A seven-layer dip is an American

appetizer An hors d'oeuvre ( ; ), appetiser, appetizer or starter is a small dish served before a meal in European cuisine. Some hors d'oeuvres are served cold, others hot. Hors d'oeuvres may be served at the dinner table as a part of the meal, or th ...

based on ingredients typical of

Tex-Mex cuisine Tex-Mex cuisine (derived from the words ''Texas'' and ''Mexico'') is a regional American cuisine that originates from the culinary creations of Tejano people. It has spread from border states such as Texas and others in the Southwestern United ...

. The first widely published recipe (1981, ''

Family Circle ''Family Circle'' was an American women's magazine that covered topics such as homemaking, recipes and health. It was published from 1932 until the end of 2019. Originally distributed at supermarkets, it was one of the " Seven Sisters," a grou ...

'' magazine) called it Tex-Mex Dip without reference to any layers. The dish was popular in Texas for some time before the recipe first appeared in print. The dish typically includes: #

Refried beans Refried beans (from , ) is a dish of cooked and mashed beans that is a traditional staple of Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisines, although each cuisine has a different approach when making the dish. Refried beans are also popular in many other Latin ...

(originally commercial jalapeño bean dip) #

Guacamole Guacamole (; informally shortened to ''guac'' in the United States since the 1980s) is an avocado-based dip, spread, or salad first developed in Mexico. In addition to its use in modern Mexican cuisine, it has become part of international cuisin ...

(originally mashed seasoned avocados) #

Sour cream Sour cream (sometimes known as soured cream in British English) is a dairy product obtained by fermenting regular cream with certain kinds of lactic acid bacteria. The bacterial culture, which is introduced either deliberately or naturall ...

(originally a mixture of sour cream & mayonnaise seasoned with commercial taco seasoning mix) #

Pico de gallo ''Pico de gallo'' (; ), also called ''salsa fresca'' ('fresh sauce'), ''salsa bandera'' ('flag sauce'), and ''salsa cruda'' ('raw sauce'), is a type of salsa commonly used in Mexican cuisine. It is traditionally made from chopped tomato, oni ...

salsa roja Salsa most often refers to: * Salsa (food), a variety of sauces used as condiments * Salsa music, a popular style of Latin American music * Salsa (dance), a Latin dance associated with Salsa music Salsa or SALSA may also refer to: Arts and ent ...

salsa verde In Mexican cuisine, Salsa verde () is a spicy green sauce made from tomatillo and green chili peppers. It dates to the Aztec Empire, as documented by the Spanish physician Francisco Hernández, and is distinct from the various medieval Europe ...

or chopped tomatoes (originally simply chopped green onions, tomatoes and onions) # Grated

cheddar cheese Cheddar cheese (or simply cheddar) is a natural cheese that is relatively hard, off-white (or orange if colourings such as annatto are added), and sometimes sharp-tasting. It originates from the English village of Cheddar, Somerset, Cheddar in ...

, Monterey Jack cheese, queso asadero,

queso Chihuahua In Mexico, queso Chihuahua is commonly recognized as a soft white cheese available in braids, balls or rounds and originates in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. In Chihuahua and neighboring states, it is called ''queso menonita'', after the Menn ...

or a blend (some early recipes substituted processed commercial jalapeño cheese dip - or homemade

chile con queso Chile con queso (), sometimes simply called queso, is an appetizer or side dish of melted cheese and chili peppers, typically served in Tex-Mex restaurants as a dip for tortilla chips. It can also be added to other dishes such as tacos. Back ...

) # Black

olives The olive, botanical name ''Olea europaea'' ("European olive"), is a species of Subtropics, subtropical evergreen tree in the Family (biology), family Oleaceae. Originating in Anatolia, Asia Minor, it is abundant throughout the Mediterranean ...

# Optional ingredients and variations include many items such as chopped onion, cooked

ground beef Ground beef, hamburger, hamburger meat (North American English), minced beef or beef mince (Commonwealth English; often just generically referred to as ground meat, ''mince'' or ''mincemeat'') is beef that has been finely chopped with a knife or ...

, shredded

lettuce Lettuce (''Lactuca sativa'') is an annual plant of the family Asteraceae mostly grown as a leaf vegetable. The leaves are most often used raw in Green salad, green salads, although lettuce is also seen in other kinds of food, such as sandwiche ...

(for texture), or sliced

jalapeño The jalapeño ( , , ) is a medium-sized chili pepper Fruit, pod type cultivar of the species ''Capsicum annuum''. A mature jalapeño chili is long and wide, and hangs down from the plant. The pungency of jalapeño peppers varies, but is usual ...

chiles for additional spiciness. The dish is often chilled when not served immediately. Originally served with

corn chips ''Corn Chips'' is a Donald Duck cartoon made by the Walt Disney Animation Studios starring Donald Duck and the chipmunks Chip 'n' Dale. The film was released on March 23, 1951. Plot As Donald Duck is clearing snow from his house's walkway, he ...

, seven-layer dip is now served most often with

tortilla chip A tortilla chip is a snack food made from corn tortilla, which are cut into triangles and then fried or baked (alternatively they may be discs pressed out of corn masa then fried or baked). Corn tortillas are made of Nixtamalization , nixtamali ...

References

Mexican cuisine Dips (food) Appetizers Tex-Mex cuisine {{mexico-cuisine-stub

See also

References