The History of the Taco
Tacos are an incredibly diverse food. They can have a soft or hard shell, and they can be filled with a wide variety of meats, cheeses, and other condiments. The taco is thought to have emerged in Mexico thousands of years ago, long before any European influence reached the Americas. When the Spanish came across the sea, they were fascinated by the dish, and it remains immensely popular today. While the dish may be timeless, the ingredients that go into it have changed quite a bit. It is thought that ancient civilizations of Mexico used fish and even insects to fill their shell. Today, of course, beef, chicken, and steak are much more common. Another change in the world of the taco came about in 1960 when the tortilla making machine was developed. For millennia, they had been made by hand. This revolutionary tool almost immediately sparked the founding of Taco Bell, a chain that would bring the taco to the world like never before.