Who says cooking is for homebodies? Veteran Texas food writer Robb Walsh served as a judge at a chuck wagon cook-off, worked as a deckhand on a shrimp boat, and went mayhaw-picking in the Big Thicket. As he drove the length and breadth of the state, Walsh sought out the best in barbecue, burgers, kolaches, and tacos; scoured museums, libraries, and public archives; and unearthed vintage photos, culinary stories, and nearly-forgotten dishes. Then he headed home to Houston to test the recipes he'd collected back in his own kitchen. The result is Texas Eats: The New Lone Star Heritage Cookbook, a colorful and deeply personal blend of history, anecdotes, and recipes from all over the Lone Star State.
In Texas Eats, Walsh covers the standards, from chicken-fried steak to cheese enchiladas to barbecued brisket. He also makes stops in East Texas, for some good old-fashioned soul food; the Hill Country, for German- and Czech-influenced favorites; the Panhandle, for traditional cowboy cooking; and the Gulf Coast, for timeless seafood dishes and lost classics like pickled shrimp. Texas Eats even covers recent trends, like Viet-Texan fusion and Pakistani fajitas. And yes, there are recipes for those beloved-but-obscure gems: King Ranch casserole, parisa, and barbecued crabs. With more than 200 recipes and stunning food photography, Texas Eats brings the richness of Texas food history vibrantly to life and serves up a hearty helping of real Texas flavor.

Acknowledgments viii Introduction ix Part 1 - Lone Star Seafood Tartar Sauce and Hurricanes 3 Galveston Bay Oysters 13 On a Shrimp Boat 25 Barbecued Crabs 37 The Cajun Invasion 49 Part II - East Texas Southern Boardinghouse Fare 63 Juneteenth 81 Mayhaw Jelly and Dewberry Jam 93 Part III - Vintage Tex-Mex Chili con Carne 105 Felix and El Fenix 117 The Green Chile Line 125 Old-Fashioned Tacos 135 Part IV - Old World Flavors The German Belt 147 Czech Texan 161 The Menger Hotel 171 Fancy French Restaurants 181 Part V - Country and Western Chicken-Fried Steak in Paradise 193 Shade Tree Barbecue 207 Hamburgers and Carhops 223 Ice Cream Socials 237 Part VI - New Texas Creole Spaghetti Wester 255 Banh Mi on the Bayou 263 Indian Cowboys 271 Resources 282 Photo Credits 283 Bibliography 284 Index 286