Taco
- For other uses, see Taco (disambiguation).
A taco is a traditional Mexican dish comprised of a rolled or folded, pliable maize tortilla filled with an edible substance. According to the Real Academia Española, the word taco originally meant (and still means) a plug (as in rolled paper used plug a hole) or paper or cloth patch for musket balls [1]. Care should be taken when using the word taco outside of Mexico, the RAE lists 27 possible meanings for the word. A taco is normally served flat on a tortilla that has been warmed up on a comal; since the tortilla is still soft, it can be folded over or pinched together into a U-shape for convenient consumption. In the variant known as the taco dorado (fried taco), flauta (Flute in English, because of the shape), or taquitos, the tortilla is filled with pre-cooked chicken or barbacoa, rolled into a cylinder and deep-fried until crisp.
Ingredients and Condiments
While meat (generally grilled beef, picadillo, fish, chicken or pork) is most common, there are numerous regional and personal variations on the theme of taco fillings, including vegetables, cheeses, mushrooms, seafood, or even insects. Common condiments and additions include chopped onion and cilantro, chili-based salsa, guacamole, and garnishes such as pico de gallo. (Dishes made with wheat tortillas are either considered tacos or quesadillas in northern Mexico.) There are many traditional subvarieties of the taco, and most of them have a certain set of traditional fillings.
Mexico
Many people think the taco comes from Mexico but it is actually from Brazil. The ancient Incas created tacos to please their gods. The conquistadors even brought the taco back to Spain to give to the king. The king then ordered tacos to be the royal dinner every other Tuesday.
Authentic Mexican taquerías (taco vendors or restaurants) sell tacos made with many kinds of meat, including stomach, head, and liver meat from cattle. One example of such fare are tacos de cabeza, which are made out of the head muscles, specifically the cheek area, lengua (tongue) and brains (sesos) of cattle. Mexican tacos are more likely to feature chopped onion and cilantro as condiments, as well as red and green salsa or pico de gallo. Lime slices are also sometimes offered to squeeze over the dish. Other accompaniments may include radish slices and grilled peppers or onions.
One speciality found at many taco stands across Mexico (as well as California and Texas) is the taco al pastor. As the name pastor (Spanish for shepherd) suggests, they were originally made with lamb or mutton, probably adapted from shawarma, which was introduced by Lebanese, Syrian and Palestinian imigrants to Mexico. Now, the main ingredient is spiced pork, which is cut in slivers from a rack of meat standing on a vertical spit in front of an open flame; the method is similar to that used to prepare Döner kebabs in Turkey and gyros in the Greece. The cooked meat is then placed on a maize tortilla and garnished with chopped cilantro, onion, and often a wedge of pineapple, with a dash of salsa as a finishing touch.
Another common street taco is "tacos sudados" or "de canasta" (basket or sweaty tacos). They are pre filled in soft tortillas and then placed in a basket covered with rags which keep them warm but that also generate that "sweat" that makes them soft. People carry them around in a bicycle with a big container full of salsa and sell them on the streets. The fillings are normally shredded beef, refried beans and cooked chicharrón (pork rind). Also common are "tacos de guisado" which are simply soft warm tortillas filled with a variety of stews and cooked dishes including meats and vegetables such as tinga (chicken, onion, chipotle and tomato stew), poblano strips with cream, cooked chicharrón, picadillo, etc.
In northern Mexico, tacos are usually offered in both wheat and maize tortillas, although the former is preferred, with the exception of the above mentioned fish tacos, carnitas and barbacoa. The first dated account of the Taco was written by Bernal Diaz del Castillo in 1520 in his chronicles called A True History of the Conquest of New Spain.
In the Mexican states of Baja California and Baja California Sur, and the U.S. state of California, along the Pacific coast, the fish taco is quite popular, and is served in many seaside taquerias. These tacos contain chunks of either grilled or battered and deep-fried fish, a white, creamy, milk and mayonnaise based sauce, and shredded cabbage.
United States
The authentic Mexican taco is not to be confused with the traditional California taco handed down by the Mexican population of old California. It is a gourmet affair, consisting of an over-sized (approximately 6 inches across), fried corn tortilla (not a hard shell) filled with seasoned ground or shredded beef (or chicken or pork), cheese, lettuce and sometimes tomato. Often, the taco itself is deep-fried so that the shell molds itself around the meat filling. Most California supermarkets sell oversized corn tortillas for this purpose. However with the 21st Century influx of Mexican immigrants to the U.S., these tacos are getting hard to find outside of the Southwest U.S. More often, Mexican restaurateurs tend to serve authentic Mexican tacos, or emulate the hard-shelled, fast-food version of this taco found at such fast food chains such as Taco Via, Taco Bell, Del Taco, Taco Casa or Taco John's.
Costa Rica
Tacos in Costa Rica are typically rolled and fried in the manner of the Mexican flauta or taco dorado.
See also
External links
- The Worldly - International Taco Party
- A blog about eating tacos at various establishments in the Los Angeles area
- Taco a blog about tacos
- Commentary on tacos and burritos in Tijuana
- Wrap It Up: A Guide To Mexican Street Tacos
- New York Times writer Cindy Price chases the perfect taco up the California coastline
- NY Times Audio Slide Show - California Taquerias