Tacos. If you are a citizen of the world, chances are you have eaten one of these goldmines of flavor and goodness. And if you haven’t…what are you doing here!? Go out and grab some tacos! I can assure you they are not in short supply. (Oh, and mark your calendar for National Taco Day while you’re at it).
But really, what’s the deal with tacos? What is it about this fine combination of ingredients that go together so well? Personally, I think it’s the malleability it possesses. There are chicken tacos, beef tacos, potato tacos, veggie tacos, tofu tacos. Most often they’re between corn or flour tortilla shells. And don’t even get me started on the toppings! Salsa, lettuce, radishes, cheese, onions…Is your mouth watering yet? Mine is just thinking about it.
Not only are they a magnificent creation, but there’s an interesting history behind them as well. Jeffrey M. Pilcher, from the University of Minnesota, has theorized that tacos were invented by Mexican salt-miners in the 18th century with the name coming from the charges used to extract the precious ore from the rock. To back this claim, one of the first kinds of tacos that was documented in the early 1800s was called tacos de minero or literally “miner’s tacos.” Though this is not absolute fact, it is highly plausible.
With that in mind, it might be surprising to some that tacos, unlike some other Mexican dishes dating back hundreds of years (such as the enchilada), are not a “traditional” Mexican staple. They are street food, easy snacks for workers to grab and have some nourishment on the go and for the day. Mexico City is credited as the birthplace for the modern taco because it was through the establishment of taquerias, or simply taco shops.
As it comes to tacos’ popularity in other parts of the world, it began, perhaps ironically, through the Taco Bell fast food chain. Its founder, Glen Bell, had an idea of a restaurant for people who wished to try this delicacy without having to travel all the way to the Land of Enchantment. So, with enough time, Taco Bell was born of this dream. Say what you want about it not being “real Mexican food”, but it’s pretty likely you’ve eaten there sometime in the last few months.
Tacos have become a staple not only of Mexican culture in the short two-hundred years or so since their invention, but also of world culture as well. Other nations have seen the diverse possibilities the taco holds and embraced it. Now there are Mediterranean tacos, Arabic tacos, and even Korean tacos! They all are very similar, but the chefs and cooks responsible for their creation have not been afraid to throw in their own flavor through the spices, herbs, meats and other ingredients available to them to create something entirely new.
And really, isn’t that what makes great food? Of course there is flavor and nutritional value to account for, but it’s the expression of one’s culture through taste. Music is a culture’s expression through sound. Media like paintings and movies is a culture’s expression through sight. And food provides that same experience, albeit in a different way.
Just goes to show, tacos are awesome! Now get out there and feast!
Pilcher’s article on the full history of tacos: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/where-d...
