Here are 9 foods, drinks you may not know originated in Texas
With Texas being the second largest state in the U.S., it's no surprise the Lone Star State is known for its tasty food including barbecue, tacos, and Whataburger.
You may also know about Texas icons such as Blue Bell ice cream and Lone Star Beer. But did you know some other famous foods and drinks originated from Texas?
Next time you're at the grocery store, consider adding these items to your shopping list.
Big Red
Big Red — you either love it or hate it.
The flavor is actually a vanilla cream soda with lemon and orange oils added for flavor.
The soft drink, originally known as Sun Tang Red Cream Soda, was created by Grover C. Thomsen and R.H. Roark in Waco in 1937. It has since spawned various flavors including Big Honey Lemonade, Big Blue and Big Pineapple.
Chili con carne
Chili con carne is the official state dish of Texas.
While the exact origins of the food are unknown — some say Mexico and some think Texas — the Tex-Mex meal is delicious.
A theory is that it was created in San Antonio during the 19th century as a simple stew sold by "chili queens" for a low cost. Another is the dish became popular after Texas prisoners recreated the meal after eating chili everyday while they were locked up. Either way, it's a tasty course you can't pass up.
Corn dogs
Did you know that everyone's favorite carnival treat, aside from funnel cake, came from Texas?
In the early 1900s, German immigrants moved into Texas and decided to roll their sausages in cornbread batter and deep-fry them. In 1938, brother Neil and Carl Fletcher came across a local baker in Dallas with a dish that looked like a hot dog baked in cornmeal in the shape of an ear of a corn.
Four years later at the State Fair of Texas, the Fletcher brothers added a stick to the end of the food item and sold them for $0.15. The rest, as they say, is history.
Dr Pepper
Dr Pepper is another uniquely flavored soda that was created, manufactured and sold in Waco in 1885.
Charles Alderton, a pharmacist at a local drug store, is believed to be the inventor of the soda. Spending most of his time mixing medicine for people, he also liked to serve drinks at the soda fountain. He liked the way the drug store smelled of fruit syrup and decided to create a drink that tasted like the scent.
After gaining popularity, the Artesian Mfg. & Bottling Company was formed in 1891. It later became the Dr Pepper Co.
Fajitas
The Tex-Mex culinary dish originates back to the 1930s in the ranch lands of South and West Texas.
During cattle roundups, cows were butchered regularly to feed the hands. Parts of the cow, including the hide, head, entrails and meat trimmings, were given to the Mexican vaqueros as part of the pay.
Fajitas then made a quantum leap to commercial sales in 1969. Today, it's a common dish at barbecue gatherings.
Fritos
Born in 1932, the Frito Co. came during the height of the Great Depression.
Charles Elmer Doolin wanted to add a salty snack to his family's repertoire. He responded to a listing in the San Antonio Express for the sale of an original recipe for fried corn chips. Doolin bought the business venture for $100 and began manufacturing the chips in his mother's kitchen.
The same year, the Doolin family began selling Fritos under the name of the Frito Corp. By 1955, the company had more than 50 plants, including ones in Denver and Venezuela. Ten years later, the company merged with the Pepsi-Cola Co.
Frozen margarita
It might surprise you, but frozen margaritas are not that old of an invention.
On May 11, 1971, Mariano Martinez pulled the lever on a repurposed soft-serve ice cream dispenser and filled a glass with the first frozen margarita in Dallas.
With his blended cocktail, Martinez changed the world — and happy hour.
Ruby Red grapefruit
A grapefruit is a hybrid of a pomelo and a sweet orange. The fruit made its way in the form of seeds, brought by either Spanish or French settlers, to Florida. Eventually, it made its way to South Texas, most likely by Spanish missionaries.
In 1929, a grapefruit mutation was discovered in a small orchard in South Texas. It had a deep red flesh and was sweeter.
Thus, the Ruby Red became popular within five years and is enjoyed by many.
Shiner Bock
The Shiner Brewing Association was founded in Shiner, Texas, in 1909 by German and Czech immigrants. Shiner Bock was introduced in 1913. Two years later, German brewmaster Kosmos Spoetzl bough the brewery and changed its name to Spoetzl Brewery.
Originally, Shiner Bock was only brewed to be served during Lent and came out every spring.
Shiner Bock went national in 1991 and is now available throughout the U.S. and year-round.
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John Oliva covers entertainment and community news in South Texas. Contact him at john.oliva@caller.com or Twitter @johnpoliva.
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This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Here are 9 foods, drinks you may not know originated in Texas
