I love “Taco Tuesdays”, currently my spouse and I have a standing date to visit a Mexican Restaurant each Tuesday for taco lunches. There are three types of taco varieties that we have found. The first is authentic Mexican tacos, second is Tex-Mex tacos, and the third are American dump tacos; under each are a number of variations.
Updated 25 October 2023.
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History of Taco Tuesday
Thrillist website states that the earliest-documented advertisement for a Taco Tuesday was in the classified section of the October 16, 1933, edition of the El Paso Herald-Post. Under the headline “Some Good Things to Remember,” the White Star Cafeteria at the St. Regis launched a weeklong campaign to let everyone know it sold “Mexican Tacos” on Tuesday — three for just 15 cents.
Plenty of other restaurants offered Mexican tacos on Tuesday as their weekly specials throughout the years, up until today. Although not directly called “taco Tuesday” the early ads and menus were getting close to that phrase. Then California’s Baker’s Drive-Thru advertised a taco special in 1967. Later, in 1976 they had an ad campaign In the Pamona Progress Bulletin: “Why are Tuesdays special?” because “They’re TACO TUESDAYS at Baker’s.”
Like many terms in use today, the origin of the term “Taco Tuesday” has a complicated and varied history, along with multiple origins, and legal issues in the USA.
Legal Issues
WideOpenEats reported that the phrase “taco tuesday”, actually had a federal trademark that was held by Taco John‘s since 1989 (a Wyoming fast food chain). Again, WideOpenEats wrote, that two other restaurants claim to have started the trend of Taco Tuesday. Tortilla Flats, a now-closed restaurant in Laguna Beach, California, received a California state trademark in 1984. Gregory’s Restaurant and Bar in Somers Point, New Jersey, trademarked the name in 1982 (thus the reason the Taco John’s trademark doesn’t apply in New Jersey).
Despite these facts about its origin and history, Eater writes that Taco John legally owned the federal trademark, and periodically sent out “cease and desist” letters to companies using the phrase “taco tuesday” as trademark infringements. Much has been written about this weird aspect of USA law: Vice, PriceEconomics, and MarketPlace.
But, in any case, Taco Johns gave up their trademark in July 2023, due to a legal challenge by by the better financed Taco Bell. Also, to be clear, under trademark law ubiquitous terms cannot be owned by anyone or business, and this phrase would certainly fit.
Recently, October 2023, WaPo reported, A bar on the Jersey Shore that had held the exclusive rights to it in the state relinquished its hold on Tuesday after facing the prospect of an expensive and potentially unsuccessful legal battle with fast food giant Taco Bell. That bar was Gregory’s, and the result is that we now all own the phrase Taco Tuesday.
Mexican Tacos
The most common Mexican taco we have eaten is a small, heated (or steamed) corn tortilla (generally two together), topped with a stewed, fried, or grilled meat, and some veggie (generally white or yellow onions) and an herb (generally cilantro), followed by a (generally green chili) sauce.
I generally pick pork tacos of whatever variation they have, my spouse picks steak and/or chicken.
Carnitas
Carnitas, means “little meats”, and is a Mexican dish originated in the state of Michoacán (1). The meats (usually pork) are braised until tender, usually in lard. The result is a pulled pork that is both a bit crispy and soft, traditionally made with pork shoulder/butt because of its high fat content (2). This fat, while braising, melts and makes the meat tender, while keeping it very juicy.
The two small corn tortillas are bundled together, sometimes with a dab of the fatty sauce, and the meat is added, with raw onion and cilantro on top, covered by a medium spice green chili sauce.
Carne Asado or Carne Asada
Asado is a Spanish word for BBQ meat (3), while Asada is sliced beef, usually: skirt steak, sirloin steak, tenderloin steak, or rib steak (4).
Al pastor
The StayAtHomeChef writes Al pastor originated with Lebanese immigrants in central Mexico who would cook schwarma style by grilling meat on a spit. Local Mexicans adapted this cooking method with their own traditional flavors.
Tacos Al Pastor are thinly sliced or cubed pieces of marinated (Adobada) pork that is then grilled and placed in small, soft corn tortillas topped with sliced onion, cilantro, and chili sauce.
In some places, I have seen the meat soaking in a fruit-based marinade, or the taco was topped with some small cubed pineapples. Note that pineapples are grown around Mexico.
Tex-Mex Tacos
The taco has a strong history in the USA, considered as introduced in 1905 as Mexican migrants who started to work on the railroads, farms, and in other jobs (1). And by 1920, it started to fuse with American tastes and ingredients. In fact, from my readings it sounds like the word “taco” is in reference to the American version.
American Taco Meal
The Traditional 1950’s American Taco Meal is similar to what taco franchises sell. Crispy u-shaped corn (or corn-flour mix) shells, filled in this order: ground beef, shredded lettuce, salsa, and grated cheddar cheese. Sometimes there is a sliced tomato on top.
Many American families served this meal buffet style at their family dinner tables as an easy, quick, and cheap way to fill bellies. Introduced in the 1940’s those crispy shells could be bought in the grocery stores, as could ground beef, pre-grated cheese (introduced in stores in 1958), iceberg lettuce, and a chopped or sliced tomato.
As time went on, people played a bit with the ingredients to expand the concept of tacos. In the 1960’s, I remember one fast food place in Olympia, Washington, serving ”taco on a bun”, that is all the ingredients but on a hamburger bun. As a kid I loved this soft, chewy, and tasty treat.
American Breakfast Tacos
My spouse likes breakfast tacos. I will fry some smallish diced potatoes so they are soft and a bit crispy, will add whisked eggs. Meanwhile I am either dry heating some corn tortillas on the stove top, or am frying them in Avocado oil until they are crispy. Then I place the potato-egg mix on the tortilla, add some herbs (cilantro or parsley), cheese (mainly cheddar), and salsa.
Sometimes, instead of potatoes, I may add black or pinto beans that have been cooked with onions and salsa.
Tex-Mex Tacos
Originally, the Taco Tuesdays were served by American restaurants mostly owned by white owners. The food was of the Tex-Mex variety: crunchy folded tacos, served with beans or ground hamburger meat (or a combo of both), grated cheddar cheese, sliced iceberg salad, with Tabasco or sometimes actual imported Mexican hot sauce on the side.
Over time, these tacos took two paths. One path was a continuation of the Tex-Mex approach with beef, chicken, pork topped by salads of various sorts (lettuce, tomatoes, onions, cheese, and sauce). There were BBQ meats, grilled meats, and sometimes soft corn or even flour tacos served at “help yourself” venues.
The other approach, which is more current, is to serve more Mexican-type tacos with soft steamed or dry fried corn tortillas, a protein (pork, chicken, steak, fish, shrimp) along with a bit of veggies (mainly onions, chili or peppers) and a sauce.
American Dump Tacos
The American Dump Tacos are what I serve when I have ingredients that need to be used up. I may mix all sorts of stuff for the filling; the only constant is a shell, cheese, and hot sauce of some kind. The idea is to take the concept of “taco”, and expand it into other ingredients keeping the structure the same.
- Protein: boneless buffalo wings, BBQ tempeh or chicken, eggs, chorizo, various beans or a mix.
- Veggies: onions, carrots, zucchini, celery, sweet potatoes, squash, etc.
- Greens: cilantro, parsley, carrot tops, any lettuce, chard, coleslaw, etc.
- Shell: corn or flour tortillas, lettuce wraps, flat breads, buns.
- Cheese: various cheddars, pepper jack, feta, Mexican or Spanish cheeses.
- Chili sauce: green or red, chunky salsa, refined vinegar-based chili sauce, etc.
Tacos are now fully integrated into American cuisine. But my favorite kinds are authentic Mexican. You can tell the difference between homemade tortillas; juicy and flavorful marinated meats, veggies or fish; and fresh condiments topped with a homemade chili-based sauce. Nothing is better.
But of course you may have noticed I left shrimp and fish tacos off my review here. They are a separate concept with different flavor profiles. We will probably do a post on those later. In the meantime, my spouse and I have a standing date on Tuesdays to visit new taco places in the Bay Area. We’ll report on what we find on this wonderful tasty journey. I have been hearing that Richmond and Oakland have some great places.
— Patty
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