Food to Savor in Southwestern United States Dining Tours

Enjoying a food tour through the US Southwest is not a excursion for the faint of heart. The Southwest is filled with cuisine that is as simple to prepare as it is flavorful – as full of hot ingredients as it is filled with the freshest vegetables. If you're looking for a food tour in the US Southwest, don't expect to stop in a large Mexican restaurant with thousands of fillings for chimichangas. In fact, don’t limit the Southwest and categorize it all under one blanket, because you are in for a gustatory awakening.

Southwestern cuisine can actually be categorized up into hybrids of various cuisines. Border cuisine, sometimes playfully referred to as South of the Border, might be more toward your local Mexican restaurant fare, with some menu items flavored mildly to suit a wider range of tastes. We also have Tex-Mex cuisine, a blend of Texan and Mexican, heavy on the meats and spices. There is also the fresh, corn-rich American Indian flavors, the richer and hotter Mexican dishes, and even nueva Latina, a modern version of Southwestern cuisine that is springing up in various places across the Southwestern states.

If you are going on a Southwestern Food tour, then you'll surely pass by the Lone Star State, and get a whiff of huge Texan meats and steaks. You'll go cross Kansas, where you may sink your teeth into rich corn breads and products. Nothing beats a tourist attractions in Kansas. You will visit Southern California and the Baja, where the burritos are spicy and the tamales are even hotter. You will discover yourself in New Mexico and Colorado, even parts of Oklahoma, and you'll find yourself lots of American Indian cuisine that is as old as the heritage but plenty flavorful, too!

It is no wonder, then, that the Southwest is often described as the godfather of all American cuisine, containing the roots of its indigenous cooking. Think about it: even before Jamestown and Plymouth Rock got their first taste of Europe, a whole lot was already cooking in these parts! A culinary tour through the Southwestern United States, therefore, is an excursion through history, where you can actually taste the meals that have been around for ages, and are testaments to tales long gone but never  forgotten.

So what should you discover? Look for blue, purple, or even red maize, all of which can be made into various tasty tortillas, among other things. You will also get a whole lot of spicy, so try for fire-roasted chilies, and various chili dishes that will make your mouth water immensely (and your eyes tear up, too!). You'll get meat grilled with mesquite, scenting the air with flavorful aromas. Whether you're drinking it all down with a pint of South of the Border beer, or a glass of European wine, you'll surely find something to look forward to in the US Southwest.

If you are scheduling a trip to the US Southwest on a culinary tour, there are many things that you will need to remember. First, since many of the dishes are spicy, you may need to check if you have any palate or health sensitivities with spicy foods. For example, if you have irritable bowel syndrome, then you may need to ease up on the peppers. You will also want to check with your tour group if the tour covers all the lodging and transportation, while you have to pick up the expense when you stop for meals. Don't forget to read the fine print and ask questions. Take the necessary precautions, and you can manager your Southwest US Culinary tour into a fantastic getaway.