Surprising Facts about Tacos: There’s no surprise about the fame this little Mexican food has gained over its years of evolution and popularity among different sections of the society. Tacos are made either from corn or wheat tortillas that are rolled around a filling preferably of a meat accompanied with vegetable mix. The guacamole and salsa mix are the highlights of the dish. These are the facts that people are well aware of, yet there are a few trivia on tacos that would take the taco lovers by surprise. Check out the following gallery to widen your eyes!
Mexican Food Taco Trivia – Surprising Facts about Tacos
1. Taco also means a plug
Although the Spanish word ‘taco’ is a Mexican innovation, the word has different meanings in other dialects such as a wedge, wad, plug, blowpipe and even short and thick piece of wood. In European languages, the word ‘taco’ is associated with non-culinary practices and items.
2. Traditional taco was eaten with a fish filling
Another fact you didn’t know about tacos is their close association with the seafood. Tacos were there in Mexico since before the arrival of the Spanish and there is anthropological evidence that the indigenous people used to eat the meal filled with fish.
3. San Antonio’s Chili Queens was responsible for introducing tacos to America
San Antonio Chili Queen is the first fast food joint to introduce the beloved Mexican food to the United States in 1905 when San Antonio brought the Mexico-popular dish to the United States. Since then the tacos gained rapid popularity and now has evolved as the most voted easy-to-go meal.
4. New York was the one to get the first taco truck
The now common taco truck first originated in New York in 1966. Although the truck didn’t have a full kitchen back then, it was mainly used for catering purposes.
5. The hot and spicy meal is just another metaphor
Another trivia on tacos says that the women of the Chili Queens pushcart were seen as ‘available’ and customers would flirt with the sellers to buy tacos. This gradually led to the emergence of the stereotyped name of the food as ‘hot and spicy’.
6. National taco day
For people who don’t know, tacos are so hugely popular and loved that they get to have their own taco festivals and also a day of celebration to their existence. The National Taco Day is on October 4th and it is said that people consume 4.5 billion tacos a year.
7. The ‘light lunch’ with tacos
Taco also translates to ‘light lunch’ in Mexican Spanish, which is mainly based on the fact that the previous workers used to eat this easy-go-to meal as a lunch item.
8. What was it if not beef?
The suing of Taco Bell for misleading advertisements and suspicious ingredients is probably another fact you didn’t know about tacos. The lawsuit stated that their ingredients didn’t consist an all-beef filling as they claimed.
9. The idea of the food was taken from the Mexican miners
Back in the 1700s, a fun fact about the food people love states that the idea of the tacos consisting of a tortilla folded around a filling was taken from the Mexican miners who used to place gunpowder within a paper. The metaphor was that the gunpowder is a literal dynamite whereas the hot and spicy tacos tasted like dynamite.
10. Previously tacos were considered as a low-class street food
During the beginning of the tacos and in its early years, Mexico was a dangerous place and women were ill-respected. Since the women initially sold the Mexican food on the streets, tacos were previously known as a low-class street food. After its introduction to America and its widespread popularity, the meal gained respect and love.
11. The 246 feet long taco
As far as fun facts about food go, this cannot be missed. The biggest taco ever made was in Queretaro, Mexico in 2011. The taco was recorded to be 246 feet long and had carnitas (little meats) as its filling inside.
12. Tacos’ birthplace
Ensenada in Mexico is considered as the birthplace of the fish tacos. This is a common meal of the indigenous Mexicans. Seasoned Mexican travellers have long considered fish tacos as an integral part of their cuisine.
Leave a Reply