Though originally a dish hailing[2] from Mexico, the taco has found its way into American culture, and the stomachs of people all across America! The basis for the taco is the tortilla[3], a Mexican flatbread made from corn. The tortilla is the taco shell and is wrapped around whatever filling is in the taco.
Sometimes the tortilla is fried to make a hard-shelled taco, or just heated up to keep it soft. There are different fillings in tacos, including meat, bean, fish, vegetables, you name it. There are even breakfast tacos filled with sausage, eggs, and cheese! It just shows how Americans have taken a classic Mexican dish and put a new spin on it.
The taco first appeared in the ancient Aztec[4] civilization, when they began to stuff the already popular tortillas with different foods. Corn was a staple crop in ancient Mesoamerica, so tortillas were very common and well liked.
Now, let’s jump forward in history to the 1900’s. With the large flood of Mexican immigrants coming through the southern U.S. boarder, many ideas mingled, forming a style of cooking called 「Tex-Mex[5]」, a style that combined Mexican and American ideas, originating in the state of Texas. And this style is what gave rise to[6] the taco that Americans know and love to this day. The stereotypical taco consists of a fried tortilla curved into a U shape, and then filled with ground beef, lettuce, tomato, and cheese.
Another contributing factor to the rising popularity of the taco is the fast food restaurant Taco Bell[7]. It was founded by a man named Glen Bell. He was a fan of Mexican food, but hated the long preparation time, so he decided to find a faster way of cooking. The first Taco Bell opened in 1962 in California, selling tacos for 19 cents each. And now, it sells different forms of Americanized Mexican food, and is very popular in America.
墨西哥玉米卷原本是一道頗受歡迎的來自墨西哥的美味佳餚,它還走進了美國文化,成為令全美國人民都胃口大開的美食!墨西哥玉米卷的主要成分是玉米圓餅,它是一種由玉米製成的墨西哥扁平麵餅。這種圓餅是墨西哥玉米卷的餅皮,裡面可以包裹各種餡料。
有時,玉米圓餅會被油炸成硬殼,抑或只是加熱以保持其鬆軟。墨西哥玉米卷可以夾有各種不同的餡:肉類、豆類、魚、蔬菜等,凡是能想到的都有。甚至還有墨西哥早餐玉米卷,裡面塞有香腸、雞蛋和乳酪!這恰恰體現了美國人對待這道墨西哥經典佳餚的接受態度,還對它進行了新的改良。
墨西哥玉米卷最早出現於阿茲特克古文明時期,那時,人們便開始在已經普遍流行的玉米圓餅中塞入各種各樣的食物。玉米在古代中美洲是最基本的農作物,所以玉米圓餅很常見,並且十分受人喜愛。
現在,讓我們在歷史的長河中快進到20世紀初。大批的墨西哥移民湧入美國南部邊境,很多思想交融匯集,形成了一種被稱為「得州及墨西哥式」的烹飪風格,它發源於德克薩斯州,結合了墨西哥和美國的飲食文化理念。而正是這種風格特色催生出了美國人至今所熟知並喜愛的墨西哥玉米卷。傳統老式的墨西哥玉米卷是把油炸的玉米圓餅彎捲成U形,然後再塞入碎牛肉、生菜、西紅柿和乳酪。
促使墨西哥玉米卷日益流行的另一個因素是塔可鍾快餐店,它由一個叫格倫•貝爾的人創建。此人是一位墨西哥美食的狂熱愛好者,但他不喜歡冗長的(做飯)準備時間,於是決定要找出一種更快捷的烹飪方式。第一家塔可鍾於1962年在加利福尼亞州開業,每份墨西哥玉米卷售價為19美分。如今,該快餐連鎖還銷售各種各樣的美式墨西哥美食,在美國很受歡迎。
(來源:英語學習雜誌 編輯:丹妮)