Recommended Sites
Home

Texas Cooking Schools

You'll find plenty of inventive new cuisine, especially in the major cities, but don't leave the state without sampling more typical Texas fare, including chicken-fried steak and chili. Of course, steak is also a big deal in cattle country. The Big Texan Steak Ranch in Amarillo has a 72-ounce steak on the menu.

Tex-Mex food is a favorite north-of-the-border variation of Mexican cuisine. The staples of Tex-Mex are fajitas, enchiladas and tacos -- any dish, basically, that includes tortillas, onions, chopped tomatoes and chili peppers and is served with rice and beans. Wash it down with margaritas or Mexican beer.

The Texas variation of barbecue is an absolute must. It consists of beef brisket, pork ribs and chops, sausage and chicken, either smoked or cooked over a flame. Authentic (basic) barbecue joints serve the meat on butcher block paper, accompanied by white bread, pickle and onion slices, beans and cole slaw.

German food is available in restaurants and bakeries in central Texas and the Hill Country. Czechs have also left their mark on Texas eating, most prominently with the kolache, a pastry filled with either fruit preserves or meat -- you may think it's a stuffed dinner roll.

Other Texas specialties include ice cream made with fresh peaches (in the spring and summer) and pecans (in the fall), fruitcakes (Corsicana's are world-famous), Pecos cantaloupes, Poteet strawberries, Frito pie (chili poured over a bed of Fritos corn chips), deep-fried catfish and Elgin hot sausage.

Texas has more than two-dozen wineries. Some produce internationally ranked vintages, and most of them give tours and tastings. Beer drinkers should try Shiner Bock, a Texas favorite made by the Spoetzl Brewery in the town of Shiner.

Texas Cooking Schools
To learn more, click on the "Request Information" link below next to the program you are interested in. There is no cost or obligation. Request information from as many schools as you like.