Get some steak sizzling over an open flame because August 18 is National Fajita Day. It’s a day to celebrate the authentic taste of the Southwest with the fiesta of flavor known as the fajita. Throw in some awesome black beans or even add a little hot sauce, guacamole, sour cream, or cheese. The combinations are endless. It’s National Fajita Day so you know what you’ve got to do (eat fajitas, obviously).
History of National Fajita Day
A true manifesto of what Tex-Mex culture is, the fajita has taken the culinary world by storm but it all started from some very humble beginnings.
The concept of fajitas began to make the rounds in the early 1930s when Mexican vaqueros in Texas developed the fajita from throwaway cuts of beef – part of their payment for their job. Because of this, said workers learned to use the tough cuts the best they could, especially the flavorsome skirt steak. They cooked the steak over an open fire or grill and were typically served with flour or corn tortillas, pico de gallo, guacamole, and southwestern spices. Soon the cheap, efficient meal meant as a quick fix for workers was becoming a staple in the area, finding its way into new mouths and bellies.
As such, there are numerous different joints that were around at the time that claim to be the launchpad for the fajita. It’s not surprising, everyone wants to be part of a success story. It was in the late 1960s that Sonny Falcon started selling fajitas. He sold so many that he was eventually christened “The Fajita King” as recognition for his role in introducing fajitas to the general public.
Other big moments in fajita history include the restaurant Ninfa’s creating their own version of fajitas in 1973, and Austin’s La Vista restaurant putting “sizzling fajitas” on the menu in 1982. National Fajita Day itself was coined by the restaurant chain On the Border to celebrate the show-stopping dish. If all of this hasn’t got you watering at the mouth then we don’t know what will.
National Fajita Day timeline
Mexican ranch workers in Texas are thought to make the fajita prototype with cheap cuts of beef.
Sonny Falcon makes the first recorded fajita sales from his concession booth in Kyle, Texas.
The word “fajita” used to define the dish officially appears in the Oxford English Dictionary.
Chef George Weidmann from the Hyatt Regency in Austin put “sizzling fajitas” on his menu with huge success.
National Fajita Day Activities
Cook your way to Fajita Nirvana
Find the best sizzling special
Discover another fajitas-inspired dish
It’s National Fajita Day, which means you should be making fajitas! Add bell peppers, onions, a slab of quality beef and a few sweet and savory ingredients to create a perfect melange of meat-veggie goodness.
Several restaurants across the nation offer hot deals on National Fajita Day. Find the nearest Mexican restaurant and indulge in the richly-marinated, grilled-to-perfection taste.
Fajita-stuffed bell peppers, chicken fajita sliders, vegan sweet potato fajitas, and shrimp fajita chili are all mouth-watering dishes you have to try on National Fajita Day. It's the perfect day for culinary experimentation and the possibilities are endless.
‘Fajita’ Translates to ‘Little Band’
The term “Fajita King” is trademarked.
The original is called different in Mexico
In Spanish, fajita is a diminutive for “faja”, which translates to “belt” or “girdle”.
Workers were given the least desirable parts of butchered steers and made fajitas from skirt steaks.
Sonny Falcon trademarked the term after gaining popularity from the dish in the 1970s
In 1991, McDonald’s attempted to introduce their own Chicken Fajitas into the market.
While in the U.S we know them as fajitas, the Mexican term for grilled skirt steak is arracheras.