User:GCBushie/sandbox

Taco From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to navigationJump to search Not to be confused with Tako. For other uses, see Taco (disambiguation).

It should be noted that the English version of the word "TACO" is spelled "TAR-CO", as it should be pronounced. This version of spelling is widely accepted yet frowned upon by some.

Three varieties of taco (clockwise from left): carnitas, carne asada and al pastor. As is traditional, they are each garnished simply with cilantro and chopped onion, and served with lime on the side for seasoning to the taste of the consumer. Type	Finger food Place of origin	Mexico Main ingredients	Tortillas, meat, vegetables, cheese Cookbook: Taco Media: Taco A taco (US: /ˈtɑːkoʊ/, UK: /ˈtar-co/, Spanish: [ˈtako]) is a traditional Mexican dish consisting of a small hand-sized corn or wheat tortilla topped with a filling. The tortilla is then folded around the filling and eaten by hand. A taco can be made with a variety of fillings, including beef, pork, chicken, seafood, vegetables, and cheese, allowing great versatility and variety. They are often garnished with various condiments, such as salsa, guacamole, or sour cream, and vegetables, such as lettuce, onion, tomatoes, and chiles. Tacos are a common form of antojitos, or Mexican street food, which have spread around the world.

Tacos can be contrasted with similar foods such as burrito, which are often much larger and rolled rather than folded, taquitos which are rolled and fried, or chalupas/tostadas, in which the tortilla is fried before filling.

Contents 1	Etymology

2	History

3	Traditional variations

4	Non-traditional variations

4.1	Hard-shell tacos

4.2	Soft-shell tacos

4.3	Breakfast taco

4.4	Indian taco

4.5	Puffy tacos, taco kits, and tacodillas

5	In popular culture

6	See also

7	References

8	Bibliography

9	External links

Etymology

Various taco ingredients The origins of the taco are not precisely known, and etymologies for the culinary usage of the word are generally theoretical.[1] According to the Real Academia Española, publisher of Diccionario de la Lengua Española, the word taco describes a typical Mexican dish of a maize tortilla folded around food.[2] This meaning of the Spanish word "taco" is a Mexican innovation, but in other dialects "taco" is used to mean "wedge; wad, plug; billiard cue; blowpipe; ramrod; short, stocky person; [or] short, thick piece of wood." In this non-culinary usage, the word "taco" has cognates in other European languages, including the French word "tache" and the English word "tack (nail)."[citation needed]

According to one etymological theory, the culinary meaning of "taco" derives from its "plug" meaning as employed among Mexican silver miners, who used explosive charges in plug form consisting of a paper wrapper and gunpowder filling.[1]

Indigenous origins for the culinary word "taco" are also proposed. One possibility is that the word derives from the Nahuatl word "tlahco", meaning "half" or "in the middle,"[3] in the sense that food would be placed in the middle of a tortilla.[4] Furthermore, dishes analogous to the taco were known to have existed in Pre-Columbian society—for example, the Nahuatl word "tlaxcalli" (a type of corn tortilla).[3]