Why Hard Shell “Tacos” Do Not Deserve To Be Called Mexican Tacos
Growing up, I was raised in Commerce City, Colorado just an hour South of Fort Collins with both of my Mexican parents, in a community where half of the population consisted of Hispanic or Latino families. My friends, classmates, teammates, coworkers and even the employees at most businesses in the area spoke or at least understood Spanish. It’s safe to say that I was only used to being around people that looked like me.
It wasn’t until I moved away for college in South Carolina and my roommates suggested having a taco night for dinner. Obviously, I was excited to finally have a meal that reminded me of home. I went to the store and grabbed some meat, tortillas, cilantro, onions and the ingredients to make the salsa. Only to come home to see that my roommate had bought a hard-shell taco dinner kit. I have never been so let down and disappointed in my life. Not that I don’t enjoy hard shell tacos … but I had never even heard of a taco kit or even thought about hard shell tacos when planning a taco night.
So, what exactly is the difference between authentic Mexican street tacos and hard-shell tacos? Let’s talk about Americanized tacos first. These consist of a flour tortilla or a yellow hardened corn tortilla that is used as a shell and typically served with spiced ground beef as meat. The toppings typically include sour cream, chopped tomatoes, shredded lettuce and cheese, red mild salsa and guacamole.
Now, an authentic Mexican street taco is served with a warmed up soft corn tortilla and different options of marinated meat like carne asada, al pastor, carnitas, barbacoa and the list only goes on. “The marinade often contains oregano, ground black pepper, ground cumin, paprika, fresh lime juice, soy sauce, and chilies, but the flavors used to marinate depend on the particular taco recipe. The cooks cube the meat before marinating it, or they leave it whole and cook it over a high heat grill called an Asada.” says Lindsay Mattison from WideOpenEats.com on the preparation of the meat for the tacos. The tacos are then topped off with chopped onion and cilantro with a side of lime and options of red or green spicy salsa for a small kick.
If you are looking to try some authentic street tacos in the Fort Collins area, I highly recommend going to Los Comales on the corner of Prospect Rd. and College Ave. Their tacos bring me back to the times in the plaza of my hometown in Mexico with the vendors on every corner waiting to prepare your order. Their street tacos are as authentic as it gets.
Although both have their differences, the hard-shell taco did originate from the Mexican meal tacos dorados (fried tacos). “They were the ambassadors of Mexican food at a time when there weren’t as many Mexicans spread out across the United States,” says Gustavo Arrellano a Mexican American editor for OC Weekly. Fried tacos are served very similarly to hard shell tacos, but the corn tortilla is stuffed with mashed potatoes and deep fried for that crunchy feeling. The toppings usually include shredded lettuce, tomatoes, pico de gallo and salsa.
One could argue that hard shell tacos and tacos dorados are basically the same thing. With Mexico’s most common religion being Catholicism, many lean on the tacos dorados during lent season to avoid consuming meat. It is an alternative option for street tacos.
At the end of the day, regardless of the shell or tortilla, tacos will always be a delicious meal one can count on. But it all comes back to authenticity. The taco originated in Mexico and the recipe should stay as original as possible. “They are a taste of inauthenticity, perhaps, a heretical sham — lame supermarket Tex-Mex food, a whitewashed charade”, says Sam Sifton from New York Times in his article on hard-shell tacos. Honestly, why would someone prefer hard shell tacos over street tacos anyways? Maybe I’m just being biased. But I hope from now on your Taco Tuesdays consist of some authentic street tacos over the plain, hard-shell, Americanized ones.
