Whoops! Just missed celebrating National Taco Day…or did I? I don’t need a specific day to applaud tasty tacos. We incorporate tacos into our DinnerTime Meal Plan all the time. Tacos are fun to make and fun to eat. They’re even fun to talk about!
Corn tortillas were originally used as long ago as 1500 BC as an eating utensil, scooping and holding a variety of fillings. There’s a fun story about how tacos got their name — In the 19th century, Mexican silver miners used tortillas to hold meat, bacon and potatoes for their mid-day meal. The paper wrapped around the explosives used to loosen the ore reminded the miners of taquitos, a filled tortilla rolled up and fried. Plus, the addition of hot sauce gave their meal a “bang” and so they called their meal a “taco”. A light lunch became know as tacos de minero (miner’s tacos.) Mexican immigrants coming to the United States in the early 1900’s brought taco recipes with them. Delicioso!
What Makes a Taco a Taco?
Originally Corn: True Mexican foodies will argue that a taco is not a taco unless the tortilla is made from corn. However, other types of flour such as wheat and almond can make a tasty taco and are commonly used today.
Soft vs Hard: Tacos are traditionally soft. While Mexicans would often fry-to-order the tortilla for a crisp shell, hard tacos, as we know them today, became commercialized in 1949. Making each hard shell fresh wasn’t possible if they were to be sold on the grocer’s shelves. In order to extend the shelf-life of pre-packaged taco shells, food suppliers created the hard taco shell.
Fill it Up: There are so many types of tacos. The earliest tacos were made with whatever proteins and fillings were on hand. Hot sauce was not necessarily part of every taco. Most tacos included lively spices and flavorings such as cumin, oregano, paprika, lime, onions, and chiles. Adding chopped cabbage, lettuce, cheese, and other fun toppings came later. Today, there are so many ways to make a taco your own. There are numerous recipes for seafood, beef, pork, cheese, chicken, and vegetarian options. Check out your DinnerTime Recipe Box for lots of terrific taco recipes.
Size Matters: Tacos are made with smaller tortillas…about the size of a hand. They were originally used for a mid-day meal and the heartier burrito (made with a larger tortilla) was considered a dinner meal. Today we enjoy several of these small tacos for our dinner meal portions.
Taco-Tasty Toppings: Have fun with toppings such as cabbage slaws, shredded cheese, chopped tomatoes, chopped radish, and chopped lettuce. Don’t forget a variety of salsas from the extra spicy to the sweet-with-a-kick fruit salsas. Cilantro, lime, avocado, sour cream and guacamole are all favorites of our family.
Messy not Fussy: Tacos are messy and that is ok. I’m pretty sure that’s one of the reasons my kids love tacos so much. It’s fun to be messy sometimes!
Tantalizing Taco Facts for the Table
NASA astronaut Megan McArthur
Largest Taco: At 335 feet long, Guinness confirmed the largest carnitas taco (pork) was created on November 11, 2019 in Querétaro, Mexico that stretched an entire city block. That’s a big bite!
Most Expensive Taco: $25,000. Yes, that is $25,000!!! Yikes, this taco can be ordered from the menu at the Grand Velas Los Cabos hotel in Mexico. The ingredients include Kobe beef, caviar, lobster and truffle cheese wrapped inside a gold infused tortilla. I’m sorry to say we don’t offer that recipe in your DinnerTime Recipe Box!
Astronauts Love ‘Em: One might think tacos would be a poor choice to eat while on a space mission, but tacos are supposedly less messy to eat in a zero-gravity environment. Sounds so cool!
Tasty Recipes To Make In Under 30 Minutes
Switch up your fillings with this shrimp taco recipe.
A classic taco with lots of flavor!
Check out this tasty vegetarian taco. Yum!