Taking a food tour through the US Southwest is not a trip for the easygoing. The Southwest is abundant with cuisine that is as simple to prepare as it is flavorful – as full of spicy 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 land in a big Mexican restaurant with a dizzying array of fillings for burritos. In fact, don’t limit the Southwest and categorize it all under one blanket, because you are in for a gustatory awakening.

Southwest cuisine can actually be summarized up into hybrids of different cuisines. Border cuisine, sometimes playfully referred to as South of the Border, might be more similar to your local Mexican restaurant fare, with some menu items flavored mildly to suit a wider range of palates. You 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 cuisine, the richer and hotter Mexican dishes, and even nueva Latina, a new version of Southwestern cuisine that is springing up in various places along the Southwestern states.

If you are going on a Southwestern Food trip, then you’ll surely pass by the Lone Star State, and get a hankering for large Texan meats and steaks. You’ll go through Kansas, where you can sink your teeth into rich corn breads and products. Nothing beats a Kansas travel. You will traverse 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 get yourself lots of American Indian cuisine that is as old as the hills but plenty flavorful, too!

It is no surprise, then, that the Southwest is traditionally described as the grandfather of all American cuisine, encompassing the roots of its indigenous cooking. Think about it: even before Boston and Salem got their first taste of Europe, a whole lot was already cooking in these parts! A food 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 stories long gone but never forgotten.

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

If you are scheduling a trip to the US Southwest on a food tour, there are many things that you will need to remember. First, because many of the dishes are spicy, you may want 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 chilies. You will also want to check with your tour planner if the tour covers all the lodging and transportation, while you have to pick up the check when you stop for food. Don’t forget to examine the fine print and ask questions. Take the necessary precautions, and you can turn your Southwest US Food tour into a great getaway.

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