A Verb

“When it's done properly, taco should be a verb.” (Jonathan Gold)

A taco is a staple of Mexican cuisine. It is made from a tortilla that is rolled or folded around a filling. The tortilla is made from corn or flour. It can be hard or soft. Tacos can be made with a beef, chicken, pork, or fish filling. Cheese, lettuce, guacamole, or pico de gallo can also be put into a taco. Sometimes, a taco is made with salsa or spicy Tapitio sauce.

It is believed that the origin of the taco started in Mexican silver mines around the nineteenth century. The first type of taco was “taco de minero” (miner’s tacos). It is believed that the word taco originally referred to pieces of paper that miners would wrap around gunpowder and use in holes that were carved into the face of the rock. The role of the “taquería” (taco shop) is also an important element in the history of the taco. For many years, taquerías were mostly for working class Mexicans. Many women migrants brought tacos to Mexico City to sell for income. These women eventually made Mexico City into a taco hub, with many different styles and kinds of tacos that people could sample.

The taco originally came to the U.S. through migrants that traveled to the Los Angeles area in the early 1900s. It was originally seen as a low-class street food. The tacos that were sold as street food in the U.S. were not traditional tacos that you would find in Mexico. This is due to the fact that the ingredients that are available in the United States are not the same as the ingredients that are available in Mexico.

It probably isn’t surprising that the real popularity for the taco came from the popular fast food chain, Taco Bell. The founder of Taco Bell, Glen Bell, created a franchise for people that wanted to experience the taco, but didn’t want to travel all the way to Mexico to taste one. The hard taco is not a traditional Mexican staple. This is not to say that Glen Bell founded the hard taco. There is evidence that the hard taco shell existed in U.S. Mexican restaurants nearly a decade before they were used in Taco Bell. In fact, it is rumored that hard tacos are so popular because they stay fresh for much longer when compared to soft tortillas. Did you know that…

 

·        Americans eat over 4.5 billion tacos a year. (That’s 490,000 miles of tacos.)

·        Ensenada, Mexico is said to be the birth place of the fish taco.

·        October 3rd is National Taco Day.

·        One of the first taco trucks is thought to have started in New York when in 1966 two New York housewives operated an early version of the taco truck. Although the truck did not have a full kitchen, it was available for catering.

·        Taco Bell started as Bell’s Hamburgers and Hot Dogs in San Bernardino, CA, back in 1950 by Glen W. Bell Jr. Bell’s food stand was located in a Hispanic neighborhood, Bell started selling crispy-hard-shell tacos at 19 cents each.

·        Taco Bell uses at least 600,000 cows’ worth of beef per year. According to Taco Bell’s own website, they serve an average of 295 million pounds of ground beef every year.

·        The first taco party in history was held in 1520 by Hernan Cortes.

·        The hard shell taco was invented in 1947 because corn tortillas didn’t stay fresh for long.

·        The word “taco” literally translates to “plug” or “wad” (a small hole) It also translates to “light lunch” in Mexican Spanish

“You don't need to go to church to be a Christian. If you go to Taco Bell, that doesn't make you a taco.” (Justin Bieber)[i]

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[i] Sources used:

·        “5 fun facts about Taco!” by Burpy

·        “Taco Fun Facts” by Mobile-Cuisine

·        “Taco” by KidzSearch

·        “The History of Tacos” by Casa Blanca Mexican Restaurants mgmt