Honor National Taco Day: Taco History

It's National Taco Day, and that means one thing: stunning pictures of tacos interspersed with historical background!Aside from being arguably the tastiest food on the planet, tacos also have a long, rich tradition of combining meat, salsa and cheese in a tortilla for friends all over the world. You don't even have to be from Mexico to enjoy a tasty taco or two.[caption id="attachment_8339" align="aligncenter" width="683"]

Oh my God this taco left me breathless. Amazing. Source: The Suburban Soapbox[/caption]The taco originated in Mexico, maybe somewhere in a silver mine, according to Jeffrey M. Pilcher, a professor of history at the University of Minnesota. He has investigated the history, politics and evolution of Mexican food for the past 20 years.[caption id="attachment_8341" align="aligncenter" width="578"]

At some restaurants, you can even order more than one taco. Make sure you specify how many you want to eat, or else the servers might not bring you anything. Source: GA Followers[/caption]He says that silver miners in Mexico used to wrap little pieces of paper around gunpowder and insert them into holes to carve up the rock face; this became known as the taco.[caption id="attachment_8338" align="aligncenter" width="1000"]

Taco diversity is a pressing issue in our society. Don't assume a shell and filling isn't a taco just because there's no meat. Source: Half Baked Harvest[/caption][caption id="attachment_8179" align="aligncenter" width="1024"]

This is not a taco picture but if you click on it you will put money in the pockets of people who will probably spend it on tacos.[/caption]He further elaborates on the role of the taqueria, or the place where the working class Mexicans ate:

Every state, every region, every town has slightly different foods, so Mexico City was a bubbling stew where all these foods were available. People were able to sample a cosmopolitan world of dining that was not for the rich. This Mexican popular cuisine was the origin of what we think about as Mexican food.

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When preparing your own tacos, sprinkle some cilantro carelessly around the tacos, but not on them. This makes for better pictures. Source: Whole and Heavenly Oven[/caption]The taco became mainstream after Mexican-American immigrants fought in World War II. Glen Bell, the inventor of Taco Bell, “borrowed” everything about the taco from his Mexican neighbors in post-WWII Los Angeles. He basically allowed non-Mexican people to sample Mexican food without going into traditionally Mexican neighborhoods.[caption id="attachment_8343" align="aligncenter" width="1024"]

You can have tacos in the morning, too. Some call them "breakfast" tacos. They go well with "breakfast" tequila. Source: Recipes Hubs[/caption]“Taco” became a way of selling Mexican food to non-Mexicans, because Mexicans don’t put the word “taco” in their restaurant names.Glen Bell popularized the hard shell, but he did not invent it. Patents were awarded in the 1940’s for hard shell tacos to Mexican restaurant owners, but then Glen Bell began pre-frying the U-shaped hard shell taco and selling it at Taco Bell-and the rest is history.[caption id="attachment_8340" align="aligncenter" width="1024"]

Put ingredients around your tacos so you can eat onions by themselves if you feel the urge. Which you probably will. Source: Food Network[/caption]When asked where an expert eats his tacos, the professor said “Tacos are street food… To me it’s like a little vacation. You can find these kinds of places all over the country now. There’s a whole world of fancy Mexican food, but every place where there are Mexican migrants you’re going to find some good tacos.”