German and Czech Texans
Stop into any town in Texas’ 268,820 square miles, and you might find a plateful of authentic Mexican tacos and piping hot tamales or a pastry counter brimming with freshly baked Czech pastries with jammy fruit or sausage fillings called kolaches. A town over, Vietnamese bánh mì sandwiches and ginger-spiced crawfish could be on the menu, and just down the street, tender beef brisket and house-made sausages inspired by European smokehouses abound. The Lone Star State is home to a large number of heritages, many of which have kept a strong identity for generations. Some of the best-preserved cultural traditions belong to German and Czech Texans.
With town names like New Braunfels, Fredericksburg, and Weimar, it’s easy to see that Texas’ German heritage is thriving. The first German family to call the Republic of Texas, which was still part of Mexico at this point, home was that of Johann Friedrich Ernst, who
