Taco Tuesday

Hola, Amigos!

So, today everyone is familiar with tacos. We devour them at those readily-recognizable fast food chains and savor them at the family-run local Mexican restaurant.

Typically, a taco is a corn (maize) tortilla that is used as the vessel that is folded around a filling.  Ahhh, but is has become so much more!

According to the Smithsonian Magazine in an article written by Katy June Friesen on May 3, 2012, sometime in the 18^th century, the miners in Mexico named the taco after the piece of paper that the miners wrapped around the gunpowder so they could insert it into the rock. But the taco goes back much further than that in Mexican history. According to Food World News (October 4, 2012 by Bradley Brown), in 1520 Spanish Conquistador Hernando Cortez wrote to the King of Spain, raving about this traditional meal he had eaten. The taco, however, antedates the Spanish arrival to Mexico. According to Wikipedia (so it must be true), there is anthropological evidence that the indigenous people were eating tacos filled with little fish long before that time.

Tacos have become so popular that we even have a day dedicated to honoring this illustrious delight, National Taco Day, celebrated on October 4. In fact, the National Taco Day website states that last year alone, we Americans ate over 4.5 billion (yes, billion) tacos! I know that I definitely did my part to contribute to that count.

Whether it is tacos de asador, tacos dorados, or the old stand-by taco; or hard shell, soft shell, or Indian fry bread….Taco Tuesday need never be boring nor redundant.

“Vegan Tacos” by Jason Wyrick

No need for me to try to and reinvent the wheel, because Jason Wyrick has already thought this one out rather thoroughly and documented his success, in his cookbook Vegan Tacos, which was published in 2014. For an outstanding and diverse array of recipes, this book can easily become your Tuesday inspiration.

Build-Your-Own-Taco Bar

Have fun with this one. To serve your tacos, think create-your-own taco bar. It’s a wonderful way to bring family and loved ones together for a hearty and delicious meal that is conducive to conversation and connection.

Just make sure you have plenty of napkins on hand. Olé!