Why Hard-Shell Tacos Are So Controversial

Taco Bell is not nor has it ever been authentic Mexican food; it is categorically TexMex. While zesty and fiery, a Flamin' Hot Cool Ranch Doritos Locos taco not only shows that Taco Bell doesn't know what customers want in a Doritos Loco taco, but more importantly, also isn't what comes to mind when I say I want tacos for dinner. Keeping these statements in mind, the reason why hard-shell tacos are so controversial is because they're not widely accepted as tacos at all.

Tacos are a Mexican cuisine that can be traced back to Mesoamerican civilizations which existed between 1500 BC and 1521 AD, but the hard-shelled variation was made and developed centuries later in the United States. The first hard-shelled tacos to be sold in the U.S. came in 1937 from Mexican immigrants and restaurateurs Salvador and Lucia Rodriguez.

Their menu item was later exploited and commercialized by the founder of Taco Bell, but that's a story for another time. The open-mouthed, U-shaped hard shell taco filled with ground beef, cheese, lettuce, and tomato that many recognize today does have connections to authentic Mexican food, but also remains debatable as to whether it can be recognized as a real taco.

Defining what is and is not a true taco is such a loaded question. On the one hand, Salvador and Lucia Rodriguez hailed from Jalisco, Mexico, where fried tacos, or tacos dorados, are a staple dish. This traditional dish with a fried corn tortilla shell was the inspiration for the pair, who simply chose to use ingredients more common in the United States, like ground beef, cheese, lettuce, and tomato, rather than fill their tacos dorados with traditional ingredients like mashed potatoes or carnitas.

But because their creation was not filled with traditional Mexican fare and not originally invented in Mexico, it's also understandable why many wouldn't consider it a real taco. It further begs the question: Just because you put food into a folded tortilla, does that necessarily qualify it as a taco? (Don't even get me started on flautas vs. taquitos and enchiladas). Reflecting on the history of it all, even I'm having trouble justifying the label. This is both the blessing and the curse of the fluidity of food creations and where they come from.

At the end of the day, everyone is free to bite into a crunchy shell filled with ground beef as much as they want. However, when I say I'm craving tacos, dear reader, my ancestors and you should know that I am not referring to anything made by Old El Paso or the recently revived double-deckered concoction from T-bell. While I have enjoyed a zesty Cool Ranch-flavored hard shell, when I picture a crispy taco, it is never filled with nacho cheese.