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Tucson, Arizona

Known for saguaro cacti, college hoops, and Sonoran-style Mexican food, Tucson nestles back into the foothills of three mountain ranges. The name Tucson comes from a Pima Indian word that means “spring at the base of the mountain.” Tucson stakes a claim to having invented the chimichanga, the deep-fried burrito that is a star of Sonoran-style cooking. Some of the best Mexican food in the world can be had in Tucson. In a nutshell, Sonoran-style cuisine tends to favor wheat tortillas (rather than corn), beef, and milder chiles. Cacti are an important food item, going back to the native Pima and Papago tribes, who made jams and syrups from the sweet fruit of saguaros and ate the spiky paddles of the prickly pear (nopales, in Spanish). There’s still a bit of Old West in Tucson, a holdover from its past as a cattle ranching town. Thick steaks cooked over mesquite remain a local specialty, and beef is a star player in carne seca and as filling for chimichangas, burritos and tacos.

	Featured Cook CINTHEA Cooking Level: Expert Living In: Tucson, Arizona, USA
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