# Tacos: sour cream or no? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 13, 2011, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tacos-sour-cream-or-no/596156 "2011-09-13T13:53:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![JpnDude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/838e76/32.png) [@JpnDude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JpnDude)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2011, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tacos-sour-cream-or-no/596156/41 "2011-09-14T02:38:08Z")
Sour cream sometimes in hard shell tacos after grilling. Never on soft tacos though. ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2011, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tacos-sour-cream-or-no/596156/42 "2011-09-14T02:41:03Z")
> [@CBEscapee](#): > > Interesting thread, tacos viewed through America-centric eyes! > > As a Mexican, I’ll just add that there truly is an infinite amount of tacos. Many are served with cream (not sour cream but a very thick heavy cream), some are not. It depends on what the taco is made with. > > There is even a saying here about someone who tends to exaggerate or is boastful: > > _le echa mucha crema a sus tacos_ or they put a lot of cream on their tacos. That’s it! I like the mexican table cream, not sour cream. Not boasting about it or anything. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2011, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tacos-sour-cream-or-no/596156/43 "2011-09-14T04:01:10Z")
I need the sour cream. Spicy food is not a friend of my stomach, and the sour cream dials it down a few notches. I think it tastes better too. ---
**Author:** ![Nawth\_Chucka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c57346/32.png) [@Nawth\_Chucka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nawth_Chucka)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2011, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tacos-sour-cream-or-no/596156/44 "2011-09-14T04:22:02Z")
No sour cream or guac - I hate the mouthfeel of soggy and go to great length to avoid it. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2011, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tacos-sour-cream-or-no/596156/45 "2011-09-14T09:01:43Z")
I didn’t vote because my answer is “Depends on the kind of taco”. If we’re talking a Taco Bell-style taco in a pre-formed hard shell, yes on sour cream. If it’s a southern-CA style hard taco, with the corn tortilla fried after being folded around the meat, then i’d prefer some Mexican crema. If it’s a soft corn tortilla, then no. Soft flour tortilla tacos? Such a thing does not exist. ---
**Author:** ![jabiru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@jabiru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jabiru)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2011, 9:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tacos-sour-cream-or-no/596156/46 "2011-09-14T09:11:58Z")
Sour cream is foul. I won’t have it in, on or near any food I’m going to eat. ---
**Author:** ![Post\_Miss\_Post](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Post\_Miss\_Post](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Post_Miss_Post)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2011, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tacos-sour-cream-or-no/596156/47 "2011-09-14T11:06:21Z")
Fat = flavour. That’s a yes by the way. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2011, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tacos-sour-cream-or-no/596156/48 "2011-09-14T12:59:25Z")
> [@Lord\_Ashtar](#): > > Sour cream is among the most disgusting substances on the face of the earth. Put some on my taco and you’re going to have to get me another taco, because I’m not eating one with sour cream on it. This. Ditto for borscht: I like mine clear, chilled, and blood-red. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2011, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tacos-sour-cream-or-no/596156/49 "2011-09-14T13:23:45Z")
I like sour cream on my tacos, but don’t routinely have it at home, so I voted “Can take or leave it.” ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2011, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tacos-sour-cream-or-no/596156/50 "2011-09-14T23:27:45Z")
Sour cream does not go on Mexican food. Maybe Tex-Mex, but not Mexican. Crema fresca? I don’t mind a drizzle. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2011, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tacos-sour-cream-or-no/596156/51 "2011-09-15T15:13:53Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Onions and cilantro only for me, most of the time. That’s how I roll if I’m eating relatively authentic meat on my tacos- they have to be corn tortillas as well. If it’s a Tex-Mex/American style taco, then lettuce, tomato, cheese, and sometimes salsa or guacamole go on the tacos. Fajitas are an entirely different beast, even though I suppose they’re a type of taco. I usually go for sour cream & guac, or pico & cheese on mine. What is with these weird heretical notions that tacos without sour cream are folded tostadas, or that crispy shells are the only way to go? In former times, that shit would get you burned at the stake around here! ---
**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 15, 2011, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tacos-sour-cream-or-no/596156/52 "2011-09-15T15:23:04Z")
Yeah, it’s weird. A taco can basically be whatever you want it to be. It’s such a versatile food form, much like a sandwich can have pretty much anything between two pieces of bread. (And then we have the whole category of open-faced sandwiches, which I won’t discuss.) One of my favorite tacos is one made with Polish sausage, onions, potatoes, and a bit of chipotle. Delicious. However, I honestly don’t encounter sour cream on tacos at all. Around here, the typical toppings are either onions & cilantro or lettuce, tomato, and cheese. It’s possible I just haven’t been paying attention. The closest to sour cream I normally encounter is crema, although it’s possible some fish tacos I’ve had were made with sour cream that’s been cut with mayonnaise. ---
**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 15, 2011, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tacos-sour-cream-or-no/596156/53 "2011-09-15T15:31:36Z")
I just realized that what I wrote is not completely true. I knew there was at least one exception for me, but I couldn’t remember it. There’s a roast pork taco doused in a chipotle sauce I make which I usually accompany with Mexican sour cream that’s had finely chopped onions, garlic, cilantro leaves, and salt mixed into it. Usually, I just serve that as a torta, but it works well as a taco. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2011, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tacos-sour-cream-or-no/596156/54 "2011-09-15T16:34:16Z")
Mmm, mexicana crema can put one off of sour cream forever (in a good way). Reminds me I need to visit a different mega mart and pick some up. ---
**Author:** ![CBEscapee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b19c9b/32.png) [@CBEscapee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CBEscapee)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2011, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tacos-sour-cream-or-no/596156/55 "2011-09-15T20:27:31Z")
Here is what we had today for lunch at our home on the coast of Jalisco:[http://s1100.photobucket.com/albums/g417/cristobaldiaz53/](http://s1100.photobucket.com/albums/g417/cristobaldiaz53/) There is a picture of our crema, what some people have described on this thread as table cream. Note the spoon standing straight up. This crema has a very thick consistency even on a very hot day like today. The other pics show a fish taco being prepared. First a tortilla with a piece of breaded fish. I then added a creamy jalapeño sauce, then a sauce made from dried _chile de arbol_, then a spoon of crema and topped it with chopped cabbage, tomato, carrot and purple onion in lime juice. ---
**Author:** ![CBEscapee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b19c9b/32.png) [@CBEscapee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CBEscapee)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2011, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tacos-sour-cream-or-no/596156/56 "2011-09-15T20:36:21Z")
Oh and BTW if you will permit me a slight hijack. We are at the beach for a long weekend to celebrate our independence. ¡¡VIVA MÉXICO!! ---
**Author:** ![Stan\_Shmenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/94ad74/32.png) [@Stan\_Shmenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stan_Shmenge)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tacos-sour-cream-or-no/596156/57 "2011-09-16T07:14:06Z")
> [@Pyper](#): > > Depends on the taco. If we’re talking Taco Bell-style with meat, cheese, and lettuce, then yes to sour cream. However, sour cream on an authentic taco would be disgusting. Onion, cilantro, and lime only. Exactly. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tacos-sour-cream-or-no/596156.md?page=2)