October 4 is National Taco Day in the United States. This type of Hispanic food is so popular that, according to World Metrics, Americans consume more than 4.5 billion tacos each year.
The average person eats 46.7 pounds of this food annually, which is similar to the 46 slices of pizza an American eats annually.
These numbers may be because Taco Bell and its franchises operate more than 7,400 restaurants, serving more than 42 million customers weekly in the United States.
The story behind Taco Tuesday
In 1979, Gregory’s Restaurant & Bar in Somers Point, New Jersey, began promoting Taco Tuesday and trademarked the term in 1982. All indications are that the owner chose Tuesday because the bar on the same street had a “Drink and Get Drunk Wednesday.”
In the 1980s, David Olsen, owner of a Taco John’s in Minnesota, coined “Taco Twosday” to advertise a two-taco deal for 99 cents on Tuesdays, the restaurant’s weakest day. He shared the idea with other franchisees, who eventually changed the name to “Taco Tuesday.”
National Day
The chain Del Taco is behind making October 4 National Taco Day. In 2009, it enacted it as part of an advertising campaign. Taco Cabana, another Texas-based chain, adopted the date the following year.
According to figures from World Metrics, the taco industry could reach $53.11 billion by 2026.
The authentic one
The Mexican government’s website assures that the tortilla is the base ingredient of any taco. It is simple but fundamental.
More than 24 million tons of corn are produced in Mexico yearly to make tortillas.
Its origin dates back to pre-Hispanic times because the tortilla, the primary ingredient, functioned simultaneously as a plate, spoon, and food. Thus, it became the easiest way to transport food, or stew (guisado), from one place to another. Also, from one plate to another, as it happens in typical Mexican taquerias, where the taquero (person who prepares the tacos) takes them from their table to the guest’s plate.
This delicious also has its day in Mexico: March 31.
Street ones usually have double tortillas to withstand the stew’s weight and humidity and deal with hunger.
In Mexico, this type of food is sold by the piece (one by one) or by order (three or five).
Related Article: A Taste of Northern Mexico: Flour Tortillas
Small differences between Authentic and Tex-Mex Tacos
Want to serve authentic Mexican tacos or learn to decipher if the ones you’re about to eat are? Learn the differences between authentic and Tex-Mex.
Mexican or authentic
- A Mexican one has tortilla, meat, lime, onion, cilantro, and freshly made salsa.
- The salsa is spicy.
- The meat or filling can be a beef, pork or chicken stew, as well as fish or seafood.
- The tortilla (soft) can be made of white, yellow, or blue corn or flour.
American or Tex-Mex
- American tacos have lettuce, tomato, and shredded cheddar cheese. They are usually served with canned or bottled salsa.
- The sauce is not very spicy.
- The beef is ussually ground beef, not shredded or diced meat.
- The United States created the tortilla shell (hardshell). In Mexico, the tortilla is soft and is usually chosen between corn and flour.