Though originally a dish hailing[2] from Mexico, the taco has found its way into American culture, and the stomachs of people all across America! The basis for the taco is the tortilla[3], a Mexican flatbread made from corn. The tortilla is the taco shell and is wrapped around whatever filling is in the taco.

Sometimes the tortilla is fried to make a hard-shelled taco, or just heated up to keep it soft. There are different fillings in tacos, including meat, bean, fish, vegetables, you name it. There are even breakfast tacos filled with sausage, eggs, and cheese! It just shows how Americans have taken a classic Mexican dish and put a new spin on it.

The taco first appeared in the ancient Aztec[4] civilization, when they began to stuff the already popular tortillas with different foods. Corn was a staple crop in ancient Mesoamerica, so tortillas were very common and well liked.

Now, let’s jump forward in history to the 1900’s. With the large flood of Mexican immigrants coming through the southern U.S. boarder, many ideas mingled, forming a style of cooking called “Tex-Mex[5]”, a style that combined Mexican and American ideas, originating in the state of Texas. And this style is what gave rise to[6] the taco that Americans know and love to this day. The stereotypical taco consists of a fried tortilla curved into a U shape, and then filled with ground beef, lettuce, tomato, and cheese.

Another contributing factor to the rising popularity of the taco is the fast food restaurant Taco Bell[7]. It was founded by a man named Glen Bell. He was a fan of Mexican food, but hated the long preparation time, so he decided to find a faster way of cooking. The first Taco Bell opened in 1962 in California, selling tacos for 19 cents each. And now, it sells different forms of Americanized Mexican food, and is very popular in America.