Tacos de canasta (or "basket tacos") are not the first taco ever created, but they are inextricably linked with the history of the taco and the origin of the word taco. The history of the taco either begins around Aztec tables or in the mines of modern-day Mexico, depending on how you define a taco.
In this episode of Food History, Justin Dodd gets into the history of the taco by way of a unique icon in street food history. You'll learn why taqueros put tacos de canasta in baskets and the explosive origin of the word taco.
Food History is a series from Mental Floss where we dive deep into the culinary stories that lead to the food on our plates. If you have an idea for a dish, cooking technique, or cuisine that you’d like us to explore in a future episode, tell us in the comments. The history of Japanese food is the just the tip of the iceberg in fascinating food stories.
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