Need an excuse to eat more tacos? Rejoice! Today is National Taco Day. Here are 10 fun facts about the beloved Mexican dish:
- Americans consume more than four billion (!) tacos every year.
- Half the U.S. population eats Taco Bell at least once a month.
- While the word “taco” literally translates to “plug” or “wad” a small hole, it also translates to “light lunch” in Mexican Spanish.
- Taco Bell's founder invented the U-shaped crispy taco shell.
- Taco Bell first started as Bell’s Hamburgers and Hot Dogs in San Bernardino, CA back in 1950. Founder Glen W. Bell Jr. took advantage of the fact that his stand was located in a Hispanic neighborhood and started selling crispy-hard-shell tacos at 19 cents each.
- Although the Taco Bell commercials starring Chihuahuas became a pop culture phenomenon, the chain's taco sales during that time actually went down.
- Ensenada, Mexico is said to be the birth place of the fish taco.
- Tacos predate the Europeans in Mexico and were discovered to be the food of choice by the indigenous folk in the Valley of Mexico.
- The biggest taco ever was made on November 20, 2011 in a town called Queretaro. It was 246 feet long and was filled with carnitas.
- One of the first taco trucks is thought to have started in 1966 by two New York housewives.
Source: National Day Calendar