A Vegetarian Taco-Night

Jan. 19, 2011 - PRLog -- By:Kara Mae Adamo

Mexico is a country rich in history and ethnic tradition. Steeping in a culture full of unique flavors, colors and music, its impact on life in the United States can be seen from integrated language to cuisine.

One of Mexico’s traditional dishes, the taco, can be traced back as far as early 3000, BCE in the “Valle de Tehuacán,” when the Aztecs used to make flat bread out of corn. This bread was called “flaxcalli.” Flaxcalli was made by boiling corn with lime to soften the kernels. The grains were then ground by hand using a stone saddle and then baked. Generally, flaxcalli was stuffed with various foods, depending on the region. In the lake regions of Mexico, there is evidence that tacos were filled with small fish. In areas like Morelos, Guerrero, Oaxaca and Puebla, they were filled with ants, locusts and snails.

In 1520, a year after his arrival to the “New World,” a Spanish soldier who fought under Cortés (Bernal Diaz del Castillo) wrote detailed A True History of the Conquest of New Spain, where he chronicled feasts among the Aztecs. It was during these feasts that Cortés and his men discovered the folded flaxcalli dishes. They renamed the flat flaxcalli bread “tortilla.” In his second letter to King Charles V of Spain, he described the selling of Maize and Indian corn.

Contrary to popular belief here in the United States, authentic Mexican tacos are not deep fried. Throughout Mexico, the simple taco is made using a fresh, hot tortilla rolled around shredded meat or mashed beans and either drizzled with or dipped into one of Mexico’s famed sauces. In Spanish, the word “taco” is used to describe a light snack. They are often coupled with soup or used as an appetizer prior to the main meal of the day.[1]

Tacos first arrived at the United States in 1914, when they were mentioned in California in Bertha Haffner-Ginger’s cookbook, California Mexican-Spanish Cook Book. Haffner-Ginger described tacos as being “made by putting chopped cooked beef and chili sauce in a tortilla made of meal and flour; folded, edges sealed together with egg; fried in deep fat, chile sauce served over it.” In 1931, the Mexican restaurant El Cholo opened at 1121 South Western Avenue in Los Angeles. It was documented that the proprietress, Rosa Broquez, served tacos among many other Mexican dishes.[2]

Now, as more people switch to health-conscious, cruelty-free diets, El Burrito Food Products’ Soyrizo has been added to the extensive list of taco varieties. Lacking the cholesterol and carcinogens found in “conventional” meat, Soyrizo is low in saturated fats and contains many important oils and proteins. Mimicking the flavor and texture of meat, it is a delectable substitution for one of history’s most influential and diverse dishes.

El Burrito Food Products produces vegetarian, meatless ingredients for healthy food lovers who want to be able to create low fat Mexican food. El Burrito Food Product’s Soyrizo can be used to create vegan enchiladas, vegan Mexican food, vegan tacos, vegetarian enchiladas, vegetarian Mexican food, and Vegetarian tacos.

El Burrito Mexican Food Products

P.O. Box 90125
Industry, CA 91715-0125
800-933-7828
email: info@elburrito.com


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[1] The Tortilla Book, Diana Kennedy [Harper & Row: New York] 1975 (p. 53-4)

[2] The Food Chronology, James L. Trager [Henry Hot: New York] 1995 (p. 467)

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