Tacos

A taco is a tortilla folded over some ingredients. That simple definition includes a near-infinite number of dishes. The tortilla itself can be corn (crisp or soft) or wheat, preferably hand-rolled and griddle-cooked just moments before the taco is assembled. For a puffy taco, a corn tortilla is quickly deep fried so that it puffs up like a sopaipilla. Taco fillings vary from shrimp and fish to almost any kind of meat, including such periphera as brains, tripe, and tongue. At Tucson’s Boca Tacos Y Tequila, chef Maria Jose Mazon boasts, “If it’s already dead, I can make it into a taco.” Among her exotica have been elk and silkworms.