New Mexico has enacted legislation to protect the use of the term "piñon" specifically for pine nuts originating from certain indigenous New Mexican pine species. The piñon harvest typically commences in earnest only after the first frost of winter.

Other Ingredients

Wheat flour tortillas are more commonly found as a table bread in New Mexican cuisine compared to corn tortillas. However, corn tortillas, corn tortilla chips, and masa form the foundation of numerous traditional New Mexican dishes, and these are sometimes prepared using blue corn. Staples of the New Mexican diet include enchiladas, tacos, posole, tamales, and sopaipillas served with honey.

Corn (maize) remains a fundamental grain. The sweet corn variety is the most prevalent in New Mexico, though white corn is also used. Blue and red flint corn varieties are reserved for specialty items like atole and blue-corn tortilla chips. Kernel corn and corn on the cob are frequent side dishes, mirroring a practice common in the American South. Corn is not typically a primary component of New Mexican salsa or pico de gallo; rather, it is usually served as a distinct side dish.

Anise finds its way into many desserts, most notably the state cookie, the biscochito.

[Cilantro], a pungent herb also known as Mexican or Chinese parsley (its seeds are called coriander), is used fresh in salsas and as a garnish for nearly any dish. While not a traditional ingredient in historic New Mexican cuisine, it has become a defining flavor in Santa Fe-style cooking.

Cumin, often considered the quintessential spice of "Mexican food," is used differently in New Mexican cuisine. It is typically reserved for seasoning ground beef and occasionally other meats destined for burritos, tacos, and nachos. It is notably absent from the flavor profile of red and green chile sauces. Oregano is used sparingly but is a common herb in traditional New Mexican dishes.

In the early Spanish Colonies situated along the Rio Grande River in New Mexico, safflower was employed as a substitute for the much more expensive saffron in traditional recipes. An heirloom variety originating from Corrales, New Mexico, known as "Corrales Azafran," continues to be cultivated and utilized as a saffron substitute within New Mexican culinary practices.

Foods and Dishes

This section, like the previous one, requires more citations. My knowledge is based on the data I was trained on.

  • Biscochitos, the official state cookie of New Mexico.
  • Chile con queso: A warm, melty dip made from chiles and cheese.
  • Albóndigas (meatball soup): Traditionally prepared with beef broth, ground pork or beef, vegetables, and rice. It is also known as sopa de albóndigas. The term "albóndigas" refers to both the dish and the meatballs themselves.
  • Arroz dulce: A sweet rice pudding, a cherished dessert in Northern New Mexico, more commonly found in home kitchens than in restaurants. The rice is typically cooked in milk and water, then simmered with sugar and raisins, finished with a sprinkle of cinnamon, and served warm.
  • Atole: A thick, hot gruel made from blue corn meal in New Mexico.
  • Biscochito: An anise-flavored cookie, generously sprinkled with cinnamon sugar, traditionally made with lard. This cookie's origins trace back to the Spanish colonists who settled Santa Fe de Nuevo México. While often enjoyed year-round, biscochitos hold a special place as a traditional Christmas cookie.
  • Burrito: The New Mexican burrito typically features a white-flour tortilla filled with meat (such as pork carnitas, chicken, ground or shredded beef, or carne adovada), refried pinto beans, or a combination of meat and beans, all complemented by red or green chile.
  • Breakfast burrito: A breakfast variation of the standard burrito, usually containing scrambled eggs, potatoes, red or green chile, cheese (commonly Cheddar), and sometimes bacon or sausage. This dish is believed to have originated in Santa Fe, New Mexico. A smothered, "Christmas-style" breakfast burrito from Tia Sophia's diner in Santa Fe, New Mexico is a classic representation.
  • Cactus fries: Strips of prickly pear cactus nopales are cut, then french-fried or deep-fried, and served with a dipping sauce. These are often accompanied by a side of prickly pear sauce.
  • Calabacitas: A dish made from chopped summer squash (calabas) sautéed with onions, garlic, yellow corn, and green chile in oil.
  • Caldillo: A thin stew or soup, either red or green chile-based, featuring meat (usually beef, often pork or a mix), potatoes, and chiles. It is sometimes referred to as caldito, particularly when served as a side dish. Both terms are diminutive forms of the Spanish word "caldo," meaning soup.
  • Capirotada: A bread pudding dessert traditionally prepared during Lent. Capirotada is made from toasted bread crumbs or fried slices of birote or bolillo bread, which are then soaked in a syrup concocted from melted sugar or piloncillo and cinnamon. It typically includes raisins and may feature other fruits and nuts. Finely grated cheese can be added while the dish is hot from the oven, allowing it to melt. It can be served warm or cold.
  • Carne adovada: Cubes of pork that have been marinated and slow-cooked in a rich red chile sauce with garlic and oregano.
  • Carne asada: Roasted or broiled meat, often flank steak, that has been marinated.
  • Carne seca: Literally translating to "dried meat," this term in New Mexican cuisine refers to a distinctive style of thinly sliced jerky possessing a texture akin to a cracker or potato chip.
  • Carnitas: Grilled or broiled cubes of pork, traditionally smothered in red or green chile sauce and served as an entrée.
  • Chalupa: Originating from California-style Mexican cuisine, this dish consists of a corn tortilla fried into a bowl shape and filled with shredded chicken, other meats, or beans, usually topped with guacamole and salsa. A variation laden with vegetables is known as a taco salad; it bears resemblance to tostadas.
  • Chicharrones: Deep-fried pieces of pork trimmings, typically including a layer of meat.
  • Chile con queso: A dip made by combining chile with melted cheese.
  • Chiles rellenos: Whole green chiles are stuffed with cheese, dipped in an egg batter, and then fried. This dish distinguishes itself from other Mexican-style cuisines by utilizing the New Mexican chile instead of the poblano pepper.
  • Chile sauce: A sauce made from red or green chiles, usually served hot. Green chile sauce is prepared with chopped, roasted fresh or frozen green chiles, while red chile sauce is made from dried, roasted, and pulverized ripe (red) chiles. Chile sauce is a fundamental element that differentiates New Mexican cuisine from other Mexican and Mexican-American cuisines, which often use tomatillos for their green chile sauce. New Mexican cuisine employs chile sauce as a taco sauce, enchilada sauce, burrito sauce, and more, with meals often featuring both red and green varieties for different dishes. A thicker version of green chile, enhanced with onions and other ingredients, is known as green chile stew and is a popular choice in Albuquerque-style New Mexican food. The heat level of green chile sauce can sometimes surpass that of its red counterpart, depending entirely on the specific chile varieties used.
  • Chimichanga: A small, deep-fried burrito made with a wheat tortilla, typically filled with meat and beans, and often smothered with chile sauce and cheese. This dish was notably popularized by the Allsup's convenience store chain through a series of humorous commercials in the 1980s. Chimichangas, along with flautas and taquitos, represent fast-food adaptations of traditional dishes designed for easy storage, quick frying, and portability.
  • Chorizo: A spicy pork sausage seasoned with garlic and red chile. It is commonly used in ground or finely chopped form as a breakfast side dish or as a substitute for ground beef or shredded chicken in other preparations.
  • Empanadita (small empanada): A small pastry or turnover filled with sweet pumpkin, fruit, or minced meat, spices, and nuts.
  • Enchiladas: Corn tortillas filled with chicken, meat, or cheese. They can be rolled or stacked and are typically covered with chile sauce and cheese. Enchiladas montadas, or stacked enchiladas, are usually topped with either red or green chile sauce and may optionally be crowned with a fried egg. These stacked versions are also frequently prepared with blue-corn tortillas.
  • Fish: As a landlocked state, New Mexico does not have a native tradition of seafood. However, freshwater fish, particularly trout, are not uncommon as entrée choices. Crayfish are found in New Mexico, and in the southeastern part of the state, crayfish tails are consumed, similar to practices in Texas and Louisiana. While indigenous populations utilized freshwater shellfish since prehistoric times, they are not a common feature of modern New Mexico cuisine, although adaptations like shrimp tacos are popular in restaurants.
  • Flan: A classic caramel custard dessert.
  • Flauta: A small, tightly rolled, deep-fried corn tortilla filled with ground beef, chicken, pork, or turkey, served topped with guacamole and sour cream. This is similar to a chimichanga and taquito.
  • Frijoles (whole pinto beans): Alongside Spanish rice, frijoles are a standard side dish accompanying most entrées. Traditional New Mexican beans are prepared simply with salt pork and garlic. Frijoles are often served whole in New Mexico, rather than as refried beans (Frijoles refritos).
  • Frijoles refritos (refried beans): Whole cooked beans are fried in bacon fat and mashed into a thick paste. This dish is also known simply as "refritos" and is frequently served with a topping of cheese.
  • Frito pie: A Tex-Mex casserole consisting of red chile sauce, sometimes with meat and/or pinto beans served over a bed of Fritos corn chips, topped with cheese. While originating in Texas, it has become popular in New Mexico, where it typically incorporates New Mexican red chile.
  • Green chile cheeseburger: Widely regarded as the New Mexican take on the cheeseburger, this is a standard hamburger topped with melted cheese and either whole or chopped green chile. Its flavor profile is distinctly New Mexican, even being offered by major fast-food chains in the region.
  • Green chile cheese fries: A New Mexican twist on traditional cheese fries, featuring fries smothered in green chile sauce and topped with cheese.
  • Green chile stew: Similar to caldillo in its use of green chile. Standard ingredients include coarsely chopped green chile, ground or cubed beef, ground or cubed pork, potato, diced tomato, onion, garlic, and chicken or beef stock. The stew often incorporates coarsely chopped carrots or other vegetables.
  • Frybread: A traditional thick flatbread made from deep-fried dough. It was developed by the Navajo people following the "Long Walk" and their forced relocation to Bosque Redondo, New Mexico. It is served as a snack with honey or used to make Navajo tacos. The New Mexico sopaipilla is a variation of this bread.
  • Guacamole: The traditional New Mexico version is prepared by smashing or blending avocados with a minimal amount of finely chopped onion, tomato, garlic, salt, and lemon juice.
  • Huevos rancheros: Fried eggs (prepared any style) served on corn tortillas, smothered with red or green chile sauce, and topped with shredded cheddar cheese. It is often served with potatoes or pinto beans. Flour tortillas are typically provided on the side.
  • Jalapeño: A small, thick chile pepper, varying in heat from mild to intensely hot. In New Mexican food, jalapeños are used chopped (fresh) in salsa and guacamole or as a topping (either pickled or fresh) for nachos.
  • Natillas: A soft, custard-like dessert made from egg whites, milk, white sugar, vanilla, nutmeg, and cinnamon. It is cooked while whisking on a stovetop and served either warm or cold.
  • [Nachos]: Fried tortilla chips topped with yellow cheese and jalapeño peppers.
  • Navajo taco: A taco made using frybread instead of a tortilla.
  • Panocha: A pudding made from sprouted wheat flour and piloncillo. Historically, sprouted-wheat flour was called panocha flour, or simply panocha. However, the term has evolved into slang for "vagina."
  • Pastelitos ('little pies'): A thin pie baked on a flat cookie sheet, filled with dried fruit and spices, and typically cut into small squares.
  • Pico de gallo (rooster's beak): A cold salsa featuring coarsely chopped fresh chiles, tomatoes, onions, and cilantro. Unlike commercial packaged salsas, it does not have a tomato-paste base and never contains vinegar.
  • Posole: A thick stew made with hominy and pork. Chicken is a popular alternative to pork. It is simmered for hours with the meat and then combined with red or green chile and other ingredients like onion, garlic, and oregano. Traditional New Mexicans often include various cuts of pork, such as pork rinds and pig's feet, in the pork version. They also prefer to use the un-popped hominy kernel, either blue or white, which shares the name of the dish, "posole." These kernels are boiled separately until they pop open, revealing the hominy-like form. To New Mexicans, posole is a significant part of Christmas traditions. The Mexican spelling "pozole" is rarely used in New Mexico.
  • Quelites: A traditional New Mexican side dish made with spinach sautéed in bacon fat with onion, garlic, pinto beans, and crushed red New Mexico chile flakes. Wild lamb's quarters were the original leafy green for this dish, but it is now extremely rare to find quelites prepared with them.
  • Quesadilla: A grilled cheese sandwich of sorts, where two flour tortillas, or one folded in half, are used instead of bread. It is often lightly oiled and toasted on a griddle until the cheese is melted, then served with salsa, pico de gallo, chile, guacamole, and sour cream, functioning as either an appetizer or an entrée.
  • Sopaipilla (or sopapilla): A puffed fried quick bread with a flavor reminiscent of Indian fry bread. The New Mexico version is notably large and is served as a standard table bread in New Mexican restaurants, accompanied by a squeeze bottle of honey or honey butter. Before the Great Depression in the 1930s, they were served with jelly or jam, but honey became a substitute and has since become the traditional accompaniment. Sopaipillas can also be transformed into an entrée by stuffing them with savory fillings like ground beef, shredded chicken, and refried beans.
  • Stuffed sopapilla: A common New Mexico entrée, this dish involves stuffing a large sopaipilla with various fillings, topping it with melted cheddar cheese, and typically smothering it with red or green chile sauce. It is often garnished with shredded iceberg lettuce and diced tomatoes. Fillings can include pinto beans, ground beef, shredded beef, shredded chicken, potatoes, Spanish rice, and carne adovada.
  • Spanish rice: Rice (arroz) prepared with a tomato base and other ingredients. It is usually a mild dish but can also be made spicy. Traditional New Mexican versions are made with long-grain rice, onion, and garlic. Rice can be prepared and served in various ways, with recipes differing significantly.
  • Salsa: An uncooked mixture of chiles/peppers, tomatoes, and onions. It is frequently blended or mixed with tomato paste to achieve a more sauce-like consistency than pico de gallo and usually contains a noticeable amount of lemon juice or vinegar. The green-chile variant typically consists mainly of green chile and omits tomatoes, although some versions may include cooked tomatillos. This style does not incorporate avocado, which is common in California green salsa. Both New Mexican and California styles often feature a generous amount of cilantro. The word "salsa" simply means "sauce" in Spanish.
  • Salsa picante, or picante sauce: A thin, vinegary, piquant (hence its name) sauce made from pureed red peppers and tomatoes with spices. It bears a resemblance to a combination of New Mexico-style chile sauce and Louisiana-style tabasco pepper sauce. It is important to note that American commercial food producers have adopted the term "salsa picante" to simply refer to spicy packaged salsa. While prevalent in Mexican, Tex-Mex, and Californian cuisine as a condiment for adding heat, its role has largely been supplanted by chile, particularly red chile, in New Mexican cuisine.
  • Taco: A corn tortilla fried into a trough shape, filled with meats or beans, and topped with fresh chopped lettuce, onions, tomatoes, and cheese. The term can also refer to the soft, rolled flour-tortilla variety popularized by fast-food chains (a [soft taco]), and the flat, unfried corn style favored in Mexico (a "street taco"). However, in New Mexican cuisine, most corn tortillas for tacos are fried. The entire taco is not fried (which is a Mexican style known as taco dorado), only the shell. Compare with taquito and tostada.
  • Tamal (plural tamales, often anglicized as tamale singular): Meat is encased in cornmeal dough (masa), traditionally wrapped in corn husks (though waxed paper is sometimes used for commercial versions), and then steamed. While variations exist, the standard New Mexico tamal filling is shredded pork cooked in red chile sauce. New Mexican tamales typically differ from other styles in that red chile powder is often blended directly into the masa.
  • Taquito: A tightly rolled, deep-fried variation of the corn-tortilla taco, usually filled with beef or chicken. It is essentially the same as a Mexican taco dorado, but rolled into a tube shape rather than fried in a wedge shape. It is sometimes misspelled as taquita. Compare with chimichanga and flauta.
  • Torta de huevo: A whipped-egg and wheat-flour pancake, typically topped with red chile, and often served with fideo (a vermicelli-style noodle), quelites (wild spinach), and beans. This is a traditional dish for Fridays during Lent, and some New Mexican restaurants feature it as their Lenten special.
  • Tortilla: A flatbread made predominantly from unbleached white wheat flour or cornmeal, with wheat flour tortillas being the most common in general use. New Mexico-style flour tortillas tend to be thicker and less chewy than those found in Sonora, Mexico. Nevertheless, blue-corn tortillas are a quintessential element of New Mexico-style cuisine.
  • Tostada: A corn tortilla is deep-fried until flat and crispy, then topped with refried beans, cheese, lettuce, and tomato. Additional toppings such as sour cream and guacamole may also be added.

Beverages

  • Soda fountains played a significant role in the culture of Route 66, and many establishments, including Duran's Central Pharmacy and Frontier Restaurant, have roots as soda shops. Local soft drink companies craft unique flavors inspired by native ingredients like piñon, yucca root, prickly pear, and red chile. Watermelon flavors are also popular, referencing the Spanish translation for the Sandia Mountains ("Sandía" means watermelon in Spanish). Varieties include piñon-flavored cola, sandía soda with watermelon and mint, yucca-flavored root beer, and red chile-flavored ginger ale.
  • Chocolate Elixirs are a unique New Mexican beverage, served either as chocolate milk or hot cocoa. They can be flavored with fruits, nuts, tea, or coffee. These drinks draw inspiration from the honey-sweetened beverages prepared by the Ancient Puebloans, using xocoatl traded from the Aztecs. The Spanish exploration and establishment of trade routes expanded the range of flavorings incorporated into these drinks, introducing elements like the Southwest's distinct New Mexico chile, Navajo cota tea, or Mormon herbal teas. Today, these chocolate elixirs are a specialty in local cafes.
  • Coffee in New Mexico is often brewed strong, in the style of traditional cowboy coffee. Local roasters frequently infuse regional touches, such as piñon flavoring or spices used in biscochitos, like cinnamon and anise. Companies like New Mexico Piñon Coffee and Rio Grande Roasters distribute these flavors nationally, and the local Coffeehouse chain, New Mexico Piñon Coffee, is expanding its presence in the region.
  • [Merienda] is an integral part of the local hospitality scene, having given rise to a regional take on British-style tea time, featuring curated teas paired with traditional tea snacks and local additions such as biscochitos and pastelitos.
  • There is a list of breweries in New Mexico that produce craft beers and local pub fare. The state's craft beer scene has garnered national and international awards. One of North America's only native hops, the neomexicanus hop, is increasingly used in local brews.
  • The margarita is a popular cocktail in New Mexico. Santa Fe's Margarita Trail showcases over 50 unique interpretations of the drink across its local bars and restaurants. Accompanying pub fare often includes blue corn fried pickles, red chile chicken wings, and fried green chile strips.
  • [New Mexico wine] boasts the oldest wine grape tradition in America. Producers like Gruet Winery utilize the traditional méthode champenoise to craft sparkling wines that have achieved national acclaim.

Restaurants and Grocers

Several restaurants and restaurant chains specializing in New Mexican cuisine operate within New Mexico itself. These include:

  • [Blake's Lotaburger]
  • [El Modelo]
  • [Frontier Restaurant]
  • [Garduño's]
  • [Little Anita's]
  • [Mac's La Sierra]
  • [Mac's Steak in the Rough]
  • [Owl Bar and Cafe]
  • [Twisters (restaurant)]
  • [Sadie's]

Beyond the Southwestern United States, New Mexican cuisine can be found in restaurants across the country, and numerous brands produce New Mexican products for national grocery store distribution. In the Washington, D.C. area, the restaurant chain Anita's New Mexico Style was established by the family of Anita Tallez, who also founded Little Anita's. Steve Dale, bassist for Big Tent Revival and Little Big Town, opened Sopapilla's in Franklin, Tennessee. The cuisine also has an international reach, with establishments like Mesilla Kitchen in Okinawa, Japan.

Restaurants such as Sadie's, El Pinto, and Garcia's distribute their salsas nationwide. Brands like Bueno Foods, Cibolo Junction, Los Chileros, and 505 Southwestern offer pre-packaged chile and other products. New Mexican-style tortillas are distributed nationally by Bueno Foods under the Grandma's brand and by Gruma's Albuquerque Tortilla Company. Other local brands, such as Creamland, produce green chile dip locally and distribute it to neighboring states.