Fusion cuisine

Hard-shell Tacos in the US

Immigration patterns in the early 20th made tacos available in the US and quickly making their way into the mainstream. The first adaptation to the American palate was the “hard shell taco” which is a U-shaped tortilla chip that was invented because tortillas do not stay fresh for long. After that, tacos started to spread outside the Mexican community and a variation that used the ingredients for hamburgers as fillings gained popularity everywhere. Common ingredients for this type of taco are ground beef, lettuce, onions, tomatoes, cheddar cheese, sour cream and sometimes avocado and salsa.

Arab tacos / Tacos al pastor

Lebanese immigration to Mexico brought to this land the shawarma (Arab), doner (Turkish) or gyros (greek) and the vertical spit needed for its preparation. After several generations and through the fusion of cuisines a tortilla quickly replaced the pita bread and the lamb was replaced by pork. After adding pineapple to the mix we get an “arab taco” that was popularized in the 60’s and never moved from the top.

Tacos have being beneffited with cultural adaptations from local cuisines around the globe. The following are the two biggest examples of this.