Fajita and Taco mix, Australia vs USA

[bookbard]

Just saw this page - same brand, same branding - very different ingredients! The USA version of the 'paprika and capsicum" has neither paprika nor capsicum; their version of 'tomato and paprika' has neither tomato nor paprika! The Australian version has both. 

Fajita Vs. Taco Seasoning - Comparison Guide | Cuisinevault

[Laura Corin]

17 minutes ago, bookbard said:

Just saw this page - same brand, same branding - very different ingredients! The USA version of the 'paprika and capsicum" has neither paprika nor capsicum; their version of 'tomato and paprika' has neither tomato nor paprika! The Australian version has both. 

Fajita Vs. Taco Seasoning - Comparison Guide | Cuisinevault

The link went to a comparison of taco and fajita. I couldn't see the Australian vs. US comparison. 

[Ausmumof3]

2 minutes ago, Laura Corin said:

The link went to a comparison of taco and fajita. I couldn't see the Australian vs. US comparison. 

If you scroll down the bottom of the page they have ingredients lists for both USA and Australia 

[Laura Corin]

1 minute ago, Ausmumof3 said:

If you scroll down the bottom of the page they have ingredients lists for both USA and Australia 

Found it - thanks. 

[LuvToRead]

Maybe I am misreading - but I see how the American version of Fajita seasoning and Taco seasoning contain what they claim.  The Fajita seasoning ingredients contains "chili pepper" which would be the capsicum and "spice" which could include paprika.  The Taco seasoning ingredients includes "spice" which could be paprika and "natural flavor" which I assume could be the tomato.  Am I wrong? 

 

 

[Ausmumof3]

32 minutes ago, LuvToRead said:

Maybe I am misreading - but I see how the American version of Fajita seasoning and Taco seasoning contain what they claim.  The Fajita seasoning ingredients contains "chili pepper" which would be the capsicum and "spice" which could include paprika.  The Taco seasoning ingredients includes "spice" which could be paprika and "natural flavor" which I assume could be the tomato.  Am I wrong? 

 

 

That would make sense. Capsicum doesn’t get called chilli down here.

[Bootsie]

3 minutes ago, Ausmumof3 said:

That would make sense. Capsicum doesn’t get called chilli down here.

Capsicum plants can refer to a wide range of peppers--from bell peppers to chilli peppers.  And paprika is dried and gound red peppers (unless you are in a place that refers to the bell pepper itself as paprika).  It is hard to know what type of peppers are being used when the terms capsicum and paprika are being used.   

I do know that the Old El Paso brand of products have different tastes in Austria than they do in the US (but I haven't compared the ingredient lists item for item)

[Drama Llama]

1 hour ago, Ausmumof3 said:

That would make sense. Capsicum doesn’t get called chilli down here.

And vice versa.  Capsicum isn’t a word we use in the US.  

[LuvToRead]

 

7 hours ago, bookbard said:

Just saw this page - same brand, same branding - very different ingredients! The USA version of the 'paprika and capsicum" has neither paprika nor capsicum; their version of 'tomato and paprika' has neither tomato nor paprika! The Australian version has both. 

Fajita Vs. Taco Seasoning - Comparison Guide | Cuisinevault

I just looked up the US versions of the El Paso packets and neither say "paprika and Capsicum" or "tomato and paprika"  The article does not state this either so I am unsure of where you came to that conclusion.   I believe those are the Australian versions.  But either way El Paso isn't lying.  The packets, as far as I can tell, do contain those ingredients.  Anyway, I think I am overthinking this but I was curious about it!

Fajita Seasoning

Taco Seasoning

Edited August 7, 2021 by LuvToRead

[Clemsondana]

It's not unusual for the same product to taste different in different countries.  The Coke museum had samples of Coke from around the world, and it took friends from India a while to figure out that US ketchup wasn't spicy no matter what brand they bought.  It would be strange for taco or fajita seasoning packets to be labeled as tasting like paprika - even though many have some, most Americans don't think 'taco' when they hear paprika.  Capsicum is definitely not a term that is used as an ingredient.  We have chili powder, which is often a mix of seasonings that includes paprika, and in the southwest (especially New Mexico) people are particular about chile, which are a kind of pepper that can be either red or green and are roasted and then used different ways.  Canned green chile is common, and both red and green can be turned into sauces.  I also have a container of dried ground red chile.  It is more comparable to maybe ground cayenne peppers and is used a bit at a time and definitely can't be used interchangeably with chili powder.  

[City Mouse]

I went and looked at the McCormick’s Gluten Free Taco Seasoning packet that I have (in US). Here is the ingredient list: Spices(including chili pepper, paprika, oregano, cumin), onion, whet (milk), salt, garlic, sugar, potato starch, red pepper, and citric salt. 
I would guess that the potato starch is specific to the GF version, but that sounds like different names for the same item based on countries. 

[Dmmetler]

Also, different countries have different requirements when it comes to labeling spices in food. Since I have spice allergies, I have to really be careful, and in general, I found Australia to list less as "Spice" and more by category.

 

I do want to know what is in Chicken salt crisps. I really liked them, and have not found an equivalent in the USA, although the freeze dried shitake mushrooms aren't too far off in taste, although not in texture. 

[sheryl]

10 hours ago, bookbard said:

Just saw this page - same brand, same branding - very different ingredients! The USA version of the 'paprika and capsicum" has neither paprika nor capsicum; their version of 'tomato and paprika' has neither tomato nor paprika! The Australian version has both. 

Fajita Vs. Taco Seasoning - Comparison Guide | Cuisinevault

I made my own fajita seasoning for the first time the other day, Thursday maybe, for dinner! I couldn't believe how much better it tasted!

[MooCow]

I make my own enchilada sauce. It's very cheap and taste so much better.

[Annie G]

I use the same spices for fajitas and tacos simply because I’m too lazy to make two blends. I mix enough to make multiple batches and just use as needed.  Chili powder, cumin, coriander, oregano, onion and garlic powder, cayenne. When I make fajitas I use fresh onion and garlic so really I should make a fajita blend without the chili powder, onion and garlic powder. But I’m lazy and my family doesn’t complain about them tasting the same.     I really should make enchilada sauce- the canned kind is pricey!  Recipe suggestion, @MooCow?

[kbutton]

6 hours ago, BaseballandHockey said:

And vice versa.  Capsicum isn’t a word we use in the US.  

I wish we would. With allergies/sensitivity to nightshades, it's frustrating to discuss with people who don't understand that peppercorns aren't what you're talking about when you say that you can't have spices made from peppers. They seem to grasp the concept about the actual vegetable, but when it comes to spices, it's often completely impossible to get them to understand.

Plus, red peppercorns exist, lol! I don't think I routinely run into them in ingredient lists, but if I did, I don't know what they'd call them. Red pepper usually refers to some variety of capsicum spice.

[MooCow]

Red Sauce:

2 T. Veggie oil 

2 T. all purpose flour 

2 T. Chili powder 

1/4  cup tomato paste 

1/2 teaspoon of : ground cumin 

                               garlic powder 

1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper 

Put veg. oil, flour, and chili powder in pan on medium heat. Whisk and cook until mix begins to bubble. Continue whisking for another minute. Add the rest of ingredients plus 2 cups of water and whisk until smooth. Let it slowly simmer. It'll get thick as it simmers. You can add salt to taste.  Then it's ready. 

I do not like the taste of tomato paste, so I use tomato sauce and omit the water. I also use olive oil because I never have vegetable oil. I have on occasion used minced garlic as well. 

 

@Annie G

 

[Annie G]

16 minutes ago, MooCow said:

Red Sauce:

2 T. Veggie oil 

2 T. all purpose flour 

2 T. Chili powder 

1/4  cup tomato paste 

1/2 teaspoon of : ground cumin 

                               garlic powder 

1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper 

Put veg. oil, flour, and chili powder in pan on medium heat. Whisk and cook until mix begins to bubble. Continue whisking for another minute. Add the rest of ingredients plus 2 cups of water and whisk until smooth. Let it slowly simmer. It'll get thick as it simmers. You can add salt to taste.  Then it's ready. 

I do not like the taste of tomato paste, so I use tomato sauce and omit the water. I also use olive oil because I never have vegetable oil. I have on occasion used minced garlic as well. 

 

@Annie G

 

Thanks! I generally have all these ingredients on hand ( since I can use olive oil) and I’m going to try it!  

[Melissa Louise]

What do you call capsicums? 

 

[KungFuPanda]

5 minutes ago, Melissa Louise said:

What do you call capsicums? 

 

peppers or chilis or they name the specific pepper or chili.

 

[KungFuPanda]

I buy the giant thing of taco seasoning at costco, then proceed to doctor it up with all of the spices it already contains.  It's a little dance I like to do.  I like the general flavor, but we require more cayenne, cumin, and garlic.  Right now I'm getting peppers out of the garden, so tacos get whatever peppers are ripe that day.

[kbutton]

22 minutes ago, Melissa Louise said:

What do you call capsicums? 

 

 

16 minutes ago, KungFuPanda said:

peppers or chilis or they name the specific pepper or chili.

 

And weirdly enough, some people call them mangoes. It's either regional or old-fashioned or both. I think there might another really unusual name for them too, but since I can't conjure it now, I am not certain.

[bookbard]

Wow, the things you learn! Especially about the paprika, I thought that was a very American thing. 

52 minutes ago, kbutton said:

nd weirdly enough, some people call them mangoes. It's either regional or old-fashioned or both.

That's fascinating!

[Melissa Louise]

55 minutes ago, kbutton said:

 

And weirdly enough, some people call them mangoes. It's either regional or old-fashioned or both. I think there might another really unusual name for them too, but since I can't conjure it now, I am not certain.

What do they call mangoes?!

[kbutton]

40 minutes ago, Melissa Louise said:

What do they call mangoes?!

I have no idea. @bookbard

Okay, so I googled to see if I could find an explanation, and I found one! https://www.indystar.com/story/news/history/retroindy/2017/11/16/why-do-hoosiers-call-green-peppers-mangoes/871029001/

Quote

My Illinois-bred co-worker Joe Tamborello was beside himself when he found out that some Hoosiers refer to green peppers as mangoes. The look on his face was that akin to finding out Santa wasn’t real. 

This is not to say that all Hoosiers refer to them this way - it's a generational and even a geographic phenomenon. Grocery stores tried to appease both camps by advertising "green mango peppers."

Lol! Hoosier=someone from Indiana; I don't know where the name Hoosier came from.

The article goes on...

Quote

Food historian Karen Hess and author of Martha Washington’s Book ofCookery told Segal that in 18th-century England there was a demand for Indian-style pickles like fruit mangos stuffed with spices and kept in a vinegar brine. Mangoes weren’t available in England so they used substitutes such as green peppers. By way of English cookbooks printed in America, the recipe for stuffed mangoes using peppers spread across America. 

Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana use the dual name, possibly because of the large Amish settlements (fond of pickling) in those states. As time passed, even unstuffed peppers continued to be called mangoes. 

I didn't hear this growing up, but I am pretty sure my mom knew people who used that term when she was a kid. I learned about it when I got my first job in SW Ohio.

Edited August 8, 2021 by kbutton

[Farrar]

I've never even heard the term capsicum. It looks like it just means peppers. Both bell peppers and chili peppers?

I mean, it is confusing that "pepper" is both a vegetable/nightshade and a seasoning. But English is stupid like that. I knew obviously both had a different scientific name. It looks like capsicum is the scientific term?

[kbutton]

1 minute ago, Farrar said:

It looks like capsicum is the scientific term?

Yes. I think I first heard the term because it's used an an ingredient in some kinds of creams for arthritis/soreness. https://www.webmd.com/pain-management/what-is-capsaicin   Capsaicin comes from capsicum. 

[KungFuPanda]

I'm having trouble imagining anyone being satisfied with just listing peppers/capsicum as an ingredient.  People REALLY want specifics on peppers and can get bent out of shape if you use the wrong pepper for something.  Pepper pickiness has to be universal.

[Terabith]

I've heard the term capsicum; I thought it was a common term.  But the idea of peppers being called mangoes is absolutely blowing my mind!

[Rosie_0801]

1 hour ago, Farrar said:

I've never even heard the term capsicum. It looks like it just means peppers. Both bell peppers and chili peppers?

I mean, it is confusing that "pepper" is both a vegetable/nightshade and a seasoning. But English is stupid like that. I knew obviously both had a different scientific name. It looks like capsicum is the scientific term?

In Australia, capsicum means bell pepper. Anything with detectable capsaicin is called a chilli. We may or may not be specific about the type of chilli. For some reason we call banana peppers peppers, but they are classified as capsicum, not chilli. I suppose this comes from having barely detectable capsaicin levels. It's not *really* a chilli if it doesn't make your nose run, is it?

[Rosie_0801]

8 hours ago, Dmmetler said:

Also, different countries have different requirements when it comes to labeling spices in food. Since I have spice allergies, I have to really be careful, and in general, I found Australia to list less as "Spice" and more by category.

 

I do want to know what is in Chicken salt crisps. I really liked them, and have not found an equivalent in the USA, although the freeze dried shitake mushrooms aren't too far off in taste, although not in texture. 

Google 'Chicken salt.' There's a zillion recipes, some of which do actually contain chicken.

[HS Mom in NC]

1 hour ago, KungFuPanda said:

I'm having trouble imagining anyone being satisfied with just listing peppers/capsicum as an ingredient.  People REALLY want specifics on peppers and can get bent out of shape if you use the wrong pepper for something.  Pepper pickiness has to be universal.

Thank you for being the voice of sanity amongst all this crazy talk. I grew up 3 hours north of the Mexico border where people care a lot about pepper and  chili specificity, using the proper mix of species with the proper foods, and scoville scale precision.  I'm going to have a stiff drink now and pretend this thread never happened.

[TravelingChris]

15 hours ago, BaseballandHockey said:

And vice versa.  Capsicum isn’t a word we use in the US.  

We do in medical use only

[rebot]

When we moved down to Mexico about a month ago, I tossed all my taco/seasoning packets in to be moved. The other day I pulled one out to use and our local friends looked at me like I was kicking puppies or something. Note to self.... don't use seasoning packets when people are here.

[Frances]

7 hours ago, Farrar said:

I've never even heard the term capsicum. It looks like it just means peppers. Both bell peppers and chili peppers?

It looks like capsicum is the scientific term?

I heard it before from my son who is both a foodie and a scientist.

[Jean in Newcastle]

I watch British cooking shows so I know the basic British ingredient words. 

[Spy Car]

Should one desire to try making an enchilada sauce that...er, um...resembles "Mexican food" (as made in Mexico) this link explains the process pretty well. Orders of magnitude better than what sometimes passes as enchilada sause in the USA.

https://www.daringgourmet.com/enchilada-sauce-mexican-red-chile-sauce/

Unlike the author, I always run my toasted and reconstituted chilis through a fine sieve after blending them (before mixing with other ingredients). Author claims straining is not necessary due to using a Vitamix (while my blender is more basic). I dunno.

Grain of salt on the canned Spanish chicken stock.

A mix of guajillo and anchos is pretty classic and not overy picante with interior ribs and seeds removed. I'm not a huge fan of using arbols myself.

The same basic technique works for the chili base that makes soups like pozole and menudo so delicious.

Bill

 

 

 

[Drama Llama]

11 hours ago, TravelingChris said:

We do in medical use only

Sorry, I should have said, it isn't a word we use in the way OP is using it. 

I know what capsicum is.  I wouldn't say, for example "Do you want capsicum or cucumbers with your hummus?" or expect to see it on a US ingredient label.