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How Texas Fell for the Taco

Kelly Caminero
/
Daily Beast

Early last month, a Donald Trump surrogate threatened that if the New York billionaire wasn’t elected, the U.S. would have “taco trucks [on] every corner.” This prompted many Texans to say, “Sounds good to me!”

It’s no secret that Texas is in love with the taco. As The Daily Beast reports, tacos have been shaping the Lone Star State’s culinary landscape since before Texas was Texas. The tale of the taco in Texas is the story of the melting pot. The flour tortilla was invented in San Antonio, and headed south to greet the taco’s Mexican influences.

A new book, The Tacos of Texas, says there are three distinct taco traditions: First, there are the traditional Mexican variety. Think Tacos al Pastor. Then there are the Tex-Mex types, like fajitas. And finally, there are “the new flavors and fusions of innovative chefs.”