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Taco History

Where Does the Word “Taco” Come From?

People have been wrapping food in corn tortillas in Mexico for a very long time. The word taco, however, is surprisingly young, and the leading theory about where it came from involves explosives.

A plug, a wad, a charge

In Spanish, taco has long meant a plug, wad or stopper, the kind of thing you jam into a hole. It is also a billiard cue and, in some places, a heel on a shoe. The food sense is a Mexican development.

The mining theory

Historian Jeffrey M. Pilcher, author of Planet Taco, points to the silver mines of 18th-century Mexico. There, workers used “tacos”: charges of gunpowder wrapped in paper and packed into holes drilled in rock. A rolled tortilla stuffed with filling looks remarkably similar. One of the early named varieties was tacos de minero, “miner’s tacos.” Bonus: a good salsa still produces a small explosion.

A tacos de canasta street stall
Photo: B.jars / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

What about Nahuatl?

You will sometimes read that taco comes from the Nahuatl word tlahco, meaning “half” or “middle.” It is a fun idea, but most linguists consider it unlikely; the Spanish meaning fits the evidence better.

A rough timeline

WhenWhat happened
Thousands of years agoMesoamericans develop nixtamalized corn and tortillas
1700sSilver miners in Mexico call paper-wrapped gunpowder charges “tacos”
Late 1800sThe food sense of “taco” starts appearing in Mexican writing, including in Manuel Payno’s novel Los bandidos de Río Frío
Early 1900sMigrants carry tacos to Mexico City and the word shows up in U.S. newspapers
Mid-1900sPre-formed hard shells and Tex-Mex chains spread tacos across the U.S.
TodayTacos are everywhere, and every day is technically Taco Tuesday somewhere

Hungry now? Start with our recipes.

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Cochinita Pibil and the Tacos of Yucatán

The Yucatán peninsula has a cuisine all its own, shaped by Maya traditions, Spanish ingredients, and Caribbean trade. Its most famous dish is cochinita pibil: pork marinated in achiote and sour orange, wrapped in banana leaves, and slow-roasted until it pulls apart with a fork.

Cochinita pibil with pickled red onion
Photo: El Nuevo Doge / Wikimedia Commons (CC0)

The name

Cochinita means little pig (traditionally a suckling pig). Pibil comes from the Yucatec Maya word pib, an underground earth oven. A pit is dug, lined with stones, and a fire is built until the stones are glowing hot. The wrapped meat goes in, the pit is covered, and hours later dinner emerges smoky and tender.

The flavors

  • Achiote (annatto): the seeds of the achiote tree, ground into a brick-red paste (recado rojo) with spices such as cumin, oregano, black pepper, and allspice. It gives cochinita its color and earthy flavor.
  • Naranja agria (sour orange): a bitter, tart citrus common in Yucatecan cooking. Outside the region, cooks often approximate it with a mix of orange and lime juice, sometimes with a splash of vinegar.
  • Banana leaves: wrapped around the meat to keep it moist and add a subtle, grassy aroma.

Serving it

Cochinita is served in tacos, tortas, and panuchos (fried tortillas stuffed with black beans). The essential topping is cebolla morada encurtida, red onion pickled in sour orange, usually with a fiery slice of habanero, the chile most associated with the peninsula. Sunday mornings in Mérida often mean a cochinita torta and a cold drink.

A glass of horchata
Photo: Sharon Hahn Darlin / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

Other Yucatecan dishes worth hunting down: poc chuc (citrus-marinated grilled pork), relleno negro (turkey in a black chile paste), and sopa de lima. Browse more regional styles.