Forget taco Tuesday … tomorrow is World Taco Day!
October 4 is World Taco Day! We love tacos in all their forms – corn or flour torillas, hard or soft, with all sorts of fillings. But did you know that the tacos we make in Australia bear little resemblance to the true tacos of Mexico? Find out what really makes a Mexican say ‘Este taco esta absolutamente delicioso!’
Tacos are a traditional Mexican street food made with small corn or wheat flour tortillas. The tortilla is folded around a filling and then eaten by hand. The first recorded reference to tortillas is by conquistador Cortez who mentioned a meal made with tortillas in 1520, suggesting that it was an indigenous food made with cornmeal, a staple of the area since ancient times.
Traditional tacos include ‘al pastor’ or ‘shepherd style’ made with slow-cooked marinated pork and pineapple, and tacos de abobada, made with thin seasoned pork steaks skewered on a large vertical rotisserie similar to the Greek gyros, and then shaved off and put into tacos. Tacos de pescade are grilled fish tacos. Other popular fillings are tripe, steamed cow’s head, brains, tongue and beef lips! Not on your regular Zambrero’s menu for sure!
Whatever the filling, these tacos are typically served in pairs and also include salsa, onion, fresh coriander and sometimes guacamole.
The traditional taco is served in a soft corn tortilla and are most popular in Mexico City and the Central region of Mexico. The northern regions prefer a soft flour tortilla. The hard-shell taco was developed in the United States and is found most commonly in fast-food chain and supermarket taco kits.
Tacos are so beloved they have even become the subject of a Netflix series, Taco Chronicles, which is about the different taco styles, and their fascinating history and provenance. It’s a mouth-watering travel adventure where tacos are almost a religion.
Here’s our recipe for Tacos Al Pastor and a few other suggestions from Hill Street’s recipe collection to help you celebrate World Taco Day. Que aproveche!
