Tacos are now a popular specialty in every corner of the globe. In the United States, they're a true must-have, a staple at social gatherings and a veritable trend—just think of "Taco Tuesday," the Tuesday dedicated to tacos with special offers even in restaurants and popularized by celebrities like basketball star LeBron James —but they're now found almost everywhere, even on the menus of Italian fast food restaurants. You've probably tried them thinking you're eating one of the most iconic Mexican dishes, but that's not exactly the case.
The tacos we know and find across much of the globe are not the original Mexican ones, but a reworked version of the Tex-Mex tradition, or "Texan-Mexican" fusion cuisine that emerged in the 1920s and 1930s in the Southeastern United States from a fusion of Texan and Mexican cuisine. Today, it has literally supplanted the original Mexican cuisine in the popular imagination, but in reality it has very different nuances, linked to the country's indigenous tradition. This also applies to tacos, which in the original Mexican recipe are quite different from the ones we are now accustomed to. What are these differences, and what are real Mexican tacos like? Here is the history of this exquisite dish and the best recipes to try at home, so you can enjoy all the goodness of tacos in each of their versions.
What Are "Traditional" Tacos and Their Evolutions
Tacos, in their traditional version, are one of the most famous Mexican recipes in the world and Mexico's quintessential street food: they consist of a corn or wheat flour tortilla cooked on a griddle, folded in half, and filled with various ingredients, usually meat, cheese, vegetables, and sauces. Quick and easy to prepare, tacos are the quintessential street food due to their ease of preparation, the versatility of their fillings, and their very affordable price.
The word "taco" likely derives from the Nahuatl (Aztec) language, where tlahco means "in the middle" or "half," referring to the folded tortilla that encloses the filling. It's no coincidence that the recipe for original Mexican tacos is linked to the lives of the indigenous populations of ancient Mexico, particularly the Aztecs and Mayans: they used to prepare corn tortillas as edible "utensils" for scooping up food. A famous legend tells how Montezuma, the last Aztec emperor, loved using tortillas as natural spoons to scoop up and enjoy meat, fish, and vegetable dishes, and how they were never missing from his great banquets.
This ancestral version of the modern taco changed when the Spanish arrived, who immediately appreciated the recipe but modified it according to their tradition, in particular by introducing a filling based on pork, an animal they had imported to the Americas; chronicles of the time show that Hernan Cortez used to organize banquets based on pork tacos. From the time of the Conquistadors onwards, tacos became increasingly popular, until they established themselves as a cheap and quick street food, evolving into various recipes still prepared in Mexico today: tacos al pastor, based on pork marinated with achiote (a mix of Mexican spices); tacos de carne asada, with slices of marinated and grilled beef; tacos de carnitas with slow-cooked pork; fish tacos; and tacos de canasta, steamed, soft and moist.
Hard Shell Tacos
And the tacos with the hard, crispy shells we know today? Those originated much later, the fruit of the aforementioned Tex-Mex cuisine: tacos began to spread in the USA during the early 1890s in Mexican-American communities in the US, but the idea of a pre-fried U-shaped tortilla spread throughout the 20th century. It was in the 1950s, however, that hard-shell tacos were popularized and made a mass phenomenon, in particular thanks to the fast food chain Taco Bell, which grasped the commercial potential of crispy tacos (easier to store and serve) and transformed them into a Tex-Mex icon, thus helping to spread it throughout the world and, in fact, to replace the original Mexican tacos in the collective imagination.
How is The Original Taco Made?
Traditional Mexican tacos don't have a hard, yet soft, shell: the base is a small corn flour tortilla with a crumbly texture and rustic flavor, prepared by hand and briefly heated on a griddle, before being filled with various ingredients, mostly pork or chicken, but not exclusively. In some areas, particularly in Northern Mexico, a larger, softer, more flexible, and more durable wheat tortilla (similar to flatbread) is used, as well as having a more neutral flavor. However, this is less common: precisely because of its characteristics, the corn tortilla is used more for burritos, quesadillas, and fajitas.
The filling is also quite different. In Mexico, the quintessential taco is filled with meat, most often beef (not ground), but there are also variations with fish, melted cheese, or just vegetables. Depending on the main ingredient, there are different toppings, but they usually include guacamole, pico de gallo, cheese (but not cheddar, which is typically American), sometimes beans, raw onion, and chili peppers, chopped or in the form of salsa.
Tex-Mex tacos, on the other hand, aren't made with tortillas but with crispy, shell-shaped cornmeal shells designed to hold generous portions of filling. Speaking of fillings, the classic Tex-Mex taco filling is ground beef cooked in a mix of spices reminiscent of Mexican flavors, grated cheese (usually cheddar), chopped raw tomato, lettuce, and various types of salsas, such as guacamole. Again, the crispy shells lend themselves to dozens of different fillings, from chicken to fish.
Tacos Recipes You Should Try
As you may have guessed, the world of tacos is incredibly broad, multifaceted, and varied: whether you choose to use the typical tortillas of the original Mexican recipe or the distinctive hard and crispy shells of Tex-Mex, you can fill tacos with every type of ingredient, from meat to fish, from vegetables to cheese. Here are the most famous recipes, as well as the most original and delicious, for perfect homemade tacos.
1. Tex-Mex Beef Tacos
The most classic Tex-Mex taco filling recipe is ground beef, a delicious filling you can garnish with a wide variety of ingredients. The starting point is always the same: simply sauté a copper onion in a generous drizzle of oil, brown the ground beef for a few minutes, and season with garlic, chili pepper, salt, and pepper. Once the filling is ready, heat the shells in the oven until they're nice and crispy. Then assemble the tacos, first layering the meat, followed by the diced tomatoes, lettuce, and thinly sliced string cheese—cheddar is even better. You can top everything with a salsa, if desired.
2. Chicken Tacos With Vegetables
Chicken tacos with vegetables are a twist on classic Mexican tacos, this version featuring spiced chicken and vegetables. We're serving it with a soft corn tortilla, more similar to the original Mexican taco. In our recipe, we've prepared a filling of marinated and grilled chicken, pico de gallo —the famous Mexican salsa made with tomatoes, peppers, onions, and cilantro—and guacamole. You can, however, customize the tacos to your tastes, adding, for example, cheese, beans, peppers, and your favorite salsas.
3. Tacos de Asador
Also called gringa or mulita, they are among the most typical Mexican tacos and involve grilling both the meat filling and the tortillas, which are then reheated to make them crispy. The filling usually consists of carne asada (beef belly marinated with herbs and lime), chorizo, guacamole, pico de gallo, and shredded cheese.
4. Fish Tacos
Fish tacos are an equally delicious and super tasty alternative to the meat recipe. We offer them in the version closest to the original, with griddled corn tortillas, but you can also use the same filling in Tex-Mex shells: the filling is made with plaice fillets, baked in the oven with oil, butter, and spices, then distributed in the corn tortillas along with onion, cherry tomatoes, avocado cubes, and parsley, all drizzled with a creamy sauce made from sour cream, lime juice, and mayonnaise. The only rule for optimal results is to choose the freshest fish, preferably pre-peeled: you can also opt for cod, sole, and sea bream, but also shrimp and calamari.
5. Shrimp and Avocado Tacos
Shrimp and avocado tacos are a unique alternative to traditional fish tacos. Preparing them is very easy: simply peel and clean the shrimp, season them with extra virgin olive oil, lime juice for a fresh and slightly acidic note, salt and pepper, and let them marinate in the refrigerator for fifteen minutes. Then, simply cook them briefly on a hot grill and arrange them in half-moon corn tortillas or Tex-Mex shells, along with diced avocado and crunchy lettuce. You can flavor everything with a spoonful of pico de gallo, the traditional Mexican salsa, or with a classic mayonnaise, even egg-free, or with your favorite herbs, such as mint, chives, cilantro, and dill.
6. Tacos al Pastor
Tacos al pastor are one of the most popular and widespread street foods in Mexico. There are several versions, but one of the most common features a base of flame-toasted corn tortillas filled with marinated pork cooked on a large skewer similar to a kebab, then thinly sliced and topped with grilled pineapple, cilantro, and onion. Making them at home isn't exactly easy due to the cooking method, but you can make a simplified version by cooking the meat on a rotisserie or cutting it into very thin strips and then pan-frying it; in both cases, it must first be marinated for at least 12 hours in a mixture of spices, pineapple, and orange juice.
7. Pulled Pork Tacos
For a more authentic taco al pastor, try pulled pork tacos, a perfect fusion of Mexican street food and American cuisine. Pulled pork, or pulled pork, is one of the most popular dishes in the United States. It's a cut of meat, usually Boston butt, marinated in a spice rub and cooked slowly on a low-temperature barbecue until fragrant and tender. Usually served in a bun, we're offering it here as a filling for succulent tacos, enriched with a salad of cabbage, green chilies, feta, avocado, and cherry tomatoes, drizzled with lime juice for a refreshing touch, and drizzled with olive oil. To make it even more irresistible, we suggest a sauce made with apple cider vinegar, mustard, and brown sugar, which should be simmered over low heat until it releases its full aroma.
8. Cauliflower Tacos
If you're looking for a vegan filling for your tacos or simply a different way to eat vegetables, try cauliflower tacos, a completely original twist on the classic Tex-Mex recipe. It's quick and easy to make: simply cook the cauliflower florets in extra virgin olive oil and a clove of garlic, then add salsa, diced avocado, chopped parsley, and lemon juice. Rich and fragrant, the filling is then ready to be spread on warmed corn tortillas or baked in crispy shells, made even more delicious by adding salsa or guacamole.
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