Fajitas y Frijoles

Anyone who has ever eaten in a Mexican restaurant is familiar with fajitas.  They are a platter full of sizzling meats with peppers and onions, served with warm tortillas and a are a staple in any Mexican restaurant, anywhere you go.  They come in beef, chicken, shrimp or a combination thereof, as well as other meat and seafood combinations.  This is the modern version of fajitas.   The modern version is completely different than the traditional version.  Traditionally, fajitas are only made with skirt steak.  In Mexico, fajitas are known as arracheras.

Fajitas, or arracheras, are a true Tex-Mex creation, originating along the Rio Grande borders of Texas and Mexico, sometime between the 1930’s and the 1940’s.  They are a blending of the Texas cowboy and the Mexican panchero foods.  When the cowboys would process the steers for meet, they often gave the Mexican ranch workers meat as part of their…