Everyone has heard of Taco Tuesday. Whether it’s a family tradition or a special at your favorite Manchester restaurants, it’s a popular choice. They’re easy to make at home, and they’re often the most affordable item on the menu at a Mexican restaurant. If you’re someone who dreads Mondays (and who isn’t, really?), the promise of Taco Tuesday is exactly what you need to make it through.
The tacos that we enjoy today are very different from the first tacos made thousands of years ago. The first people to make tacos were likely the ancient Mexicans, long before the Spanish arrived. Tortillas have long been a staple food, and early indigenous Mexicans would wrap them around foods such as fish or cooked animal organs. Tacos remained a standard part of Mexican cuisine, and they first came to the United States in the early 1900s, when Mexican immigrants traveled north to work on the railroads.
After a few decades in the United States, where people encountered diverse ethnic groups and culinary traditions, popular taco fillings began to change. Toppings that we think of as standard, such as cheddar cheese, lettuce, and tomato, were added to the regular roster during this time. Proteins like beef and chicken also became common during this time, taking the place of organs. These tacos closely resemble what you can still buy from vendors on the streets of Los Angeles and other cities in Southern California.
Do you know where the word “taco” comes from? We don’t think you can guess. The word “taco” most likely originated with 18th-century Mexican miners. To blast through the rock, miners would wrap gunpowder in paper to form a “taquito.” Working-class people like miners would often bring tacos (the food) with them for their meals, and they noticed the resemblance to the gunpowder “taquito.” They named the food “tacos de minero,” or “miners’ tacos.”
Taco Tuesday has been around for a long time, with the first advertisements to use the phrase “Taco Tuesday” going back to the 1930s. The White Stat Cafeteria in El Paso, Texas, advertised a Taco Tuesday special in 1933: three tacos for 15 cents. That’s a pretty good deal. Since 1989, the phrase “Taco Tuesday” has been a registered trademark of Taco John’s. Never heard of it? That’s probably because they operate largely in the Midwest, and they started in Wyoming. Despite their 400+ locations, most people outside of that area have no idea they exist. Their trademark doesn’t stop anyone from calling their specials “Taco Tuesday,” as restaurants across the country use the promotion.
At Vallarta Restaurants in Manchester, we don’t limit our taco specials to Tuesday. We have Taco Monday and Tuesday, so you can start your week off right with $1.49 tacos. Visit us to check out our other weekly specials, and follow us on Facebook to keep up with all our news!