The Taco: Your Guide to Mexico’s Most Delicious Act of Defiance
This crave-worthy global street food tells a deeper story of resilience—embracing the new without losing what’s real.
A Taco, A Revolution
It’s impossible to talk about food in Mexico City without starting with tacos. Practically everyone on the planet loves tacos, but what most people (including me, until recently) don’t realize is that tacos are more than just flavor—it’s about resilience, reinvention, and identity.
I was 28 the first time I had one made the way it’s meant to be—a fresh, warm tortilla, smoky charred filling, salsa that hits just right, and garnishes that bring contrast and texture.
We’re breaking down what makes a truly great taco while uncovering how this humble street food began as a quiet revolutionary symbol and became a global icon. By the end, you may never look at Taco Tuesday the same way again.
Hey food friends! 👋 I’m Kaitlynn, half of a food-loving couple 🍜 exploring DC (& beyond) who knows the best connections happen at a shared table. 🍽️. Whether you're searching for the perfect bánh mì or trying to master your grandma's marinara 🍅, I’m here with dishes (and discussions) that make life more interesting. Come hungry, leave inspired. ✨🍴
Flavors of Mexico City: The Dishes, History & Where to Eat
Mexico City is layered—historically, culturally, and yes, even literally. From the ancient markets of the "Mexica" people to Spanish colonial plazas to today's bustling street stalls, bakeries, and world-class restaurants, its food scene is built on centuries of cultural fusion, migration, reinvention, and deep culinary roots from both indigenous and European traditions.
This is a culture that gave the world tacos, chocolate, AND vanilla—just to name a few. Whether you’re planning a visit, looking for inspiration in your own kitchen, or just hungry to understand the soul of CDMX, this series is your guide.
We’re diving into the real stories behind the food, uncovering the flavors that define the city, and sharing practical tips for finding (or making) something incredible to eat. From tacos to pan dulce to café de olla, Mexico City’s food story is as rich as it gets—and we’re just getting started.
How to Spot (or Make) a Great Taco
If you want to know how to make the best taco, we’re looking for four essential elements:
✔ A fresh tortilla – Corn or flour, but always soft and warm.
✔ A flavorful filling – Juicy, well-seasoned veggies or meat.
✔ A punchy salsa – Adds heat, acid, and contrast.
✔ The perfect garnish – Bright, crunchy, and fresh.
Tacos have conquered the world because they’re simple, portable, and willing to be adaptable. From CDMX street stalls to home kitchens across the world, tacos continue to evolve while staying unmistakably Mexican. Once you’ve nailed these fundamentals, you can remix them however you like—just don’t forget the salsa.
The Tortilla Makes or Breaks the Taco
No matter how good your filling is, if the tortilla is bad, the taco is bad. If it’s dry, stiff, or cracks when you fold it? Game over.
A great tortilla—corn or flour—should be fresh, soft, and strong. If you’re using store-bought, always heat it properly. Straight over a flame or a hot pan is best. For corn tortillas, a little steam can revive them—a quick spritz of water before heating and a rest under a towel works wonders. If it puffs up and develops golden charred spots, you’re on the right track.
Masa that’s nixtamalized (treated with lime), stone-ground, and hand-formed into tortillas is the real deal—a direct link to Mexican food traditions that date back to before Rome was even an idea. But today, you don’t have to choose between corn or flour like it’s some Spanish Inquisition-era religious divide (which, fun fact, it literally was). Just make sure it’s soft, warm, and ready to support whatever comes next.
The Filling: Simplicity Wins
The best tacos are simple but perfected—great fillings, properly seasoned, cooked with care. No need for over-the-top toppings when the base is this good. You can really put anything in a tortilla that’s got some flavorful, cooked meat or vegetables, but these classics have stood the test of time for a reason. That said, don’t be afraid to get creative—we once had a taco stuffed with french fries and avocado that we still talk about sometimes.
🌮 Tacos al Pastor – Mexico City's undisputed street food icon. Lebanese immigrants brought the vertical spit (trompo) to Mexico in the early 1900s, evolving shawarma into thin-shaved, marinated pork with a kiss of pineapple—a perfect example of how Mexico City's cuisine continuously absorbs global influences while maintaining its distinctive character. Smoky, tangy, sweet, and perfect.
🔥 Barbacoa – Slow-cooked, fall-apart beef (or lamb/goat in some regions), traditionally wrapped in maguey leaves and buried underground to steam in its own juices. The original low-and-slow masterpiece.
🐟 Pescado (Fish Tacos) – Most famous in Baja but loved all over Mexico. Usually crispy beer-battered white fish (like snapper or mahi-mahi), topped with crunchy cabbage, crema, lime, and salsa. A coastal classic.
🥩 Carne Asada – Thinly sliced, flame-grilled steak marinated in lime, garlic, Worcestershire, and a little beer, cooked hot and fast. Charred, juicy, and wildly satisfying.
🍖 Carne de Res – A rich, stewed beef taco often slow-cooked with tomatoes, chiles, and spices until melt-in-your-mouth tender. Deep, meaty flavor in every bite.
🐷 Carnitas – Mexico’s answer to confit—pork slow-cooked in its own fat until tender, then crisped up at the edges. A Michoacán specialty.
🌵 Nopales –Tangy, tender cactus paddles, cooked with onions and tomato. A true Mexican staple, often paired with cheese or eggs. One of the simplest, most nutritious tacos out there.
🍄 Hongos con Epazote –Wild mushrooms sautéed with epazote, an aromatic Mexican herb. Meaty (without meat), packed with umami.
🫘 Frijoles con Queso –A simple, unbeatable combo—creamy refried beans with salty, melty cheese. Sometimes with crunchy chicharrón for texture.
🥔 Papas con Rajas – Soft potatoes mixed with roasted poblano strips and a little crema. Comforting, mildly spicy, and a great vegetarian option.
🌼 Flor de Calabaza –Squash blossoms, delicate and slightly sweet, often sautéed with onions and cheese.
Salsa: The Soul of a Taco
A taco without salsa better have some seriously juicy filling, because salsa isn’t just a topping—it’s what balances heat, acidity, and freshness, making every bite pop.
🔥 Street Tacos 101: A great taquería will have multiple salsas—from bright and citrusy to deep and smoky. Never assume green = mild.
🥄 At Home? Keep It Simple:
✔ Classic: Blend roasted tomatoes, chiles, lime, and salt.
✔ Fresh: Chop tomatoes, onions, cilantro, and citrus for pico de gallo.
✔ Shortcut: Store-bought? Blend it with lime juice and salt to level it up.
🔑 Rule of Thumb: If your filling is rich, go bright. If it’s mild, bring the heat.
The Garnish: The Final Touch
Garnishes don’t just sit on top of a taco—they complete it. She’s pretty, but she’s also bringing texture, drama, maybe some probiotics, and a little extra kick. It’s about juxtaposing freshness against richness, crunch against softness, acid against fat. These final touches don’t just sit on top; they complete the taco.
🌿 Cilantro & Onion – The OG duo. Bright, fresh, sharp. The crunch of white onion + the herbal hit of cilantro = perfection.
🍋 Lime Juice – The simplest move. Cuts through fat, wakes up flavors, and ties everything together.
🥕 Pickled Veggies – Jalapeños, red onions, carrots—adds crunch, heat, and a probiotic bonus.
🧂 Salsa’s Best Friend? Salt. – A tiny sprinkle can take your taco to another level.
🥒 Radishes & Cucumber – Crisp, cooling, and perfect for tacos that bring the heat.
🧀 Cheese & Crema – Not always traditional, but cotija, queso fresco, or a drizzle of crema can add richness and mellow out spice.
The Modern, Boundless Taco
Tacos are everywhere. They’re one of the most universally recognized and beloved foods on the planet. From street vendors in Mexico City, including the first-ever Michelin-starred taco stand, Califa de León, to fine dining in Tokyo, from late-night food trucks in LA to home kitchens across the world—tacos have transcended borders, cuisines, and expectations.
But how did this simple, perfect food rise to such prominence? Why does it thrive in the humblest taquerías and the most innovative restaurants alike?
Dynamite & Defiance: The Taco’s Explosive Beginnings
The word taco didn’t start in kitchens—it started in mines. Mexican silver miners, often working under brutal, exploitative conditions, used tacos—small gunpowder charges wrapped in paper—to break through rock. At the same time, those same miners were carrying meals wrapped in masa tortillas to get them through a hard workday.
This wasn’t just about convenience. Nixtamalized corn—treated with lime to unlock nutrients aka masa—had sustained humans in the area for 3,500 years and tied these everyday workers back to their Mexica (the name the Aztecs called themselves) ancestors. But under Spanish rule, corn, once sacred in Mexica society was dismissed as lower-class and frowned upon as associated with native deities. Wheat was a marker of European status and religious power. Masa, by contrast, was a quiet act of defiance—an unspoken link to a once-mighty civilization colonial Spain had tried to erase.
By the late 1700s or early 1800s, these miner’s meals had a name: tacos de minero. As miners moved between rural areas and Mexico City, tacos spread. What began underground would soon reach every corner of the country. They were portable, practical, and, in their own way, revolutionary.
A Harbinger of Revolution
Just a few decades after tacos de minero took shape, Mexico rose in open rebellion, fighting to end 300 years of Spanish rule. And while food doesn’t lead revolutions, it does shape identity.
Tacos embodied something crucial: the refusal to quietly disappear. For centuries, Spanish colonizers had systematically, ruthlessly worked to strip away native traditions—burning ancient texts, outlawing languages, demolishing temples and cities. But food is harder to erase. Choosing masa wasn’t just practical—it was a quiet act of defiance, passed down through generations. A way of saying: We are still here. This is still ours.
Of course, revolutionaries weren't saints. Many of European descent embraced native foods like masa and mole poblano (which we will get to later in the series) to align themselves with the glory of the Aztecs—while continuing to marginalize the very people who had preserved these traditions. Yet Mexico's culinary strength lies precisely in this complex fusion—indigenous techniques merged with Spanish ingredients, European methods applied to native foods, creating a cuisine that transcends its colonial past.
The taco’s story linking the people to pre-Columbian farmers has echoes in other cultures who held onto their food traditions as a form of resistance but what makes it entirely unique is the wild turnaround and rising to global favorite status. Though, considering the way we normally think of tacos, calling them profound sort of sounds laughable.
It’s just a taco. A Tuesday night dinner. A thing you grab without thinking. But maybe it can also be a small, delicious reminder: that culture isn’t just something we inherit—it’s something we build, meal by meal, day by day, choice by choice. That survival isn’t just about holding on—it’s about adapting, reimagining, and carrying something good and real into the future.
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The Timeless Appeal of Tacos
Tacos aren’t just delicious. For the first people who ate them, they were a way to reclaim identity and adapt for the future. They’ve survived centuries of change by being open to adapt while staying true to their four essential elements: a fresh tortilla, a bold filling, a vibrant salsa, and the perfect garnish.
And look at Mexico City now—alive, thriving, evolving, unapologetically itself, with Spanish colonial architecture standing alongside ancient pyramids, baroque churches near Aztec temples, and European café culture blending with traditional markets and Mexico’s ancient history with all that it’s overcome to create one of the most dynamic cultural scenes on the planet, and tacos on tables worldwide.
So next time you grab a taco—whether from a Mexico City street stand, a neighborhood taquería, or your own kitchen—pause for a second. It’s more than just a meal. It is a tiny triumph. It’s proof that the best things in life are rooted in tradition but open to reinvention. And nothing embodies that more than a taco.
Got a favorite taco spot? A family recipe? Drop it in the comments! And if you’re into food stories like this, hit subscribe. More Mexico City adventures ahead.
The feast doesn’t stop here. After dark, Mexico City belongs to the taquerías. But in the morning, the scent of pan dulce and coffee takes over. We find the the same spirit of reinvention is alive in the city’s bakeries and coffee shops, bringing us into another side of Mexico City’s unstoppable food story.