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Did You Know!

New Mexico has something no other U.S. state is known to have—an official state question: “Red or green?”

The question refers to one of the most important traditions in New Mexican cuisine: choosing between red chile and green chile when ordering food. In 1999, the New Mexico Legislature officially adopted “Red or green?” as the state question, recognizing just how deeply chile is woven into the state's history and culture.

There's even a third answer that visitors may not know. If you want both red and green chile on the same dish, you can simply order it “Christmas,” referring to the traditional red and green colors of the holiday.

The tradition goes far beyond restaurant menus. New Mexico is famous for its distinctive chile varieties, particularly those grown around the Hatch Valley. Chile cultivation in the region has a history stretching back centuries, and the crop has become an important part of New Mexico's agricultural and culinary identity.

So if you're visiting New Mexico and a server suddenly asks, “Red or green?”, they're not asking about your favorite color—they're asking you to participate in one of the state's most recognizable traditions.