Mixed beef and chicken fajita ingredients, served on a hot iron skillet
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Place of origin | Mexico and United States |
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Region or state | Northeastern Mexico, Southwestern United States |
Main ingredients | Tortillas, meat, onions, peppers |
500 kcal (2093 kJ) | |
A fajita (/fəˈhiːtə/; Spanish: [faˈxita]) is a term found in Tex-Mex cuisine, commonly referring to any grilled meat usually served as a taco on a flour or corn tortilla. The term originally referred to the cut of beef used in the dish which is known as skirt steak. Popular meats today also include chicken, pork, shrimp, lamb and all cuts of beef, as well as vegetables instead of meat. In restaurants, the meat is usually cooked with onions and bell peppers. Popular condiments are shredded lettuce, sour cream, guacamole, salsa, pico de gallo, cheese, and tomato. The northern Mexican variant of the dish name is Arrachera.
Fajita is a Tex-Mex, Texan-Mexican American or Tejano, diminutive term for little strips of meat cut from the beef skirt, the most common cut used to make fajitas. The word fajita is not known to have appeared in print until 1971, according to the Oxford English Dictionary. (The word faja is Spanish for "strip", or "belt", from the Latin fascia, "band") Although fajita originally referred to these strips of beef skirt, fajitas now are made with a variety of fillings.