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National Taco Day is the first Tuesday of October, coinciding with the first Taco Tuesday of the month. So why do we need a second holiday, March 21st*, National Crunchy Taco Day?
Why, to celebrate hard tacos a.k.a. crunchy tacos! They merit their own holiday because in Mexico, home of the taco, most tacos are made with soft corn tortillas (sometimes with flour tortillas, but corn is more flavorful).
So where did that crispy shell that many Americans associate with a taco come from? We’ll reveal that in a moment, but first:
To put them all in one list, the year’s four taco holidays are:
January 25: National Fish Taco
March 21: National Crunchy Taco Day
March 31: Día del Taco (in Mexico)
October, 1st Tuesday: National Taco Day
Below:
> The history of the crunchy taco.
> Crunchy tacos vs. soft tacos.
Elsewhere on The Nibble:
> Bake hard taco shells from corn tortillas (so easy!).
> The history of tacos.
> Taco party menu.
> 20+ hard taco recipes.
> Ice cream tacos recipe.
> The year’s 25+ Mexican and Tex-Mex food holidays.
THE HISTORY OF THE CRUNCHY TACO
No one can say for certain who first fried a soft tortilla and filled it, but they appeared in Mexico sometime after the soft version.
The tacos with fried, crunchy shells are called tacos dorados, or golden tacos, because frying the soft taco is fried until crispy golden brown.
Flautas are also a form of crispy tacos that are filled, rolled and instead of folded, then fried.
While these two exist in traditional Mexican cuisine, the mass-produced, pre-formed crunchy shell was popularized in the 1950s by Glen Bell (the founder of Taco Bell) to make them easier to serve quickly.
The earliest American recipe for hard tacos was published in a California-Mexican cookbook in 1914. A corn tortilla was stuffed with ground beef, sealed, pan-fried, then [wait for it!] smothered it in chili gravy [source].
In the U.S. they are called hard shell tacos or crunchy tacos.
In terms of who popularized the hard shell in the U.S.: Point your finger at Gene Bell of Taco Bell.
When he launched what would become a major American food franchise on March 21, 1962, in San Bernardino, California†, he put crunchy tacos—fried tortilla shells, not soft tortillas—on the menu. Crunchy tacos were easier to prepare than soft ones.
(Note the date? It became National Crunchy Taco Day).
Bell was the first taco seller to fry his taco shells in advance (traditionally they were fried on demand).
With all due respect, not all hard-shell tacos taste like Taco Bell, Del Taco, or other chains, much less Old El Paso shells from the supermarket. They’re pretty tasteless.
A quality Tex-Mex restaurant—whether fancy or a taco truck—will fry them fresh daily.
CRUNCHY TACOS VS. SOFT TACOS: THE DIFFERENCE
Crunchy tacos, also called hard-shell tacos, are corn tortillas fried into a U shape. Rigid, they are stuffed with meat, seafood, or beans, plus lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese (and many add-ons, from guacamole to sour cream).
Some sources call them Anglo-Tacos and/or Cali-Mex cuisine.
While prefabricated taco shells have a bad reputation, when prepared freshly with care, the Tex-Mex crunchy taco is delicious.
Traditional Tacos: Soft. In Mexico, the vast majority of tacos are served on warm, soft corn (or sometimes flour) tortillas. The focus is on the pliability of the tortilla and the quality of the filling (like al pastor or carne asada).
Crunchy Tacos: The hard-shell taco as we know it is largely a Mexican-American (Tex-Mex) innovation. While “tacos dorados” (tacos that are stuffed and then fried until crispy) exist in traditional Mexican cuisine, the mass-produced, pre-formed crunchy shell was popularized in the 1950s, as mentioned earlier, by Glen Bell, the founder of Taco Bell, to make tacos easier to serve quickly.
So, hats off to the good tasty hard tacos out there: Crunch away!
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[1] Hard tacos, or crunchy tacos, have a rigid shell that is deep-fried (photo © Sirena Gourmet Latin Seafood | San Diego [permanently closed]).
[2] Soft tacos may have grill marks from being quickly heated on a griddle—in fact, they’re more interesting that way (photos #2, #3, and #4 © Good Eggs).
[3] DIY tacos with shredded pork and grilled chicken. Note that while served flat, the tortillas are fried.
[4] Chicken taquitos: the tortilla is filled, rolled, and fried.
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Depending on your point of view:
You love the crunch of fried taco shells and don’t care if you end up brushing crumbs and fillings from your clothing. Or…
You prefer a soft taco that wraps around the filling like a blanket, holding them in when you take a bite.
Soft tacos are much neater—although less textured—eating.
With hard tacos, we personally need a fork to pick up everything that falls out.
We like both versions; although the crunch of nachos or a basket of tortilla chips is just as satisfying.
If you’re pining for crunchy tacos, head to a good Mexican restaurant that fries them from scratch.
[5] Chicken tinga with soft tacos and smoky tinga sauce. Here’s the recipe (photo © Good Eggs).
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*March 21st is also California Strawberry Day, National French Bread Day, National Healthy Fats Day, and National Vermouth Day. It’s the only date we’ve come across that hosts five food holidays.
†Before Taco Bell, he launched Bell’s Drive-In and Taco Tia in the San Bernardino area. His non-Hispanic customers called them TAY-koes. The first franchise opened in Torrance, California in 1964. Today there are 7,072 locations worldwide (as of 2018) [source].
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