Do you love tacos? Then you鈥檙e not alone! Tacos originated in Mexico but they鈥檙e popular worldwide and they are ever evolving. Kids have a lot of questions about this favorite food so we visited Nixta Taqueria in Austin, Texas to learn more! Who made the first tacos? And where? What鈥檚 the deal with crispy shells vs. soft tortillas? Why do tacos have sauce? Why does corn come in so many different colors? And are there rules about what makes a taco鈥 taco?
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- Tacos originally come from a historical region known as Mesoamerica, what is now parts of Mexico and Central America. Indigenous people like the Aztecs and Mayans were the first to use special processes to make corn tortillas. Corn has been an essential part of the Mexican diet for thousands of years.
Jane Lindholm/开云体育Freshly pressed tortillas being made at Nixta Taqueria in Austin, Texas. - Corn is difficult for humans to digest in their raw or cooked form. But the Mesoamerican people discovered a process called nixtamalization, which makes it possible for the human gut to access the nutrients in corn.
- Nixtamalization is a process that breaks down the corn and turns it into a dough, called masa. Cal, which is made from limestone (a type of rock) is added to boiling water. Corn kernels are cooked in this boiling water and then the mixture sits overnight.
- The masa is often mixed with salt or other flavorings and then flattened out and cooked to make a tortilla.
- Modern tacos became popular in the late 1800s as a popular meal for miners working in Mexico. They would fill a corn tortilla with braised meat as a portable lunch option.
- The first taco recipe was published in the 1800s.
- Mexican miners brought their taco tradition to California (which used to be part of Mexico).
- But tacos didn鈥檛 become really popular in the United States in the 1960s, when fast food chains were taking off. Taco Bell popularized hard shell tacos, which are an American invention.
- Tacos are traditionally made with corn tortillas because corn was grown in Mexico and Central America. Wheat tortillas came later and are made of flour.
- Tacos are a good example of a food that has changed along with cultural influences. There鈥檚 no wrong way to make a taco as long as you enjoy it!
- But the question remains: is a taco a sandwich??
