National Fajita Day
August 18, 2025-August 18, 2025 -
USA, USA
Simple and delicious, fajitas are made from slices of meat that are marinated and then cooked, piled on top of a soft flour tortilla with grilled onions and peppers. From there, many options exist for adding garnishes and toppings. Shredded cheese, sour cream, guacamole, salsa, and so much more can go inside that little tortilla filled with Tex-Mex goodness.
The term fajita means “little band” or “little belt”. The meat was probably labeled this way by a butcher who was selling skirt steak and, because this cut is typically rather tough, it was precut into small strips. But the way this little cut of meat made its way into the heart of Tex-Mex cuisine culture has an interesting background story.
Probably created around the late 1930s, fajitas were introduced by vaqueros and Mexican workers on ranches in the Texas Rio Grande Valley. These workers were often paid their wages in meat, sometimes the less wanted parts of the animal. So these workers learned that if they marinated the meat in certain juices, it would become more tender and flavorful, and could easily be eaten on tortillas.
Probably due to convenience, the popularity of fajitas increased in the 1940s. It developed into a sort of backyard, easy to eat, on the go dish that was passed down from one generation to the next.
It wasn’t until the 1960s that fajitas began to make their way into restaurants. One of the first may have been in 1969 when a meat market manager at a grocery store set up a fajita stand at a summer festival. Fajitas gained even more traction in the 1970s and the recipe changed a bit, using finer cuts of meat.
18 Aug 25
00:00 - 23:59
National Fajita Day
