What does fajita mean?
A fajita is a popular Tex-Mex dish built around strips of grilled, marinated meat—traditionally skirt steak—that are served alongside sautéed bell peppers and onions, usually with warm flour tortillas and accompaniments such as sour cream, salsa, guacamole, and cheese. The name comes from Mexican Spanish, where 'fajita' is a diminutive of 'faja', meaning belt or sash, a reference to the long band-like cut of skirt steak from which the dish originally took its name. Although rooted in the ranch cooking of the American Southwest, fajitas have become a staple of restaurants and home kitchens across the English-speaking world, and the word now extends to chicken, shrimp, and vegetable versions. The term carries a convivial, informal connotation, often evoking the theatrical sizzle of a hot cast-iron platter brought to the table.
A Tex-Mex dish consisting of grilled, marinated strips of meat, traditionally skirt steak, served with sautéed peppers and onions on flour tortillas.
"The restaurant's sizzling beef fajitas were famous throughout the county."
Almost always encountered in the plural form 'fajitas'.
The marinated grilled meat used in this dish, especially when made from skirt steak.
"Slice the fajita thinly against the grain before serving."
The plural is by far the most common form, as the dish involves multiple strips of meat and multiple servings.
"We ordered two plates of fajitas for the whole table."
The word 'fajita' literally means 'little belt' in Spanish — a nod to the strip of skirt steak that started it all in Texas.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of fajita
Fajita derives from Mexican Spanish, where it is the diminutive of 'faja', meaning belt, sash, or girdle — itself from Latin 'fascia', a bandage or band. The name referred originally to the strip-like cut of beef known as skirt steak. The dish emerged among Mexican and Texan ranch workers in the southwestern United States before gaining wide popularity in the late twentieth century as part of Tex-Mex cuisine.
How fajita is actually used
The word is almost always used in the plural form 'fajitas', since the dish naturally involves multiple strips of meat; the singular 'a fajita' typically refers to one rolled tortilla serving. It is an informal, food-related term associated with Tex-Mex cuisine rather than traditional Mexican cooking.
Easily confused with fajita
A taco is filled with pre-cooked ingredients folded into a tortilla, whereas a fajita centers on strips of grilled marinated meat and peppers served separately so diners assemble their own.
A burrito is a tortilla wrapped fully around its fillings, while fajitas are served open so the filling remains the focus.