Chile con carne was first introduced to the American public at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair: a bowl of highly spiced beef in a rich red sauce laced with onions and cumin. From that point on, there was no stopping it, and soon chile parlors had sprung up across the country. The dish originated around San Antonio earlier in the 19th century, sold by colorfully dressed women known as chile queens; it constituted the centerpiece of a local style of cooking that eventually became known as Tex-Mex.
The cuisine resulted when immigrants from northern Mexico arrived in Texas, and, not finding all the ingredients they'd been accustomed to, made substitutions. Tortillas were concocted of supermarket flour rather than corn masa, yellow American cheese replaced white queso fresco, and instead of the complicated roster of chilies available to Mexican cooks, the new immigrants often made do with canned jalapeños and serranos. While goat and pig ruled back home, now there was cheap chicken and ground beef galore. As more newcomers arrived, the cuisine evolved, with many of its signature dishes—like fajitas, nachos, and chimichangas—being developed during the mid-20th century.
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