What is a taco?
The taco is the most popular Mexican food, both inside Mexico and abroad.
It is a folded circular bread called a tortilla, filled with different mixtures like beef meat (tacos de bistec, cecina, carne asada, suadero, etc.), pork meat (cochinita pibil, chicharon, tacos de panza), cacti (Nopales), chicken meat (tacos dorados, tinga tacos, tacos de mole verde, tacos de guisado, etc.), goat (barbacoa, birria), fish and seafood (swordfish, octopus, codfish, tuna fish, shark, calamari, etc.).
The tortillas are made usually out of corn flour, but they can be made of wheat flour too. Their size varies, and you can find as small as 5cm diameter and as big as 30cm.
A typical order includes multiple tacos, garnish or salad (beans, cacti, rice, etc.), lime, and different sauces like salsa verde, salsa roja, guacamole, pico de gallo, etc.
You can find special restaurants called “taquerias” all around Mexico. They focus exactly on this special Mexican food.
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The history of tacos
The tacos are really ancient, but it took a long time before they get their name. The first ancient Mexicans that ate a similar food were the Olmecs. The Olmecs are a native Americans that lived in the modern-day states of Veracruz and Tabasco. They have lived between 2500 BC to 400 BC.
What they did right is to process the corn. They invented the process called “nixtamalización”. The word comes from “nextli” lime ash, and “tamalli” - cooked corn dough.
Doesn’t sound impressive, but it is. This great discovery of ancient engineering consists of cooking the corn with water and lime, which softens it and also causes chemical changes in the composition of the corn grains. It provides them with calcium and potassium and makes the proteins and nutrients of the corn are more usable by the human body.
After that, history is kind of silent, but some of the indigenous people of Mexico started to form ancient bread and cooked it on hot stones. The first written history that we can find about the ancient tacos comes from the Spanish conquistadors.
Bernal Díaz del Castillo writes in his book “The True History of the Conquest of New Spain“ that the Aztecs were using tortillas, made of corn, to eat their prepared food. Instead of eating directly with hands or cutlery. So, in this book, you can find a story about the ruler of the Aztecs in this time Moctezuma, creating the first taco party together with the leader of the conquistadors – Hernan Cortes. This event happen in Coyoacán, and the party-goers ate tacos with pork meat (like cochinita pibil), or beans. This happened in the 16th century.
But wait, there is more to the story. The tacos still didn’t have their names.
Where does the name of the tacos come from?
There are two theories about the name of the tacos.
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Indigenous origin of the word taco. One of the old languages in Mexico is Nahuatl. In it, the word for half is “tlahco”. The idea is that the prepared food is put in half of the tortilla. Still, it doesn’t sound close enough to the modern taco.
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Silver miners origin of the word taco. There are similar sounding words in the Germanic languages like “tache” in French and “tack” in English. Some say that the silver miners in the 18th century in Mexico were using the word taco to say a plug. They used explosives, that were made of gunpowder and wrapped in plug form. This sounds about right, but there is no hard evidence. The first written data with the name taco is from the end of the 19th century, and the tacos they wrote about were tacos de minero (miner’s taco).
What are Mexican tacos made of?
The most traditional Mexican tacos are made of corn tortillas, cooked meat (usually pork or beef), fresh garnish, lemon, and hot sauce.
What kind of meat is used in Mexican tacos?
You have Mexican tacos with every type of meat. Pork and beef are the most popular, but you can find chicken, goat, sheep, and many other types. If you want to see more types of tacos read the following article “The complete list of Mexican tacos you must try before you die!”.
What meat is tripas?
The tripas are beef intestines. They are cleaned well and cooked for a long time, so they become soft and tasty.
What are the most popular tacos?
The most popular tacos in Mexico are the following:
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Tacos al pastor – pork meat tacos, popular in Mexico City.
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Tacos de Bistec – beef steak tacos.
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Tacos de Pescado – fish tacos.
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Tacos de birria – greasy tacos with beef or goat meat tacos.
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Tacos de barbacoa – sheep meat tacos.
What seasoning do Mexican restaurants use?
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The most common spices that Mexican restaurants use are:
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Oregano
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Cumin
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Onion
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Garlic
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Coriander
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Chili powder – different types
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Smoked paprika
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Achiote
How many types of tacos are out there?
There are countless types of tacos, but in our list “The complete list of Mexican tacos you must try before you die!”, we manage to find around 50 types of tacos. Go ahead and check them all. We are adding new, each time we find one, so the list is still growing.
Are there vegetarian tacos that you can buy on the street of Mexico?
Yes, in Mexico, there are vegetarian tacos that you can buy from street food stands. The flavors that you should check are:
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Tacos dorados de papas – fried tacos with boiled potato filling, sour cream, cheese, and lettuce.
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Tacos de canasta de frijol – steam-cooked tacos, with a filling of cooked beans with red or green sauce.
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Tacos de canasta de papas - steam-cooked tacos, with a filling of boiled potatoes with red or green sauce.
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Tacos de guisado de nopales – tacos with a prepared filling of cacti (Nopales) with onions and spices.
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Tacos de guisado de rajas con crema – tacos with a prepared filling of chilies with sour cream.
Are there vegan tacos that you can buy on the street of Mexico?
There are very few vegan tacos out there. You might have better luck finding a vegan quesadilla. The quesadilla is a similar dish, made from longer tortillas, and is as popular as the tacos.
Still, if you want to find vegan tacos inside Mexico you could try this one:
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Tacos de guisado de nopales – tacos with a prepared filling of cacti (Nopales) with onions and spices.
Your other option is to find a vegan taqueria (restaurant for tacos). There you could find an all-vegan menu. Thanks to the foreigners, such places are getting more popular. If you are in Mexico City, you can find vegan tacos in the La Condesa neighborhood, and also downtown.
Wheat flour tortilla or corn tortilla do Mexicans use?
Mexican prefer corn tortillas. The corn tortilla is the standard all around Mexico. Still, you can find flour tortillas too. It is a bit more popular in the North, in states like Nuevo Leon, Coahuila, Chihuahua, Sonora, and Baja California. Mexico is a big producer of corn, and this is the reason why this type of tortillas is more popular.
Are traditional tacos hard or soft?
The traditional tacos in Mexico are soft. The hard tacos are an American invention and they are not popular at all in Mexico. You can find dried tortillas, but they are used for totopos snacks (nachos), Azteca soup, chilaquiles, and other dishes. The only hard tacos in Mexico are the tacos dorados (fried tacos).
How are Mexican tacos different from American tacos?
Mexican tacos and American tacos share just the name. Apart from this, they are extremely different.
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The tortilla of the Mexican tacos is usually made of corn flour and it is soft. The American one is hard and made from wheat flour.
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The filling of the Mexican tacos can be very versatile – pork meat, beef, goat meat, sheep, vegetables, fish, seafood, and so on.
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The American tacos are made with beef minced meat.
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The Mexican tacos have different garnishes, depending on the flavor, while the Americans have a little salad of vegetables.
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You will also find many specific hot sauces in Mexico, specially prepared by each restaurant, while in America, you will find only a few choices of bottled hot sauce.
Why are American tacos different?
American tacos were created, to be a part of a fast-food chain restaurant. They are a mass-market product that strives for standardization.
On the other hand, Mexican tacos are made on spot, to be consumed freshly cooked. They are unique and each region has its own.
Is Taco Bell real Mexican food?
No. Taco Bell is an American chain of restaurants that was inspired by the Tex-Mex cuisine and Mexican food from the border. It is very different from traditional Mexican food.
What is Taco Tuesday?
Taco Tuesday is an American promotion, that offers tacos with a discount every Tuesday. It is American promotion, and it is not adopted in Mexico. It was trademarked in 1989 by Taco John, but many other restaurants use it, even without paying for copyrights.
When is National Taco day (USA)?
The 4th of October is National Taco Day in the USA. So, this year, Taco Day will be on 04.10.2022. On this day, you can expect great promotions and even free tacos from Taco Bell, Chuy’s, Rubio’s, and other big US chains.
When is the national Taco day (Mexico) - Día del Taco?
In Mexico, the national day of the taco is celebrated on the 31st of March each year. What we could find as a starting day was 31.03.2007. The biggest TV channel in Mexico, Televisa, started first to celebrate Taco Day, and many restaurants followed. Now, it is more a marketing tool that restaurants use, rather than something every Mexican celebrates.
Do Mexican tacos have cheese?
No, typical tacos do not have cheese. There is another dish called quesadilla that takes its name from queso – cheese. They usually include cheese or you can add it if you like.
There are just a few tacos, that include cheese like tacos dorados.
What cheese do Mexican restaurants use on tacos?
Mexico has the following types of cheeses:
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Oaxaca cheese
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Manchego cheese
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Cotija cheese
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Requesón
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Panela cheese
They can be used on tacos, but it is not very common in Mexico to put cheese on a taco. Still, if you insist, the restaurant could add cheese to your tacos for an extra fee.
Tacos vs quesadillas
Tacos and quesadillas are very similar, but what defines them is what you put inside the tortilla. In the case of tacos, the tortilla is circular and the filling is mostly meat.
When we talk about quesadillas, they have a different shape, longer body, and usually, the filling is a prepared meal - guiso. The guiso can be with meat or vegetarian. Usually, quesadillas have cheese (queso), and tacos don’t have cheese.
Tacos vs burritos
Tacos and burritos are very similar, but the biggest differences are that the taco is a tortilla with filling, that is served open, while the burrito is served wrapped around. Another difference is that tacos are usually using corn tortillas, while burritos are made with flour tortillas.
Can taco be healthy?
Tacos can be healthy, especially if you prepared them yourself. You can get the best ingredients, evade frying any of the ingredients, and add a healthy dose of vegetables.
But, most of the traditional tacos will make you fat. Just see “The complete list of Mexican tacos you must try before you die!” and you will find out that most of the tacos are really energy-dense. Meat, fat, oil, garnish, and sauces. Ever adds up to a very heavy dish with a lot of calories. If you are on a diet, eating street food Mexican tacos won’t be good for you.
Conclusion
Now you know a lot more about Mexico’s favorite food, the tacos! We hope we have answered all your questions and doubts about the tacos. Next time you get tacos with your friends or families, you can surprise them with this knowledge.
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