Since tacos are so popular in the U.S., it doesn’t surprise me that there is an official National Taco Day. And it’s coming up on October 4th! We hear about Taco Tuesdays, but I think I could eat tacos for at least one meal every day. They’re just that good and so versatile.
The foundation of the taco is the tortilla. The flour tortillas that we often eat are more rarely used in Mexico. Traditional tacos are on corn tortillas. If you’ve ever had a fresh, homemade corn tortilla, you’ll never want to go back to the waxy ones we find in our stores here.
Making corn tortillas is time consuming but not that hard. I love to go to the Mexican Market and buy the corn masa (dough) already made. Then it’s just a matter of making the circle shape and quickly grilling on a dry hot surface like a griddle or even an iron skillet works well.
There are tortilla presses for making perfect tortillas, but they’re kind of cumbersome and bulky to store in my opinion. My favorite way to “roll out” my tortillas is super easy and done with items you probably already have in your kitchen. Simply cut several circles of parchment paper to the size you want your tortillas. Roll the masa/dough into balls, place between two circles of parchment, and press down with a clear glass pie pan. You can see exactly how the tortillas is being flattened and how thick or thin it will be. It’s really very easy.
Corn tortillas are a staple at most meals in a Mexican household like bread used to be here before everyone gave up carbs 😉. You could put salt on the tortilla and roll it up and eat a taco de sal or salt taco. Fortunately, there are much more hearty and delicious things to roll up in your tortilla!
Traditional tacos are very simple – a seasoned and flavor-filled protein, cilantro, and diced white onion. They are usually served with a variety of optional salsas to turn up the heat, and a squeeze of lime helps to brighten the flavors.
Tacos can be healthy too! Fish, shrimp, and tofu can all be used to make fabulous tacos, and without the dairy, authentic Mexican tacos are generally lower in calories and fat than the Tex-Mex ones. We have several tasty taco recipes on the website. Visit https://bit.ly/2lbPw5f to get some great ideas and recipes. And Happy National Taco Day from all of us at Bellisari’s!
