# Taco Bell vs authentic Mexican food - What are the real differences? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 21, 2008, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bell-vs-authentic-mexican-food-what-are-the-real-differences/464516 "2008-09-21T05:35:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2008, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bell-vs-authentic-mexican-food-what-are-the-real-differences/464516/61 "2008-09-23T06:20:29Z")
> [@Rick](#): > > **pulykamell** last week at lunch we were eating tacos, and I asked my Hispanic co-workers this very question; why two tortillas? There answer was breakage. Try eating a taco with only one tortilla. So I gave it a shot. About 1/2 way though the tortilla started to rip along the bottom. Good reason for the second tortilla. That’s exactly why I’ve always assumed it was two tortillas. Besides, two tortillas just seems right to me, as long as it’s those thinner, packaged tortillas. But I was looking on Youtube, and it seems there’s plenty of single-ply tortillas at Mexican street stands. ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Bruin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Queen\_Bruin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Bruin)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2008, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bell-vs-authentic-mexican-food-what-are-the-real-differences/464516/62 "2008-09-23T09:10:39Z")
> [@Rick](#): > > \< **Rick** ’s taco encomium\> Bravo! ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2008, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bell-vs-authentic-mexican-food-what-are-the-real-differences/464516/63 "2008-09-23T11:12:51Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Or- you can make chili out of them, but you have to carefully get rid of the poison molar first.😛 > > Or- no, they are no good at all- the rocks are too hard and too salty.😃 > > Or- ewww, but I suppose the dermatolgists have to do something with them.:o > > I cannot think of anything with the chemical meaning of the word.:smack: [all about mole calculations](http://misterguch.brinkster.net/molecalculations.html) ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2008, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bell-vs-authentic-mexican-food-what-are-the-real-differences/464516/64 "2008-09-23T15:39:33Z")
> [@Rick](#): > > So when was the last time you saw menudo, or cabeza tacos, or lengua tacos\* at a Taco Bell, Chevy’s, or El Torito? So unless you are arguing that TB and the other are authentic, I rest my case. It is quite likely that the cook on that taco cart/truck/hole in the wall restaurant is an illegal and was cooking in Mexico last week. So if you want authentic do you go to corporate Taco hell/El Toritio/Chevys or do you go to a resturant/truck/cart where the guy is fresh over the border? > Carnitas, I added an extra vowel, big whoop, is that the best you got? :rolleyes: > Have you ever taken the time to make carnitas at home? I have and while it is a heart attack on a plate, it is tasty as hell. I never said those places had those foods, just that just because a place has them doesn’t make it “the real deal”. EVERY Mexican joint here has that stuff, and like anything, 90% of them are junk. And I don’t understand why you think a guy being an illegal alien (love the attitude that all Mexicans are “fresh over the border” illegals, btw :rolleyes:) has anything to do with him being a good cook. Do you think everyone fresh off the boat from China makes great Chinese food in America? [I assure you, the answer is no.](http://health.msn.com/nutrition/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100216113) > [@Rick](#): > > As far as the only way to make a taco, hell no that isn’t the only way, but I can tell you this; In 56 years of living in both East LA and the Barrios of the San Fernando Valley that is the default method of presentation for a taco. Same thing at the hole in the wall joints in Phoenix, the Central Valley of California, TJ and Ensenada and other parts of BC. BC in this case being Baja California not British Columbia. What do all these places have in common? They’re in America and American tourist sports in northern Mexico. I’m not saying you can’t get real Mexican food in America - you absolutely can, but it’s more than what comes off a lunch truck or out of your average hole in the wall. (Note I said average; _some_ holes in the wall are great.) > [@Rick](#): > > A taco is food of the people. A homemade taco is very likely to contain what ever was left over from last night dinner. Scrambled eggs and a bit of meat is quite popular based on what I have seen my coworkers bring for lunch or break. > No fancy hard shell fried corn tortillas. No way to make these at home. Mammasita\*\* patted the tortillas out of masa flour, then heated them on a [comal](http://www.mexgrocer.com/9115.html) before making a taco. > Have you ever stood next to a hot stove waiting for the next tortilla to be patted out and then to be thrown on the open flame so you could grab it and eat it? That my friend is authentic Mexican food. > No hard shells, no lettuce, no chihuahua no crap just great food. Man, you’re killing me here guy, you’re killing me. No way to make hard shell fried corn tortillas at home? I can’t stop laughing. My wife and I make those all the time - they take about 2 seconds and the cooking skills of a 1st grader. To answer your question I have made carnitas, homemade mole, tamales, corn and flour tortillas from scratch, chilaquiles, flautas, huevos rancheros, micheladas, and more other Mexican dishes than I can count. My wife is a chef and works with some Mexican chefs who would be happy to eat off a lunch truck but also very offended if that were presented to someone as the best cuisine Mexico had to offer. You need to get over thinking of your own opinions as facts. Just because the tacos you like are the real deal _to you_ doesn’t mean the tacos DrDeth likes aren’t the real deal _to him_. There is no law governing how a taco is made beyond the definition of meat in a tortilla. ---
**Author:** ![DiggitCamara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df788c/32.png) [@DiggitCamara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiggitCamara)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2008, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bell-vs-authentic-mexican-food-what-are-the-real-differences/464516/65 "2008-09-23T15:57:16Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > So they don’t have _any_ differential between names and ingredients, like, say, different types of sushi in Japan are named different things? Well, actually there are huge differences (which vary between the different states within Mexico). In Mexico City, we have (the list is far from comprehensive): 1. Tacos de canasta (“basket” Tacos). Vendors carry around huge baskets (usually on bicycle) filled with prepared tacos. They keep warm in the basket because of their huge amounts and because they’re tightly wrapped. Usually just filled with 1 ingredient each, 3 or 4 varieties, which depend on the vendor 2. “Flautas”-Crisply fried tortillas, wrapped around chicken meat 3. “Quesadillas”-Actually a misnomer. By their name you’d think they are filled with cheese, but there are different flavors. Prepared on a “comal” (a little oven), they are prepared as you watch 4. Tacos- All kinds. The contents depend on the stand you’re eating at, but most often with meat of some kind 5. Tacos de guisado-You get served different kinds of meals with rice and/or nopales and/or black beans with two tortillas each. Usually the meal is already prepared and presented in bins. And that’s just food involving tortillas per se (in Mexico City). There are, for instance, sopes, which are oval tortilla-like corn-bread, usually topped with a paste made of black beans topped with sauce, onions, cheese and cream. Huaraches (which in my eye are actually the same thing) but which also include meat… ---
**Author:** ![DiggitCamara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df788c/32.png) [@DiggitCamara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiggitCamara)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2008, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bell-vs-authentic-mexican-food-what-are-the-real-differences/464516/66 "2008-09-23T16:03:58Z")
> [@Queen\_Bruin](#): > > She’s crazy. Yucatecan food is awesome. It’s the home of the habanero! Pok chuuc and pollo pibil and sincronizadas…mmm. Queso relleno! ---
**Author:** ![DiggitCamara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df788c/32.png) [@DiggitCamara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiggitCamara)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2008, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bell-vs-authentic-mexican-food-what-are-the-real-differences/464516/67 "2008-09-23T16:06:37Z")
> [@Malthus](#): > > The moles of Oaxaca do not appear to have any fast-food analogue here in North America. Indeed, I’ve not actually eaten any outside of Oaxaca. > > The chocolate mole is just the most famous (in fact, not my favourite). Puebla is also known for its variety of moles. And you’ll find it all around Mexico City. ---
**Author:** ![loyaltubist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85e7bf/32.png) [@loyaltubist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/loyaltubist)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2008, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bell-vs-authentic-mexican-food-what-are-the-real-differences/464516/68 "2008-09-23T16:23:40Z")
Most of the Mexican fast food is representative of the food you would find in Tijuana or Juarez. But it’s highly, highly _gringocized._ ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2008, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bell-vs-authentic-mexican-food-what-are-the-real-differences/464516/69 "2008-09-23T16:25:23Z")
Have you ever squeezed the feces out of a warthog anus and charred it black on a hot rock? That, my friends, is authentic Namibian cuisine—a far cry from the dull, Americanized crap you get at places like T.J. Analbee’s or the Poopchute Factory. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2008, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bell-vs-authentic-mexican-food-what-are-the-real-differences/464516/70 "2008-09-23T16:27:08Z")
> [@devilsknew](#): > > Pretty much the major difference between Taco Bell and Authentic Tacos, is fresh cuts of meat versus ground beef with a seasoning packet and soy body enhancers. Fresh, legible, cuts of meat either grilled quickly… . Freash? Nothing more authentic than eatin one straight from a taco vendor on a Mexican street, but somehow I dont think the word “fresh” is the right word. I am not even sure “beef” is the right word. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2008, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bell-vs-authentic-mexican-food-what-are-the-real-differences/464516/71 "2008-09-23T16:47:43Z")
Just because I love it so much, I have to point people in direction of the sublime [chiles en nogada](http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/000114chiles_en_nogada_chilies_in_walnut_sauce.php): poblanos stuffed with ground pork and fruits (like pear and raisin), covered in a walnut sauce, topped off with pomegranate seeds. The red pomegranate seeds, white walnut sauce, and green poblano represent the colors of the Mexican flag. It is an inspired combination of flavor, texture, and color, and something you most assuredly will never find in a Taco Hell. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2008, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bell-vs-authentic-mexican-food-what-are-the-real-differences/464516/72 "2008-09-23T16:50:47Z")
> [@Rick](#): > > As far as the only way to make a taco, hell no that isn’t the only way, but I can tell you this; In 56 years of living in both East LA and the Barrios of the San Fernando Valley that is the default method of presentation for a taco. Same thing at the hole in the wall joints in Phoenix, the Central Valley of California, TJ and Ensenada and other parts of BC. BC in this case being Baja California not British Columbia.. Yes, it is the _default_ in _that area_, I grew up there too. But the hard shell was used. Actuully the fried small corn tortilla was commonly used flat for the Tostada, which more often contained beans, _lettuce_ and maybe a tad of cheese- salsas to taste. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2008, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bell-vs-authentic-mexican-food-what-are-the-real-differences/464516/73 "2008-09-23T16:54:14Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Yes, it is the _default_ in _that area_, I grew up there too. But the hard shell was used. Actuully the fried small corn tortilla was commonly used flat for the Tostada, which more often contained beans, _lettuce_ and maybe a tad of cheese- salsas to taste. Sure, tostados are pretty common in Mexico, but I don’t get the sense that hard taco shells are. The Mexicans I know claim they don’t exist in Mexico, but Mexico is so diverse that I can’t vouch for them not being common in some region. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2008, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bell-vs-authentic-mexican-food-what-are-the-real-differences/464516/74 "2008-09-23T17:01:59Z")
Come to think of it, there are taco dorados (I’ve had them with potato)… ---
**Author:** ![DiggitCamara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df788c/32.png) [@DiggitCamara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiggitCamara)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2008, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bell-vs-authentic-mexican-food-what-are-the-real-differences/464516/75 "2008-09-23T17:05:58Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Come to think of it, there are taco dorados (I’ve had them with potato)… Similar to the “flautas” I mentioned earlier, btw. ---
**Author:** ![DiggitCamara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df788c/32.png) [@DiggitCamara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiggitCamara)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2008, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bell-vs-authentic-mexican-food-what-are-the-real-differences/464516/76 "2008-09-23T17:07:21Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Just because I love it so much, I have to point people in direction of the sublime [chiles en nogada](http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/000114chiles_en_nogada_chilies_in_walnut_sauce.php): poblanos stuffed with ground pork and fruits (like pear and raisin), covered in a walnut sauce, topped off with pomegranate seeds. The red pomegranate seeds, white walnut sauce, and green poblano represent the colors of the Mexican flag. It is an inspired combination of flavor, texture, and color, and something you most assuredly will never find in a Taco Hell. They’re great, indeed. However, you’ll seldom find them out of season, which is between August and September. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2008, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bell-vs-authentic-mexican-food-what-are-the-real-differences/464516/77 "2008-09-23T17:10:51Z")
> [@DiggitCamara](#): > > They’re great, indeed. However, you’ll seldom find them out of season, which is between August and September. The local Yucatecan joint has had them for the last few weeks (in celebration of Mexican Independence day, Sept 15, I assume) and, I believe, they also feature them during Christmas time. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2008, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bell-vs-authentic-mexican-food-what-are-the-real-differences/464516/78 "2008-09-23T17:12:58Z")
> [@DiggitCamara](#): > > Similar to the “flautas” I mentioned earlier, btw. Sure, the flauta/taquito is common, but I don’t think of it as a hard shell taco in the manner of a Taco Bell taco. It’s a different dish for me. ---
**Author:** ![DiggitCamara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df788c/32.png) [@DiggitCamara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiggitCamara)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2008, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bell-vs-authentic-mexican-food-what-are-the-real-differences/464516/79 "2008-09-23T19:12:02Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Sure, the flauta/taquito is common, but I don’t think of it as a hard shell taco in the manner of a Taco Bell taco. It’s a different dish for me. I haven’t actually eaten at a Taco Bell. To tell the truth I can’t really envision a “hard shell” taco. And, returning to the “Chiles en Nogada”, the way I have heard it told, its origin is supposedly linked to the successful end of the war of Independence of Mexico. Agustín de Iturbide (who later crowned himself emperor) asked for a dish that combined the three colors of the flag of the new nation (red, white and green). Thus the Chile en Nogada was born. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bell-vs-authentic-mexican-food-what-are-the-real-differences/464516/80 "2008-09-25T15:21:34Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > Have you ever squeezed the feces out of a warthog anus and charred it black on a hot rock? That, my friends, is authentic Namibian cuisine—a far cry from the dull, Americanized crap you get at places like T.J. Analbee’s or the Poopchute Factory. **Vinyl Turnip** : Please. This is food thead, about Mexico, Your comments about feces and Nimibia are, at best, off-topic threadshitting, and at worst… well, we’ll assume the best. Please keep your comments relevant and on-topic in future. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bell-vs-authentic-mexican-food-what-are-the-real-differences/464516.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bell-vs-authentic-mexican-food-what-are-the-real-differences/464516.md?page=5)