In our day and age, there are plenty of street foods at our disposal. Chinese, American, Indian, Mexican – you name it. Out of many of those offerings, one of the most popular types of street food is Mexican one. And in Mexican food, there is hardly a more loved and well-known dish than a taco.
Now, what is taco? If you don’t know yet – you should fix this issue immediately. But nonetheless, here is a little info about it. Taco is a dish that is composed of either wheat or corn tortilla with a variety of fillings. Arguably, you can stuff anything that your imagination allows into a taco, but most popular fillings are these: some kind of meat (chicken, pork, beef, fish), cheese, vegetables, beans and condiments (salsa or chili). Taco shells can be hard or soft, depending on your preference.
When something is so common in our lives we barely think about the whereabouts and origins of the product. However, tacos have a fairly long and interesting history.
It is believed that tacos appeared at the beginning of XIX century in Mexico. Jeffrey M. Pilcher, professor who’s studied history of tacos has his own theory about origin of the dish and its namesake: “My theory is that it dates from the 18th century and the silver mines in Mexico, because in those mines the word “taco” referred to the little charges they would use to excavate the ore. These were pieces of paper that they would wrap around gunpowder and insert into the holes they carved into the rock face.” ("History, Travel, Arts, Science, People, Places | Smithsonian")
Despite their popularity in the U.S., tacos would be discovered by North Americans only a century later. The first mention of tacos in the US is dated at 1905, at the pages of a newspaper. XX century is around the time that many Mexicans started to immigrate into U.S., so obviously they’ve brought their food with them.
Though tacos were already in U.S. it was not a really popular food at first. There was a lot of prejudice about Mexicans, they were considered dangerous, lower class citizens. Seeing as, for a long time, you could get Mexican food only in Mexican neighborhoods not a lot of people were familiar with the dish. Enter Glen Bell.
Glen Bell, a founder of famous Taco Bell chain of restaurants, first thought about opening taco restaurant in 1954. His idea came to fruition in 1962 with the opening of the first Taco Bell restaurant. He applied American way of doing business to a lovely Mexican dish and his idea paid off. Now, people could get a taste of Mexican cuisine without perceived danger that was associated with Mexican neighborhoods. Taco Bell restaurants spread like fire. In 1964, policemen Kermit Becky’s opened first franchised Taco Bell restaurant. And in 1967, 100th Taco Bell restaurant has opened. Tacos have fully captivated hearts of American citizens.
The love for tacos is so immense that there exists a holiday to commemorate Mexican delight. National Taco Day, is the holiday that is held annually on the 4th of October. It is celebrated in Mexico as well as in U.S. It is an unofficial holiday, but that doesn’t mean that it is some small obscure holiday. To paint you a picture, last year Americans have eaten over 50 billion of tacos! If it’s not an appreciation of a dish, then I don’t know what is.
The holiday is a pretty straightforward one. People gather in public places or invite their friends and relatives into their homes to share their love for tacos. There are plenty of parties, street food festivals and gatherings where everyone can eat cheap (or even free), delicious homemade tacos.
If you’re not the type who likes to cook or you’re unconfident that you can make a good taco, no need to worry! On the National Taco Day, plenty of restaurants are holding special promotions, where you can eat as many tacos as you wish until you get sick. Here are few examples that you might find interesting:
• On The Border Mexican Grill and Cantina have a special price for tacos – only .50 dollars per each to commemorate Taco Day.
• El Toito offers you a free taco but with a twist – you have to tell your server a phrase “Secret Taco” and then he will offer you a free taco.
• At California Tortilla if you buy one taco you get the second one for free. The offer is limited to 5 tacos per person, unfortunately
So be it National Taco Day or just a simple day in the week, tacos are a great, quick and cheap food that will nourish both your body and your soul.
Works Cited
"History, Travel, Arts, Science, People, Places | Smithsonian". Smithsonianmag.com.
N.p., 2016. Web. 4 May 2016.
"National Taco Day". National Taco Day - Oct 4, 2016. N.p., 2016. Web. 4 May 2016.
"National Taco Day Deals October 4". National Day Calendar. N.p., 2016. Web. 4 May
2016.
"Taco Bell History". Taco Bell 2.0. N.p., 2016. Web. 4 May 2016.
