A lot of people have often wondered if Tacos can be regardee as a sandwich, well if you are thinking like that you are not alone hence the reason for this article.
Tacos is one of the best foods in the world and it can be the perfect option when you are on a diet because you can choose what you want in it.
College students love Tacos, as a matter of fact it can be regarded as their only source of vegetables. And it doesn’t take time to prepare. If you really know how to prepare within few minutes, it’s ready.
Is A Taco A Sandwich?
No, Tacos are not sandwiches; sandwiches are two slices of bread with filling in between. Sandwich can also be a slice of bread covered in food. Slices or slice of bread is what is associated with sandwiches but Tacos are not made with slices of bread.
Tacos are made with tortillas and they are individually made, they are not made in a loaf which is later cut into slices. However, a soft tortilla is a type of bread but it’s never sliced.
Over the years, taco and sandwich have been part of the history of the working class, this is because it’s easy to make and it’s very satisfying. Both meals can be easily grabbed during lunch time.
There are several food that is often mistaken to be sandwich, the simple reason for this confusion is because they fail to realize what qualifies a food to be a sandwich. Because there are lots of bread-covered, filled foods other than sandwich.
History of The Taco
Before we begin delving into the history of this Mexican food, we need to find out what it means to be a taco.
Both taco and tortilla are essential in the Mexican culture and according to Popol Vuh, humans came from the same startch as tortillas. It’s further says humans arms and legs were made from from the same dough as a taco shell.
Someone might ask, does that make us tacos? Emphatically no. Because tacos are more than just their hard shells
In Spanish, taco means to wedge or wad something into a small area. And the word taco originates from the Nahuatl word tlacho meaning halfway or in the middle. Which explains the reason when making a taco, you are wedging your vegetables and meats into the center of the shell.
In 1,500 BC, the fist sign of taco recorded when the king of the Aztecs, Montezuma would use a tortilla as a rounded spoon. This is the beginning of a the taco. And in modern standards this qualifies the bread spoon as toast.
King Montezuma’s taco spoon had mostly chili, beans and cochineal. Cochineal is a type of beetle.
Not until 1908, the taco we all know and love weren’t available. The taco available then was tortilla filled with a bed if rice, pork rinds, potatoes, sausage and mole Verde.
The birthplace of the taco according to most foodies Cuautla, Morelos.
During the economic crisis in the 1950s, the people of Mexico used the opportunity to create their own jobs. Taqueria, those who make tacos, would travel around just to sell enough tacos so they could make ends meet.
At the time, they would move around in their bicycles and vans, selling fresh tacos to university students and businessmen.
National Taco Day
On October 4th of every year, we have a national Taco day. For Taco have their own national holiday, is to let us know how amazing they are.
Americans consume an average of 4.5 billion tacos per year which is about half a million miles worth of tacos.
Tacos got the recognition it has today because of Roberto L. Gomez. In the 1960s, Gomez was a journalist who was obsessed with Mexican cuisine. And at the time, Mexican cuisine wasn’t popular in the United States and he wanted to share Mexican foods with the country.
Gomez in his quest for giving the Mexican food the recognition it deserves, sent a 55 pound taco to President Johnson.
Initially, National Taco Day was celebrated in the week before Cinco de Mayo but in 2010, a solid date for the holiday was set when several Mexican food chains decided to celebrate the holiday on October 4th.
To this day, the celebration continues and in the course of it, taco joints and bars offer special deals and sometimes give free tacos.
The Biggest Carnitas Tacos
Roberto L. Gomez sent a 55 pound taco to President Johnson which was large at the time but it’s nothing compared to the world’s largest taco.
The world’s largest taco weighed more than 100 times the weight of the taco Gomez sent to the president. The world’s largest taco was created in the state of Querétaro. It was 335 feet long and weighed around 5,968 pounds.
The promise to make this taco was made in 2011 and was fulfilled with the aid of many in 2019.
This giant taco fed over 15,000 people who came to create the taco and those who also came to see it happening.
The world’s largest taco was filled with carnitas which is pork that is boiled in a copper pot and seasoned tequesquite.
The event planner as well as the head creator said it wasn’t his first large taco.
The culinary feat was made by Alejandro Paredez Resendiz. He has made a taco that was 246 feet long.
There was no prize money for this largest taco but he made sure that all the money donated went back to his local family center.
The First Taco Food Truck
One of the fastest ways to start your food business is food truck, and taco truck is one of the most common food trucks you will find the in the country. The reason why this is the fastest way to start a food business is because it’s often used by entrepreneurs who can’t afford a whole restaurant and staff.
If you are a chef, starting with a food truck can be a good way to go, there are lots of restaurants in America that started out from food trucks.
In 1974, Raul Martinez started the first taco food truck. What he did was convert an old ice cream truck into a kitchen on wheels and parked it outside of a bar in Los Angeles.
Six months later Martinez was able to open his own restaurant called King Taco. He was able to transform his taco truck into a multimillion dollar food chain within a short period of time. And in California alone, there are over 20 King Taco locations.
King Taco is the best when it comes to tacos, they are known for their all pastor tacos which is made with pork.
In 2013, Raul Martinez passed at the age of 71, and those who were opportuned to work with him speak highly of him.
The Common Types of Tacos
You can fill your tacos with whatever you want, and there are some places where they are experimental.
There mainly six types of tacos that are common in any authentic Mexican restaurant.
For those who love pork, they will love the al pastor tacos because it’s made with pork
Al pastor tacos was created with the Labanese influence when the Labanese people came to Mexico. So, the Mexican taqueria took what they learned about shawarma from the Labanese and applied it to pork.
For those who like a smoky taste to their beef, love barbacoa tacos.
They way they prepare it makes the juice of the beef go into the agave leaves and it’s gets so soft until it perminate into the bone.
For those who love tacos with homestyle cookout taste, they love carne asada tacos. This is a steak that has been seasoned in dry rub of the chef’s choice to give a nice charred flavor.
Conclusion
Tacos are not sandwiches, the history and influence of tacos is most often understated. Which is the reason why everyone feels that tacos deserve their national holiday because it made eating easy and also the opportunity for chefs and those with culinary skills to make money.
