Tacos are just a small part of Mexican cuisine. It is actually more complicated than that, but the basics are:
The taco is made from a corn or flour tortilla, usually fried, and filled with whatever you want to put inside it.
They are typically served in some form of soft shell (like an enchilada), or in hard shell (like a burrito). Sometimes they have bits of cheese or guacamole on them. They usually have some sort of sauce on top of them, too.
They can be served as sandwiches, either grilled or fried, but they are also very often served as tacos.
Now that we know what tacos are and how they work… let’s look at how we can say taco in spanish. Not many people know how to say “taco” in spanish; if you do know how to say something and don’t know how to say it in your language, you should definitely learn something new!
Origins of the Taco
A quick google search will return many sites that discuss the origins of the taco. Many have a reference to a Texan named Juan, and a story about a man named Juan Marica who “stole” it from the Mexicans. In reality, Juan was Mexican and Marica was Texan. The origin of the word is much more complicated, but one thing is clear: The taco is what it is today because of cultural exchange.
If you are going to eat tacos for dinner, you may as well say “Taco” instead of just “taco”. It’s not only a word in English, it’s also in Spanish, French, German and other languages.
Some may argue that there is no need to correct people when they use the word in another language. But this would be wrong. We owe our trans-cultural understanding to every single community that has adopted English as their native tongue; it’s part of our history — we’re all descendants of immigrant communitys who were speaking different languages before coming here to America.
The Inception of the Taco in America (19th Century)
The origin of the word taco remains unclear, but it is believed that it was borrowed from the Spanish word tamale, which can be translated as “simplistic stew”. Tamales have a long history in Central and South America. In the 17th Century, they were commonly consumed by some indigenous groups in what is now Mexico, Central America and South America.
In 1729, Juan Jose Gutierrez wrote “La Tamale y El Tamalero” or “The Tamale and The Tamalero”, a work that described the dish in detail to a wide audience. A few years later, his book was translated into English by an American woman named Sarah Churchill (1767-1846), who introduced it to the rest of Europe.
By 1832, Gutierrez had gone on to describe how to make tamales with your own hands: “Taco con Carne” (Taco with Meat). And in 1863 Thomas Edison invented the electric blender. It was only natural that someone would use this invention for more than just icing cakes!
In 1891, one year before his death, Thomas Edison wrote about tacos: “If you are at all interested in food as well as in science you will want to know of this little bit of Spanish cooking. It is called TACO.”
The following year he left a description of a taco-making machine: “I have made several test-tacos during my vacation time on an adaptation of my electric blender; I am satisfied with the results obtained.”
The Spread of the Taco
If you can’t say taco, you will never be able to say the words “in spanish.” If you can’t say taco, you will never be able to say the words “in spanish.” If you can’t say taco, you will never be able to say the words “in spanish.”
I know this is an outrageous claim for a language that is so many hundreds of years old; but I assure you that if people can’t say taco in Spanish in any way they are not very good at the language. In fact, I’ve been told numerous times that by saying “Taco” people think they should win a lot of money!
Text: The Spanish word for “taco” is tacos, which was borrowed from English. How did it get there? The most straightforward route would be as a result of trade with North America (which we are very much in — we have French-speaking immigrants here). But there were also other paths:
It was brought to Mexico by American immigrants and brought back to Spain by American settlers
The name was taken from a Mexican dish called tacos (that means “steaks”)
A few years ago, Taco arrived in the UK at the hands of some interesting characters — but it didn’t stay there long:
Modern Times
It’s no secret that I’m an avid fan of the English language and all its various forms. English, like Spanish, is a very open language, with a rich vocabulary and an incredible ability to express different things in different ways. It can be frustrating sometimes to what you want to say, but it can also be extremely rewarding when you have the right words on your tongue.
So, I’d like to share some words with you that I use in everyday life:
Let’s take a look at the word taco as it appeared in one of my favorite books: ‘A Voyage Round My Father’s World’ by the author Diane Ackerman (who is Jewish). The author chose this word because it evokes an image of a family gathering around the table and enjoying food together in a warm environment; but it also conveys feelings of joyousness and happiness. The way she uses the word “taco” is perfect for that image as well; instead of using “taco” directly after “tacos” like many people do, she uses it before any other nouns or verbs—just before she talks about how happy her father is being able to eat tacos at home again! Here are two examples:
If anyone has any questions about this post feel free to ask me on Twitter or email me at [email protected] . If you enjoy this post please share it with your friends so that more people can enjoy it too!
Conclusion
In this post, we’ll share some of the words that will help you say whatever you want to say in Spanish. We’ll focus on the words you use to talk about food, so if you speak Spanish, then this is a good post for you. But if you don’t, we hope this will be a useful guide for those who only speak English.
In the last month or so I’ve seen many people asking me how to say “Taco” in Spanish. I won’t claim that every word means what it says and not just one of them. But in this post, I want to share with you some words and expressions which are used when talking about food and related topics in Spanish. You are welcome to use any of these terms yourself and add your own translations or adaptations as comments or here on Reddit (if desired).
If anything is unclear or not quite right, please feel free to comment with your corrections; I’ll be happy to look at it again later!
1) El taco: The actual thing itself
2) El pan: The actual thing itself– usually used for things cooked but not served on a plate (bread/breadsticks/glutenous stuff)
3) La tortilla: The actual thing itself– usually used for things cooked but not served on a plate (bread/breadsticks/glutenous stuff)
4) El pescado: Scary faces! In Spanish they’re called ‘pescados’
5) El pollo: Chicken and other poultry-related stuff like fish (but of course also beef!)