The Telltale Sign That You Might Not Be Dining At A Traditional Mexican Restaurant

Authenticity can be a complicated subject when it comes to food. You may have heard about how, say, fortune cookies and egg rolls were invented in America, which is true; But they were, by all accounts, first created by Asian Americans — not by sinister businessmen sitting in a boardroom in front of a PowerPoint titled "Five-Year Plan to Corrupt Chinese Cuisine." These dishes may not be authentically Chinese, but they are authentically Chinese American. Similarly, Mexican-inspired Tex-Mex cuisine is a proud regional icon, distinct from Mexican food yet still in conversation with it; It is by no means of lesser quality than Mexican food. That said, if you're looking for the genuine article, be on the lookout for yellow cheese — especially cheddar. If you find it, that could be a sign you're eating a regional hybrid — not authentic Mexican fare.

As for the signs you're dining at a Mexican-adjacent restaurant, Mexican cookbook author Yvette Marquez stresses that it isn't a matter of quality. "I grew up in El Paso, which doesn't really fall into Tex-Mex," she explained to The Takeout. "It's practically in Mexico, and the food there is rooted in the flavors of Northern Mexico, where cheeses like asadero, Chihuahua, and menonita are common. Longhorn and colby are also popular, especially in border towns." While all cheese deserves a seat at the table, it's worth looking out for what variety a restaurant uses, if only for your own edification.

Iliana de la Vega, the James Beard award-winning chef behind the Austin-based restaurant El Naranjo, sets the record straight on what kinds of cheese she uses for her dishes. "In traditional Mexican restaurants, we use queso fresco, queso panela, [and] queso Oaxaca," she told The Takeout, adding, "We do not use yellow American cheese."

Queso fresco (which literally means "fresh cheese") comes from the Mexican state of Jalisco. Usually made from the milk of cows or goats (or even both at once), it's a salty, crumbly cheese that's a little like feta. Queso panela and Oaxaca cheese are both soft, mild, and fresh — similar to Indian paneer and Italian mozzarella, respectively; You'll commonly find them shredded in a taco or topping enchiladas. (In recent years, Oaxaca cheese has been getting the recognition it deserves.) The other cheeses you might uncover include manchego, a semi-soft cheese from Spain; asadero, another Mexican cheese similar to mozzarella string cheese; and cotija, a firm cow's milk cheese that's akin to Parmesan. Of course, there's nothing wrong with cheddar in your taco, but there's a whole world of other cheese to experience, too.