Three varieties of taco (clockwise from left):carnitas,carne asada, andal pastor. As is traditional, they are garnished simply withcilantro (fresh coriander) and chopped onion, and served with lime on the side for seasoning according to the diner's taste.
Tacos can be contrasted with similar foods such asburritos, which are often much larger and rolled rather than folded;taquitos, which are rolled and fried; orchalupas/tostadas, in which the tortilla is fried before filling.
Etymology
The origins of the taco are not precisely known, and etymologies for the culinary usage of the word are generally theoretical.[3][4]Taco in the sense of a typical Mexican dish comprising amaizetortilla folded around food is just one of the meanings connoted by the word, according to theReal Academia Española, publisher ofDiccionario de la Lengua Española.[5] This meaning of the Spanish word "taco" is a Mexican innovation,[4] but the word "taco" is used in other contexts to mean "wedge; wad, plug; billiard cue; blowpipe; ramrod; short, stocky person; [or] short, thick piece of wood."[5] The etymological origin of this sense of the word isGermanic and has cognates in other European languages, including theFrench wordtache and theEnglish word "tack".[6]
In Spain, the word "taco" can also be used in the context oftacos de jamón [es]: these are diced pieces of ham, or sometimes bits and shavings of ham leftover after a larger piece is sliced.[7] They can be served on their own astapas or street food, or can be added to other dishes such assalmorejo,omelettes,stews,empanadas, ormelón con jamón [es].[8][9][10]
According to one etymological theory, the culinary origin of the term "taco" in Mexico can be traced to its employment, among Mexicansilver miners, as a term signifying "plug." The miners used explosive charges in plug form, consisting of a paper wrapper and gunpowder filling.[3]
Indigenous origins are also proposed. One possibility is that the word derives from theNahuatl wordtlahco, meaning "half" or "in the middle",[11] in the sense that food would be placed in the middle of a tortilla.[12] Furthermore, dishes analogous to the taco were known to have existed inPre-Columbian society—for example, the Nahuatl wordtlaxcalli (a type of corn tortilla).[11]
History
There is significant debate about the origins of the taco in Mexico, with some arguing that the taco predates the arrival of the Spanish in Mexico, since there is anthropological evidence that the indigenous people living in the lake region of theValley of Mexico traditionally ate tacos filled with small fish.[13] Writing at the time of the Spanish conquistadors,Bernal Díaz del Castillo documented the first taco feast enjoyed by Europeans, a meal whichHernán Cortés arranged for his captains inCoyoacán.[14][15] Others argue that the advent of the taco is much more recent, with one of the more popular theories being that the taco was invented by silver miners in the 18th century.[13]
One of the oldest mentions of the termtaco comes from an 1836 cookbook —Nuevo y sencillo arte de cocina, reposteria y refrescos— by Antonia Carrillo; in a recipe for a rolled pork loin (lomo de cerdo enrollado), she instructs the readers to roll the loin like they would a "taco de tortilla" or tortilla taco.[16]
Another mention of the word taco comes from the novel —El hombre de la situación (1861)— by Mexican writerManuel Payno:[17]
“They surrounded the father's bed, and he, putting a pillow on his legs, which served as a table, began to give the example, and a pleasant gathering was formed, which was completed by the mother, who always entered last, waving with one hand (from right to left) a large cup of whiteatole, while with the other, she carried right to her mouth, a tortilla taco filled with a spread of red chile.
These instances disprove the theory that the first mention of the word "taco" in Mexico was in the 1891 novel Los bandidos de Río Frío byManuel Payno.[18]
It should also be noted that termtaco was regional, specifically from Mexico City and surrounding areas, and that other regional names existed. InGuanajuato,Guerrero,Michoacán, andSan Luis Potosí, the terms used wereburrito andburro; while inYucatán andQuintana Roo the term used wascodzito (coçito).[19][20][21] Due to the cultural influence of Mexico City, the termtaco became the default, and terms likeburrito andcodzito, either became forgotten or evolved to mean something different in modern times.
In 2024, El Califa de León in Mexico City became the first taco stand to win aMichelin star.[22]
Tacosal pastor ("shepherd style"),tacos de adobada, ortacos árabes ("arab tacos") are made of thin pork steaks seasoned withadobo seasoning, then skewered and overlapped on one another on a vertical rotisserie cooked and flame-broiled as it spins likeshawarma.[23][24] This variation has roots in Mexico's Lebanese immigrant population.[25][26][27]
Tacos de asador ("spit" or "grill" tacos) may be composed of any of the following:carne asada tacos;tacos de tripita ("tripe tacos"), grilled until crisp; and,chorizo asado (traditional Spanish-style sausage). Each type is served on two overlapped smalltortillas and sometimes garnished withguacamole,salsa, onions, and cilantro (coriander leaf). Also, prepared on the grill is a sandwiched taco calledmulita ("little mule") made with meat served between two tortillas and garnished withOaxaca style cheese.Mulita is used to describe these types of sandwiched tacos in the Northern States of Mexico while they are known asgringas in the Mexican south and are prepared usingwheat flour tortillas. Tacos may also be served with salsa.[23][24]
Tacos decabeza ("head tacos"), in which there is a flat punctured metal plate from which steam emerges to cook the head of the cow. These include:Cabeza, a serving of the muscles of the head;Sesos ("brains");Lengua ("tongue");Cachete ("cheeks");Trompa ("lips"); and,Ojo ("eye"). Tortillas for these tacos are warmed on the same steaming plate for a different consistency. These tacos are typically served in pairs, and also include salsa, onion, and cilantro (coriander leaf) with occasional use of guacamole.[23][24]
Tacos de camarones ("shrimp tacos") also originated inBaja California in Mexico. Grilled or friedshrimp are used, usually with the same accompaniments as fish tacos: lettuce or cabbage,pico de gallo, avocado and a sour cream or citrus/mayonnaise sauce, all placed on top of a corn or flour tortilla.[23][24][28]
Tacos de cazo (literally "bucket tacos") for which a metal bowl filled with lard is typically used as a deep-fryer. Meats for these types of tacos typically includeTripa ("tripe", usually from a pig instead of a cow, and can also refer to the intestines);Suadero (tender beef cuts),Carnitas andBuche (literally,"crop", as inbird's crop; or the esophagus of any animal[29]).[23][24]
Tacos de lengua (beef tongue tacos),[30] which are cooked in water with onions, garlic, and bay leaves for several hours until tender and soft, then sliced and sautéed in a small amount of oil. "It is said that unless ataquería offers tacos de lengua, it is not a real taquería."[31]
Tacos de pescado ("fish tacos") originated inBaja California in Mexico, where they consist of grilled or fried fish, lettuce or cabbage,pico de gallo, and a sour cream or citrus/mayonnaise sauce, all placed on top of a corn or flour tortilla. In the United States, they were first popularized by theRubio's fast-food chain, and remain most popular in California, Colorado, and Washington. In California, they are often found at street vendors, and a regional variation is to serve them with cabbage and coleslaw dressing on top.[23][24]
Tacos dorados (fried tacos; literally, "golden tacos") calledflautas ("flute", because of the shape), ortaquitos, for which the tortillas are filled with pre-cooked shredded chicken, beef orbarbacoa, rolled into an elongated cylinder and deep-fried until crisp. They are sometimes cooked in amicrowave oven orbroiled.[23][24]
Tacos sudados ("sweaty tacos") are made by filling soft tortillas with a spicy meat mixture, then placing them in a basket covered with cloth. The covering keeps the tacos warm and traps steam ("sweat") which softens them.[23][32]
Tacos de birria (stewed meat tacos) are made with goat or beef roasted or stewed with spices and typically served with the broth from cooking the meat as a dipping sauce. Originating in the Mexican state of Jalisco, birria was mentioned in a 1925 Article in theEl Paso Herald. The taqueria,El Remedio in San Antonio, began offering birria de res tacos in their current form in Texas in 2018. Offerings by taco stands in California and across the Southwest United States began occurring at about the same time.[33][34]
As an accompaniment to tacos, manytaco stands will serve whole or sliced redradishes,lime slices, salt, pickled or grilled chilis (hot peppers), and occasionallycucumber slices, or grilled cambray onions.
The hard-shell or crispy taco is a tradition that developed in the United States. This type of taco is typically served as a crisp-fried corn tortilla filled with seasoned ground beef, cheese, lettuce, and sometimes tomato, onion, salsa, sour cream, and avocado or guacamole.[35] Such tacos are sold by restaurants and by fast food chains, while kits are readily available in most supermarkets. Hard shell tacos are sometimes known astacos dorados ("golden tacos") in Spanish,[36] a name that they share withtaquitos.
Various sources credit different individuals with the invention of the hard-shell taco, but some form of the dish likely predates all of them.[36] Beginning from the early part of the twentieth century, various types of tacos became popular in the country, especially in Texas and California but also elsewhere.[37] By the late 1930s, companies like Ashley Mexican Food and Absolute Mexican Foods were selling appliances and ingredients for cooking hard shell tacos, and the first patents for hard-shell taco cooking appliances were filed in the 1940s.[36] The first cookbook to provide a recipe for the hard-shell taco wasThe Good Life: New Mexican food, written byFabiola Cabeza de Baca Gilbert and published inSanta Fe,New Mexico, in 1949.[38]
In the mid-1950s,Glen Bell opened Taco Tia, and began selling a simplified version of the tacos being sold by Mexican restaurants inSan Bernardino, particularly thetacos dorados being sold at the Mitla Cafe, owned by Lucia and Salvador Rodriguez across the street from another of Bell's restaurants.[36] Over the next few years, Bell owned and operated a number of restaurants in southern California including four called El Taco.[39] The tacos sold at Bell's restaurants were many Anglo Americans' first introduction to Mexican food.[36] Bell sold the El Tacos to his partner and built the firstTaco Bell inDowney in 1962. Kermit Becky, a formerLos Angelespolice officer, bought the first Taco Bell franchise from Glen Bell in 1964,[39] and located it inTorrance. The company grew rapidly, and by 1967, the 100th restaurant opened at 400 South Brookhurst inAnaheim. In 1968, its first franchise location east of theMississippi River opened inSpringfield, Ohio.[40]
A hard-shell taco, made with a prefabricated shell
Common ingredients for North American hard-shell tacos
A crispy taco from a Sacramento, California, taquería
Soft-shell tacos
Three soft-shell tacos with beef filling at a restaurant inHelsinki, Finland
Traditionally, soft-shelled tacos referred to corn tortillas that were cooked to a softer state than a hard taco – usually by grilling or steaming. More recently, the term has come to include flour-tortilla-based tacos mostly from large manufacturers and restaurant chains. In this context,soft tacos are tacos made withwheat flour tortillas and filled with the same ingredients as a hard taco.[41]
Breakfast taco
Typical breakfast taco with eggs, sausage and salsa
The breakfast taco, found inTex-Mex cuisine, is a soft corn or flour tortilla filled with meat, eggs, or cheese, which can also contain other ingredients.[42] Some have claimed thatAustin, Texas, is the home of the breakfast taco.[43] However, food writer andOC Weekly editor Gustavo Arellano responded that such a statement reflects a common trend of "whitewashed" foodways reporting, noting that predominantly HispanicSan Antonio, Texas, "never had to brag about its breakfast taco love—folks there just call it 'breakfast'".[44]
This kind of taco is not known to have been present before the arrival of Europeans in what is now theSouthwestern United States.Navajo tradition indicates that frybread came into use in the 1860s when the government forced the tribe to relocate from their homeland inArizona in a journey known as theLong Walk of the Navajo. It was made from ingredients given to them by the government to supplement their diet since the region could not support growing the agricultural commodities that had been previously used.[47]
Since at least the late 1930s, a variation called the "puffy taco" has been popular in theLower Rio Grande Valley and the surrounding area. Henry's Puffy Tacos, opened by Henry Lopez inSan Antonio,Texas, popularized the variation,[48] in which uncooked corn tortillas (flattened balls ofmasa dough[49]) are quickly fried in hot oil until they expand and become "puffy".[50][51] Fillings are similar to hard-shell versions. Restaurants offering this style of taco have since appeared in other Texas cities, as well as in California, where Henry's brother, Arturo Lopez, opened Arturo's Puffy Taco inWhittier, not long after Henry's opened.[52][53] Henry's continues to thrive, managed by the family's second generation.[50]
Kits are available at grocery andconvenience stores and usually consist of taco shells (corn tortillas already fried in a U-shape), seasoning mix andtaco sauce. Commercial vendors for the home market also market soft taco kits with tortillas instead of taco shells.[54][55]
The tacodilla contains melted cheese in between the two folded tortillas, thus resembling aquesadilla.[56]
^abTatum, Charles M., ed. (2013). "Tacos".Encyclopedia of Latino Culture: From Calaveras to Quinceaneras [3 Volumes]. Cultures of the American Mosaic. Vol. 1. Greenwood / ABC-CLIO. pp. 495–497. enc-lat-cult.
^ab"Definition: Taco". Real Academia Española.Archived from the original on 2012-06-16. Retrieved2008-06-13.Tortilla de maíz enrollada con algún alimento dentro, típica de México.
^de Echegaray, Eduardo (1887)."Taco" [Etymological Dictionary of the Spanish Language].Diccionario general etimológico de la lengua española (Scanned book) (in Spanish). Vol. 5. Madrid. p. 481.{{cite encyclopedia}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^Jesús Ventanas,El jamón Ibérico. De la dehesa al paladar., Ediciones Mundi-Prensa, 2006, p. 102.
^Julio César, (2011),El gran libro de las tapas, Ed. Grupo Salsa, 2011, p. 45.
^Jesús Ventanas,Tecnología del jamón Ibérico: de los sistemas tradicionales a la explotación del aroma y del sabor, 1st ed., Ediciones Mundi-Prensa, 2001, p. 193.
^José Bello Gutiérrez,Jamón curado: Aspectos científicos y tecnológicos, Editorial Díaz de Santos, 2012, p. 239.
