Fish Tacos
Today fish tacos have become very popular, either in fast food restaurants such as ‘Taco Bell’ or in street trucks along North America. Every venue has its own take of the original fish taco, so much so that we are hard pressed to find the originals of the real fish taco.
The taco from Baja California, Mexico, predates the arrival of the Europeans into Mexico. The Maize/corn flour (or Masa flour) used to make the traditional taco tortilla was based on the most abundant crop within this part of the world. The crushing of the corn and the frying of the flour on the cast iron skillet were all ways of everyday cooking for the Mexican settlers. The tortilla served as a vessel for the foods to be contained within this envelope. What could be found inside were all hunted and gathered agriculture within the mainland and surrounding Pacific coast. Anthropologists have found evidence that the native inhabiting the Lake Region of the Valley of Mexico typically ate tacos filled with small fish.
Fish was once found in abundance within the Pacific coast and were routinely used for cooking. In fact, the multitude of fish found within this region was one reason why fresh fish, either raw or cooked, would be eaten in many dishes. Meat on the other hand was easier to keep and store longer. Several types of fish were used within the traditional taco such as shrimp (Tacos de camarones), cod or tilapia. The traditional fish taco (Tacos de Pescado) contains dripped or fried fillets of fish garnished with lettuce or cabbage, pico de gallo and either a sour cream or citrus mayo cause.
references:
Toussaint-Samat, M. (2009). A history of FOOD (New Expanded Edition). United Kingdom: Wiley-Blackwell.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taco
http://world-food-and-wine.com/mexican-food-history
http://www.iccjournal.biz/StudentScholars/Undergraduate/history_of_mexican_cuisine.htm
