Welcome to the definitive guide on how to eat tacos. We assume that you don’t know how to hold a taco properly, barely know how to eat at all, and probably need help getting your clothes on in the morning. Use this guide as a lesson in etiquette, history and modern trends in taco culture. This guide will be constantly updated.
Yep, how to eat tacos: One of mankind’s big questions that we will try to answer with yet another guide. The taco is, after all, so tasty but with its surge in popularity it seems like the more people that get their hands on it, the concept of how to eat a taco right becomes more vague.
Once upon a time, the taco was just a traditional dish eaten by natives and expats of Mexico. Those days are long gone. The taco is just so all over the place right now. With that said, we at thought it was the right time for an ultimate guide on eating tacos. Because when it comes around to tacos, we don’t play around.
Table of Contents
THE ANATOMY OF A TACO EATER
Let’s start with breaking down the taco eating people of the modern world. Who are these people, and how do they eat their tacos?
HOW TO EAT TACOS
1. Distribute the toppings
While more guacamole always sounds like a great idea (especially when you’re drunk) there is such a thing as overstuffing. (more on that below – yep, it has its own bullet point)
2. Eat with your hands and pinch the top
Take your peace fingers and thumb to hold at the center of the taco. To hold a taco properly, pinch the top between your thumb, index and middle finger. Feel free to add your ring finger for extra support, especially for a large taco!
3. Bite from the side, not the top, not the middle.
This is the last topping to go on a taco. And it’s usually the dish maker or dish destroyer. Too much and you’ll suffer every bite, so it’s always, ALWAYS better to taste a little bit on your taco rather than having to scoop out the salsa-quenched bits of meat.
4. Wash it down properly
The best drink to wash down a taco with has to be the Boing soft drinks, hands down. At least for a non-alcoholic drink. Make sure you get your hands on the mango-flavored one. It’s pretty much insane. In short of Boing? A nice IPA will get you going nonetheless.
5 BIG TACO NO-NO’S
Although tacos are definitely a big thing now, but people have adapted some weird habits when it comes to how to eat tacos. The insane number of taco places that keeps popping up everywhere have resulted in tacos being served and eaten in strange ways, and a quick Google search definitely proves that we have adapted some strange taco eating habits.
But even though we try to find the next big thing in what to eat with tacos: Some things are best kept as originally intended.
Humanity has somewhat of a knack for embracing something good, only to mess it up change it and forgetting why it was so good in the first place. Do we really need to remind you of how the kebab has been ruined in Europe? Sorry for reminding you of that, but we have to be dramatic, because the topic of this article is way more important: How To Eat Tacos.
Check out our easy taco recipes here
But let’s keep it totally real: There are a lot newly opened taquerías with young and enthusiastic taco-lovers at the helm. This piece is not about them; it’s about the mess being done by some major offenders.
1. The hard-shell taco
Oh, the yellow, flavorless, crisp taco shell that disintegrates after the first bite? Yeah, that one. You can thank the founder of Taco Bell for that gift to humanity. In search of the taco version of the McDonald’s hamburger, this beauty was invented, making it a household name in random places like Norway, where families gather around the tv-table each Friday to eat what they think are traditional tacos with cucumber, shredded mozzarella cheese and minced meat. So sad.
2. Eating tacos with a fork and a knife
Eating tacos with a fork and knife looks silly and, worse, snobby. You could also put that in the same categoru of George Costanza eating a Snickers with silverware. Tacos are fun, and most of the times a little messy. That’s the point! Don’t ruin it with your fancy ideas.
3. Adding lettuce or shredded cheese to a taco.
This follows the footsteps of point number one, but to not make it look like a rant we decided to separate the two. So, okay – you might get a little salad or something else as a healthy side dish for your tacos – nothing wrong with that – but that’s not really part of the taco, now is it? Stop putting it on the taco.
4. Overstuffing your taco.
We know, tacos are delicious and when it comes to toppings, the possibilities are endless. And while you might have 17 different taco toppings on your table, you shouldn’t put all the toppings at once! We understand that you might be overwhelmed, but relax, everything in due time. There will be another opportunity to eat after you ate the first taco, you know?
5. Spaghetti tacos are never, ever a good idea.
You are the owner of a brand new taco spot in town. You are aware of social media. You’ve seen a new concept, the ramen burger, becoming a thing. You decide to make the taco version of it. Please stop.
Still With Us?
Congratulations of passing the Eating With Your Hands course of how to eat tacos! You’ve learned what type of people eats tacos, how to eat one properly, and what NOT to do when it comes to eating this Mexican delicacy properly. All we can say at this point is that we’re proud of you for making it, and like a proud parent we can let you go out in the world knowing that we taught you good. See you around, kid.
