1. The word "taco" originally referred to silver mining explosives! In 19th-century Mexican silver mines, miners used the word taco to describe small pieces of paper wrapped tightly around gunpowder, which they inserted into rock holes to blast open stone. Later, people noticed folded corn tortillas stuffed with spicy fillings looked just like those little paper explosive packets!

2. Tortillas are made using ancient chemistry. Authentic corn tortillas aren't made by just grinding dry corn. The corn kernels are first soaked in an alkaline mixture of warm water and limewater (calcium hydroxide) in a process called nixtamalization. This ancient Mesoamerican trick softens the kernels, unlocks vital nutrients like Vitamin B3, and makes the dough sticky enough to roll flat!

3. Soft corn tortillas came thousands of years before hard-shell tacos. Indigenous peoples in Mexico, such as the Aztecs and Mayas, ate soft corn tortillas filled with fish, beans, and vegetables for thousands of years. The crispy, pre-shaped U-shaped hard shell taco was invented in the United States in the mid-1900s so restaurants could fry and store shells quickly!

4. "Taco Tuesday" was actually trademarked for decades. While people everywhere love eating tacos on Tuesdays, a fast-food chain named Taco John's held a legal trademark on the phrase "Taco Tuesday" across most of the United States starting in 1989. In 2023, they officially freed the phrase so any restaurant could use it!

5. Americans eat over 4.5 billion tacos every year. That is enough tacos to stretch to the Moon and back! National Taco Day is celebrated every year in October, where millions of people feast on their favorite taco combinations.

6. Tacos al Pastor were inspired by Middle Eastern shawarma. One of Mexico's most famous taco styles, tacos al pastor (marinated pork cooked on a giant vertical spinning spit), was created in the 1930s when Lebanese immigrants moved to Mexico and combined traditional Middle Eastern cooking styles with local Mexican spices and tortillas!

7. Double-wrapping soft tacos stops them from breaking. Ever notice why authentic Mexican street tacos are always served with two soft corn tortillas instead of one? Corn tortillas can easily tear when loaded with juicy meats and salsas, so the second tortilla acts as a safety cushion—or gives you enough leftover toppings to turn into a bonus taco!