Taco

Beef tacos with guacamole and cilantro.

The taco is a very popular culinary preparation in Mexico that consists of a tortilla, usually made of corn, which is commonly rolled to contain various ingredients and some type of sauce and vegetables inside. It is the antojito the most representative of Mexican cuisine and can be found in all parts of the republic and in Mexican restaurants throughout the world.

Currently, tacos are widespread worldwide as a type of fast food. However, what is known as taco internationally are American-influenced tacos that differ quite a bit in ingredients and preparation from Mexican ones and stem from Tex-Mex food, which influences the way of preparation and flavor.

These can have various ingredients and there are various presentations. Like golden or basket tacos and they vary according to their preparation.

Description

Ingredients

The tortilla is a thin, round preparation made of corn dough, between 12 and 25 cm in diameter. Wheat flour tortillas, and even nopal, are also made, although less commonly. The tacos can also be double tortilla when the food it contains is too heavy to contain with a single tortilla.

For the filling, there is a wide variety of foods such as meat, offal or sausages. The ingredients and the way of cooking them determine the name, for example, tacos de cochinita or tacos dorados, also called fried tacos or flautas. Other variants include: basket tacos, widespread and cheap, armored tacos, so called because they include rice and hard-boiled eggs, drowned tacos, norteño tacos, etc. among many others.

The sauce is the accompaniment and at the same time an essential ingredient. There are many sauces in Mexican gastronomy: the family of red sauces, together with the family of green sauces, are the most typical, in addition to the spicy avocado sauce, the chile de árbol sauce, the macha sauce, the pico de rooster etc

Other common accompaniments are: cheese, sour cream, lemon (Mexican name for lime), radishes, or a mixture of chopped cilantro and onion.

Similarly, although the standard taco is made with a tortilla of some kind, in haute cuisine or fusion Mexican restaurants, the tortilla may be substituted with lettuce, onion leaves, or some similar ingredient.

Etymology

The exact origin of the word cue is unknown, although various theories have been proposed: A wooden cue is a short, thick stick used to cover a hole, perhaps because of the tac produced by the dowel when nailed. Variants of this word are found in Romance and Germanic languages alike. In some Spanish-speaking countries, saying tacos can mean 'insult', perhaps from the Germanic tak ('belch').

A Nahuatl etymology, tlahco ('half'), has also been proposed, since the ingredients are placed in the middle and folded in half. However, this term was used more for economic matters, such as the quarter of a real, which during the Viceroyalty of New Spain was called tlaco and, par excellence, became synonymous with 'something of negligible value'. The Nahuatl affix tlaq is related to food concepts: quauhtlaqualli ('white tortilla of kings'), tlaqualiztli ('to eat'), tlaqualli ('delicacy'), etc.

Jeffrey M. Pilcher proposes that the word taco in its modern sense of stuffed tortilla has its origins in the 19th century. After the depletion of various mines in regions such as Guanajuato, there was a migratory movement of mining towns towards Mexico City, who brought with them the tacos, which was the name given to the dynamite sticks used in mining., and because of their visual resemblance they called wrapped tortillas taco. Later, miner's tacos became popular in Mexico City. Pilcher considers this to be the most plausible explanation since there are no previous records of such use for the word taco. There are mentions of wrapped in the El Periquillo Sarniento of 1816: "where I paid for lunch, which were wrapped, chicken stew, marinade and pulque prickly pear and pineapple."; but it was not until 1891 with the publication of Los bandidos de Río Frío by Manuel Payno that its use appears for the first time:

most of the families in the open air, forming cheerful groups and with a devouring appetite ripping with teeth the tasty fragments of a goat-assed leg, and the boys flinching with their teeth tacos tortilla with avocado in the hand.

After the publication of Los bandidos de Río Frío, this definition of taco was included in the Diccionario de Mejicanismos of 1895. This confirms that the word became popular in the middle of the century XIX.

History

Different cultures developed the tradition of a flour-based preparation that provides carbohydrates made in such a way that it remains as a flat surface that serves as a support for other foods. Thus, the taco can be compared with the shawarma of Turkish origin, preparations that do not share links but work in the same way.

Background

Green corn tortillas, called tlaxcalli in Nahuatl, were already part of the pre-Columbian Mesoamerican diet and the way they are eaten in tacos is a direct inheritance from the period to the present.

Thanks to the chronicles of Francisco de Aguilar or Bernal Díaz del Castillo, we know that hot corn tortillas were served at Moctezuma's table as an accompaniment to food, and that the tlatoani used the tortillas as a "spoon" to hold and consume food.

Colonial period

The first known historical record of a taquiza is the one made by Hernán Cortés and his men in Coyoacán, to celebrate the fall of Mexico-Tenochtitlan, and was documented by Díaz del Castillo in the Códice Florentino .

The birth of the taco comes from pre-Hispanic tortillas with mole, which were prepared on hot stones and decorated with cochineal, some of them accompanied by beans and chili, ingredients that still constitute the dietary base of the Mexican people. The stew that was put on the taco at that time was based on the meat that was consumed during that time.

Mexican food was based on the guajolote (as turkey is called in Central Mexico), since it was the only domesticated bird. There were also hairless dogs (Xoloitzcuintle) that were fattened for consumption. Its meat was less esteemed than that of the turkey.

News

Although in the 21st century there are haute cuisine restaurants that offer tacos on their menu, throughout its history the status of this dish has evolved: during the period known as Porfiriato (late XIX, early XX century), the taco was considered the food of the people.

Types of studs

Some particular types can be distinguished, based on their type of meat or its preparation. There are those who consider that a taco is born with the "mere act" of wrapping or rolling a stew with a tortilla.

By type of meat

Tacos to the shepherd

The tacos are basically filled with pork and beef, among these are: tripe tacos, arrachera tacos, brain tacos, steak tacos, suadero tacos, escamoles tacos, and basket tacos.

• Tacos the shepherd. The main ingredient for these tacos is roasted pork with achiote or ancho pepper, orange, vinegar, pepper. These are accompanied by a piece of pineapple, the tortilla is small and sometimes two are used, one on another.
• Tacos de carnitas. Made of pork cooked in its butter (grass) of it.
• Longaniza heel. Prepared with longaniza, a long sausage, filled with chopped pork
• Coal tacos. They contain any roasted meat in coal panties, it is usually beef, pig or chicken.
• Beef tacos. As its name indicates, they are tacos with roasted beef. They are usually consumed in restaurants specializing in roasted meat.
• Chicken tacos. Chicken is a traditional Yucatan state dish. It is prepared to bathe the pork with adobo (achiote) and leave it to macerate for at least an hour. The oven is preheated at 180 °C and the meat is inserted. It gets cooked until it's very soft. Originally the stew is made cooking the meat in a hole in the earth where stones have been heated by intense fire, then covered with various leaves.
• Arabic taco. Very popular taco type in the state of Puebla, is a mexicanized variant of the Arab shawarmas, the latter started selling them in Puebla, traditionally served in Arabic bread, variant of the pita (plane bread) and current are also served in flour or corn tortilla, they are made of pork with onion, oregano and thyme and are added lemon and salsa with chipotle base, piloncillo and vinegar. They may or may not wear cheese.
• BBQ. It contains beef, ram or res in the northern states. It can be served in the traditional form, with soft tortilla, or with the rolled tortilla covering the meat or well fried in oil, covered with cream and fresh cheese. It is usually accompanied by the consomé or broth of the borrego, which contains rice and chickpeas, and is made with drunk sauce, prepared with chile pasilla and pulque.

Taquero preparing tacos to the shepherd.

• Brick. It is made with chivo meat, which is bathed with a special sauce and cooked in a clay oven for hours. The birria, served as a thick broth, is also a typical Jalisco dish.
• Headaches. They are steamed with the different types of meat that are in the head of the beef or the belly. They include tacos of tongue, ear, eye, brains (brain), maciza and cachete, just for listing some.
• Chicken tacos. This taco is made with chicken cooked and crunched, mole, onion, and is accompanied with a tortilla made with, corn flour, wheat flour, pork butter, salt and water.
• Tacos to the siberia. They are prepared with large tortilla in oil with crumpled chicken breast accompanied by cream, guacamole and jalapeño pepper.

Longaniza heels

Among these, the cut from which the meat comes is usually indicated, so we can find, taco de cuerito or skin; taco de bofe or lung; Montalayo taco or heart; liver cube; kidney taco; eye taco; taco de nana or womb of the female pig; fish tacos (various fish); trunk cues or tongue; pajarilla tacos made with the pancreas; taco of criadillas which are bull or pig testicles, taco of machitos (reproductive organs) with intestines (guts) fried in oil; these are properly sanitized beforehand and seasoned in various ways; they can in turn be filled with other viscera. In Argentina they are called chinchulines; another variant is the taco of guts or intestines. Of the latter, there is a variant known as raspadura taco, made with what is removed from the intestines when the intestinal flora is scraped off to make the covering for sausages or the stomachs of beef. when cleaned before cooking for consumption.

In the area of the Gulf of California, tacos have been created based on fish meat and shellfish, especially shrimp, lobster and fish fillets. In some types of meat tacos, the term campechano (of cheerful assortment or variety) is often used, to indicate that the taco has several types of cuts.

Gold tacos prepared in Puebla, Mexico

By type of preparation

• Gold tacos. These tacos are made from freshly made corn tortillas and are usually filled with chicken, beef, pork or barbecue, beans or potatoes with cheese; the tortilla is rolled and fried in abundant oil or pork butter to take a golden and firm consistency. When served, they are usually placed on top of a layer of cream, grated cheese, chopped lettuce and salsa to the green or red taste. They have a wide popularity since they are very economical. They also receive the name of flutes. In the state of Guerrero, to be more specific in its capital Chilpancingo, these tacos usually appear on a dish with chicken broth and green sauce called consomé, where the tacos are dipped and eaten either with the hand or with spoon, the dish is usually accompanied by a freshly cooked egg.

Suedero heels

Suadero taco

This type of taco is prepared with two fried tortillas and a portion of suadero (beef) is added on top and can be accompanied with cilantro, onion, lemon, salt and either red or green sauce to taste. This type of taco is easier to find since it is one of the most popular along with the pastor. It is common for people to request this type of taco with gordito (animal fat) because it adds flavor to the food.

• Basketballs. They are tacos that are prepared with small corn tortillas and heat with steam using a pot called "vaporera". These tacos are distinguished by being oily or sweaty. The stews are usually made of potato, beans, unwrapped beef and pork chicharrón, potatoes, green mole or chicken tarp as well as picadillo, which can be simple beef ground with vegetables. This type of tacos are consumed a lot in North Mexico, in the morning or at some meeting at night. In Mexico City, they are sold by street taqueros by bicycle or tricycle, which carry a large bottle of green or red salsa (approximately a gallon); tacos travel in a wicker basket (here's his name) which contains about 200 tacos. They are very popular because they are extremely economical, a particularity is that they stay warm only by the basket that contains them.
• Nice taco. It is the taco with an easy to get filling and does not involve cooking, such as the dried chicharrón, cheese or peas any, with accompaniment to the taste of prepared nopales, fresh cheese, avocado and grass of papalo. A variation is the Taco of stew filled with any simple peas, combined or not with a dose of rice to the Mexican one; there are chicharrón pressed, tinga, hard eggs, nopales with egg, longaniza with potatoes, peased pepper in green or red sauce, steak with nopales, pork rib in adobo, among others.
• Tacos de guisado. They are tacos made of typical Mexican dishes, such as: chicharrón in green salsa, rib in chile morita, entomatado de lomo de pig, chiles filled with cheese, stuffed, green mole with chicken or pork, picadillo, steak in chile pasilla, egg with ham, egg in sauce, longaniza with potatoes, etc. It gets used to serving with two tortillas with rice on top and green and red sauce to put them on top. In Mexico City you can buy these tacos in metal stalls located in all the mayors.
• Tacos drowned. There are many recipes for this preparation, but it basically consists of a taco that to serve is drowned in a light sauce. Within this type are enchiladas using a variety of chilies to cook the sauce or even beans, tomato, green tomatillo, etc. Sometimes the tortilla is browned so that it does not get rid of the sauce, but taking care that it continues to allow the action of the roll.
• Fold. These tacos are made with a tortilla bent and fried in oil, which makes it hard and ready to be filled with potatoes, meat, beans, etc. besides some kind of green leaves salad.
• Tacos Rosarito: They are prepared with wheat tortilla, gambón bounced with cheese, chipotle mayonnaise and purple cabbage wrapped.

Special tacos from different areas in Mexico

• Tacos the shepherd. It is said to be created in a beloved taqueria of Mexico City in the 1970s, although many other sources indicate that its origin is really in the City of Puebla de Zaragoza, this variant has spread throughout the country highlighting the versions of Baja California and Veracruz; it is a trompo of roasted beef accompanied by a piece of pineapple.
• Tacos to the Siberia. They are large corn tortillas bathed in oil; the ingredients are crushed chicken (preferably pechuga), cream, guacamole accompanied with jalapeño pepper. They are originally from Monterrey, Nuevo León.
• Beef tacos. It is from charcoal roasted beef, it can be from corn tortilla or wheat flour, they are usually consumed in the north of the country, originating from Chihuahua.
• Pirate tacos. They are from wheat flour tortilla; the ingredients are roasted meat or beef steak and are accompanied with melted cheese, are similar to a cheese with meat.
• Campechanas. They are forced tortilla of wheat flour; the ingredients are beef and beef steak to the shepherd and are accompanied with melted cheese. They are similar to gringas and pirates.
• Burritos. They are from wheat flour tortilla and natives of Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua. People in northern Mexico and the United States. The varieties are many, for example of roasted meat, unwrapped meat with potatoes and chili, beans, stuffed chili, potatoes with chorizo, chicharrón in green sauce, of slices with cheese.

Plated heel

• Salbutes. Originating from Yucatan, they are prepared with corn tortillas, sope type, but thinner; even raw they are thrown into the oil without letting them cool completely. Its main ingredient is roasted turkey, in black or white filling, although in Mexico City it is also used pibil cochinita, onion purple, habanero pepper, orange agria and salt. In Campeche you can add cazón.
• Fine. Similar to a sandwich but composed of two tortillas of wheat flour or corn, roasted meat, Oaxaca cheese, guacamole and flag sauce. People in northern Mexico. Also known as "Gringas" in the rest of the country (and are also prepared only with a flour tortilla in the rest of the country).
• Bucket tacos. It is a double corn tortilla with beef, buche and beef belly in oil or butter. They are consumed in different parts of northwest Mexico.
• Taco style Matamoros. It is a fried tortilla in oil, always white tortilla, with steak or fajita meat, as you prefer, and demoroned fresh cheese, cilantro, avocado, raw onion and fried, accompanied by Mexican sauce. They are famous in Heroica Matamoros.
• Morelian Tacos. Dewrapped meat with a sauce based on dried peppers and popcorn. It's Meoqui's gastronomic identification, Chihuahua.

Brunette tacos

• Taco armored. Originally from Cuautla, Morelos. They are prepared with large portions of red rice, stuffed chili, steak, milanesa or cecina, lubricating these ingredients wrapped in double tortilla.
• Poisoned tacos. Very traditional taco type in Zacatecas. It consists of a taco made with a large corn tortilla and golden in oil filled with refried beans, potatoes and ground peppers. They are simple or with cheese, steak, chorizo or combined.
• Tacos Style Ensenada. Popular in Baja California and Baja California Sur. They are prepared with fish empanized in a type of temper and fried in oil. They are accompanied with rooster beak, green sauce, cream-based dressing, mayonnaise and finely cut cabbage. There are also shrimp (often called Tacos governor) and are usually a little larger in some establishments of Ensenada, Mexicali, Tijuana and San Felipe in Baja California. And in Baja California Sur in the cities of La Paz and Los Cabos.
• Empalmes. They are traditional in northern Mexico. It is a tortilla with pork butter filled with beans and occasionally unwrapped meat, chicharron or cheese, covered by another tortilla and grilled or grilled roast.

Although the presentation and specific preparation of each type of taco varies, since each establishment has its specialties and tradition in recipes; which influences the great variability of these.

Controversial Variations

Since it is considered a basic dish of Mexican identity and gastronomy, there are variations or changes that are controversial.

Deconstructed cue and liquid cue

From 2005 to 2009, El Pujol, a Mexican restaurant, included various deconstructed Mexican dishes on its menu, including the deconstructed placero taco, which was served in a jar with pork rind powder and Mexican sauce jelly; another variant was the liquid placero taco.

French tacos

Tacos de Lyon

The so-called French tacos consist of a flour tortilla filled with different ingredients such as some type of ground red meat, chicken or fish nuggets, vegetables and a wide variety of mayonnaise-based sauces, regularly. In the style of sandwiches or paninis in France, this dish is placed on an electric grill.

According to some sources, the tacos (with "s" for both singular and plural) emerged at the turn of the 21st century in the French city of Lyon and from there it spread to other locations until it reached the capital, Paris, from where it was exported to other latitudes such as Morocco and the United States, countries where culinary fashion arrived during the second decade of the century. XXI.

The phenomenon in France has given rise to franchises such as O'Tacos and Tacos Avenue, while in Morocco it is possible to find businesses such as Tacos de Lyon, Jaco's Tacos or Planet Roll Tacos (whose slogan is « The real French taco") in cities like Casablanca, Tangier and Rabat.

Aussie Taco

The so-called Aussi taco (or 'Australian taco') was part of a campaign by the supermarket chain Coles. It was a sausage placed diagonally inside a piece of white bread. The campaign caused controversy among the oceanic nation's own public and the same chain retracted calling that dish a taco.

The cue in arts and culture

The importance of the taco as part of Mexican culture can be understood through artistic expressions and popular culture where this dish is mentioned.

Popular phrases

Within the great repertoire of popular sayings and phrases in Mexico, the taco is mentioned several times. Some examples:

• Throw a taco: synonymous with eating.
• Of tongue I like a taco: to emphasize that someone is a liar or exaggerated.
• Throw an eyelash: enjoy contemplation of something or someone.
• Throw a lot of cream into your tacos: refers to someone who is presumptuous or presumed.
• In the absence of love, some tacos to the shepherd.

The taco patent

On May 15, 1979, the Mexican artist Maris Bustamante, as part of a conceptual art project, legally registered the cue as if it were her own creation. The work was entitled Manifesto of recognition of the cue whose objective was to defend this “Mexican cultural symbol, from a complete expropriation by chains like Taco Bell (which has existed since the 40s and which at that time was a successful company that had patented the word taco under its authorship at least in his name), as well as the distortion of its original Mexican meaning, whose history dates back more than 2,000 years."

The Manifesto in Recognition of the Taco included several particular pieces: a black and white photograph of a taco by Alfredo Núñez, the performance entitled The patent of the taco, a literary piece, and three capsules where the artist concentrated the symbology of the taco as an "element of cultural penetration", its kidnapping and its patent.

Taco Day

At the initiative of the Televisa company, since 2007 Taco Day has been celebrated every year on March 31. To commemorate the first year of this celebration, the television station organized a concert at the Azteca stadium and launched an Internet site that was subsequently no longer available online.

In the media

Books

• American Tacos: A History and Guide, analyzes the introduction of taco in the United States, by texano José R. Ralat.

Audiovisual productions

• Chef. 2014 film directed, written and starred by Jon Favreau tells the story of chef Carl Casper (Favreau), who after a bad review and the refusal of his boss (Dustin Hoffman) to allow him to try new things in his kitchen, decides to leave his job and start again buying a food truck (gastroneta) and travel the United States. Within the dishes it offers in its new business, Casper includes tacos, as the creator considers that they are a fundamental part of the culture of street food in Los Angeles.
• Chef's Table. In 2017, the first chapter of the fifth season of this documentary web series produced by Netflix tells the story of Mexican chef Cristina Martínez, owner of the South Philly Barbacoa restaurant in Philadelphia. Martínez is an illegal immigrant from Capulhuac, Mexican State, who, together with her husband, American Ben Miller, founded the restaurant that was named Best New United States Restaurant in 2016 by Bon Appetit magazine. In addition to the story as a migrant of Martínez and the preparation of the barbecue and tacos, the episode addresses the facet of spokesperson and activist of the migrant community by the chef.
• Conan Without Borders: Made in Mexico. On March 1, 2017, the U.S. television network TBS broadcast this special episode of the evening program led by Conan O'Brien and which was recorded in Mexico. As part of the country's journey with the aim of "repairing relations between the United States and Mexico" in the context of the xenophobic speech of the President of the United States, Donald Trump, O'Brien ate tacos in a well-known taqueria of Mexico City, accompanied by Mexican journalist Jorge Ramos.
• The Taco Chronicles. Documentary web series distributed by the platform streaming Netflix was released on July 12, 2019. Its first volume or season consists of six episodes of 28 minutes, each dedicated to a different type of taco: the shepherd, of carnitas, of basket, of roast, of barbecue and of stew. The series was created by Pablo Cruz and produced by Canana Films, producer house of Diego Luna, Gael García Bernal and the Cross itself, and by Gloria Content. Each episode is “narrowd” by the taco in turn, in addition to interviews of anthropologists, critics and gastronomic researchers, taqueros, chefs, waiters and diners.
• Ugly Delicious. This documentary web series starring chef David Chang and distributed by Netflix, dedicates his second episode of the first season to tacos. To address the issue, the Taquerías series from Los Angeles and Philadelphia in the United States; Mexico City, Puebla and Tulum in Mexico, and Copenhagen in Denmark. The episode offers the general story of the taco, in addition to the stories of various characters dedicated to a particular type of taco, such as the case of Mexican undocumented immigrant Cristina Martínez, whose restaurant, South Philly Barbacoa, in Philadelphia, offers barbecue tacos and figure in the magazine Bon Appétit as one of the best in the country.

Sound productions

• L.A. Taco Podcast. Pódcast produced by the L.A. Taco platform, created in 2006. In the same way as the platform, the poster addresses news and events of interest to the people of Los Angeles and its metropolitan area, where the topic of tacos and their cultural importance is recurring.

Songs

• The tachyza. Original of the singer Chava Flores, there is also a rap version sung by the group Caló. This song tells the story of a man who takes his girlfriend to dine tacos to declare his love, while all he cares about is to keep eating all the variety of tacos possible.

Other examples

• The taco boy: Litography of 1932 by the artist Diego Rivera.
• T.A.C.O (Contemporary Art Workshop): Mexico City cultural space offering art workshops and exhibition gallery.
• Nuevo León Power Food Tacos: Artistic exhibition held in Monterrey, Nuevo León, in 2015.
• Taco of eye: Artistic exhibition held at the Amparo Museum in the city of Puebla in 2017.
• Taco of eye: Artistic exhibition of Laurelena Rodríguez held in El Paisa, taqueria of the city of Prague, Czech Republic.

Studs at the academy

In 2016, Mexican-American scholar Steven Paul Álvarez first offered an undergraduate course on the taco at the University of Kentucky. The course, which he taught once again in 2018 at St. John's University in Queens, New York, was titled "Taco Literacy: Public Advocacy and Mexican Food in the American South" ( Literacy: Public Advocacy and Mexican Food in the U.S. South). The existence of the course gained notoriety even before Álvarez gave the first session at the University of Kentucky, thanks to an article published in Munchies, Vice's food supplement.

The dynamics in the classroom included eating tacos, while the tasks varied between making gastronomic reviews, visiting restaurants, as well as using social networks as a way of sharing and archiving information through of photos and tags or hashtags. Álvarez's goal was to challenge the students and make them appreciate not only Mexican food but the people who prepare it; in the case of the Mexican-American students, that meant learning about themselves and their families.

The work carried out by Álvarez, who holds a doctorate in English and studied Literature and Creative Writing, includes a website called Taco Literacy that he created in 2016, two educational guides published on the subject, as well as several interviews given to various publications and the information he shares through his Twitter account.