A taco is a popular Mexican dish made up of a tiny corn or wheat tortilla with a filling on top. Although the taco originated in Mexico, it has become one of the most popular cuisines globally.
The word taco comes from the Nahuatl word "tlahco," which means "half, or in the middle" in English, which is indicative of how we fold this delicious flatbread before eating it.
History Of Taco
When Mexicans unearthed the "Valle de Tehuac" circa 3,000 BC and hybridised grasses to develop the corn plant. Corn was regarded as the foundation of humanity or the germ of life by indigenous cultures. There are fascinating legends, where plenty of people believed that even humans were made of maize.
Corn was adored because it kept people alive and greatly improved their entire quality of life.
Corn kernels are alkaline and nixtamalized to remove the husk before being milled into a fine corn flour base for our favourite tortillas. The first evidence of nixtamalized maize has been traced back to the Olmec society approximately 1,500 BC, indicating that they ate a basic corn flatbread.
After a hot stone preparation, Moctezuma deployed these maize tortillas to scoop and hold his dinner. Years later, after overthrowing the Aztec kingdom, Hernan Cortez fed his troops banquets of corn tortillas and pork.
Tacos are a relatively new addition to the realm of Mexican food. Mexican tacos evolved in their contemporary shape amid the flourishing Mexican silver mines of the nineteenth century. The first authentic taco was the "taco de minero," or "miner's taco."
Experts believe that "taco" originally referred to gunpowder wrapped in a thin piece of paper, which was used to blow out holes in the rock face and dig the ore. It's simple to understand how a good tortilla wrap could have influenced the taco's contemporary name. For those unfamiliar with chilli spiciness, a small taco, taquito, resembles a small stick of dynamite and is renowned for its hotness.
Tacos expanded throughout Mexico's working class, with taquerias springing up to provide reasonably-prized lunches. The taco was brought to Mexico City by migrant women to sell and make business, and the city quickly became the country's largest taco hub.
In 1908, the city of Cuautla, Morelos gave birth to sausage, chorizo, green sauce, and pork rind tacos, as well as mole verde and a slew of other modern staples. These tacos eventually made their way to Cuernavaca, the capital.
Tacos Today
Today, every big or small American city has multiple wonderful fast-food restaurants such as Chipotle and Taco Bell, as well as countless street vendors.
Mexican restaurants, many of which are owned by Mexican migrants or their children, serve real Mexican foods such as traditional tacos.
Mexican food can be as genuine or as Americanized but tacos are such a big part of the American diet that many even hold a weekly "taco night", and have a taco holder and a few freshly cut ingredients ready to dole out some yummy tacos for the family.