Chili con carne the word "chile" from the Nahuatl "chīlli" refers to a "chili pepper", and "carne" is Spanish for "meat". A recipe dating back to the 1850s describes dried beef, suet, dried chili peppers and salt, which were pounded together, formed into bricks and left to dry, which could then be boiled in pots on the trail. Chili originated from what is now northern Mexico and southern Texas. Unlike some other Texas foods, such as barbecued brisket, which is associated with white men, chili largely originated with working-class Tejana and Mexican women. The chili queens of San Antonio, Texas were particularly famous
Menudo (soup) is also usual to use only yellow hominy in menudo in the Texas region. A similar stew made with more easily cooked meat is pozole. Some variations of menudo substitute garbanzo beans instead of hominy. In the United States, since the mid-20th century, prepared menudo has been common in food stores and restaurants in cosmopolitan areas and in other areas with a significant Mexican population. Restaurants often feature it as a special on Saturday and Sunday, and the folklore belief that menudo will alleviate some of the symptoms of a hangover is widely held. An annual Menudo Festival is held