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颇受欢迎的来自墨西哥的美味佳肴，它还走进了美国文化，成为令全美国人民都胃口大开的美食！墨西哥玉米卷的主要成分是玉米圆饼，它是一种由玉米制成的墨西哥扁平面饼。这种圆饼是墨西哥玉米卷的饼皮，里面可以包裹各种馅料。
有时，玉米圆饼会被油炸成硬壳，抑或只是加热以保持 其松软。墨西哥玉米卷可以夹有各种不同的馅：肉类、豆类、鱼、蔬菜等，凡是能想来 的都有。甚至还有墨西哥早餐玉米卷，里面塞有香肠、鸡蛋和乳酪！这恰恰体现了美国人对待这道墨西哥经典佳肴的接受态度，还对它进行了新的改良。
墨西哥玉米卷最早涌现于阿兹特克古文明时期，那时，生猪价格，人们便开始在已经普遍流行的玉米圆饼中塞入各种各样的食物。玉米在古代中美洲是最基本的农作物，所以玉米圆饼很常见，并且十分受人喜欢。
现在，让我们在历史的长河中快进来 20世纪初。大批的墨西哥移民涌入美国南部边境，很多思想交融聚拢，形成了一种被称为“得州及墨西哥式”的烹调风格，它发源于得克萨斯州，结合了墨西哥和美国的饮食文化理念。而正是这种风格特色催生出了美国人至今所熟晓 并喜欢的墨西哥玉米卷。传统老式的墨西哥玉米卷是把油炸的玉米圆饼弯卷成U形，然后再塞入碎牛肉、生菜、西红柿和乳酪。
促使墨西哥玉米卷日益流行的另一个原因是塔可钟快餐店，它由一个叫格伦•贝尔的人创建。此人是一位墨西哥美食的狂酷爱好者，但他不喜爱冗长的（做饭）准备时间，于是决定要找出一种更快捷的烹调方式。第一家塔可钟于1962年在加利福尼亚州开业，每份墨西哥玉米卷售价为19美分。如今，该快餐连锁还销售各种各样的美式墨西哥美食，在美国很受欢迎。
（来源：英语学习杂志 编辑：丹妮）
