New Mexican cuisine is the regional cuisine of the US state of New Mexico. Part of the broader Southwestern cuisine, New Mexico food culture is a fusion of Spanish and Mediterranean, Mexican, Pueblo Native American, and Cowboy Chuckwagon influences.
“New Mexican food is not the same as Mexican and Tex-Mex” foods preferred in Texas and Arizona. New Mexico is the only state with an official question—”Red or green?”—referring to the choice of red or green chile. Often dishes can be requested with both red and green chile (one side covered with green, the other with red) and is referred to as “Christmas”.
Chile, beans, and corn have been described as the “basic ingredients of New Mexico cooking,” and all can be locally grown. But the defining characteristics of New Mexican Cuisine is the dominance of the New Mexico chile, which are either red or green depending on their stage of ripeness when picked. Other distinctive elements include blue corn, the stacked enchilada, and sopaipillas into which honey is added moments before eating.