A taco is a traditional Mexican food made by folding a flat, round piece of bread called a tortilla around various fillings. The tortilla can be soft (made from wheat or corn flour) or crispy (a corn tortilla that's been fried until it's crunchy). Inside, you might find seasoned meat, beans, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, and many other ingredients.

Tacos became popular in Mexico hundreds of years ago as a simple, portable meal that working people could eat with their hands. Mexican silver miners in the 1700s may have been among the first to use the word taco for this food, though people had been wrapping tortillas around fillings for much longer.

Today, tacos come in countless varieties. In Mexico, street vendors serve tacos with grilled meat, fresh cilantro, and lime. In the United States, tacos evolved into new forms, like the hard-shell taco filled with ground beef and shredded cheese. Some tacos use fish, others use vegetables, and creative cooks keep inventing new combinations.

The word taco can also describe the meal itself: “We're having tacos for dinner.” On “Taco Tuesday,” families and restaurants celebrate by making tacos together, turning a simple food into a shared tradition.