Receta Homemade Taco Seasoning
by Christine Lamb

The origins of the taco are really unknown. The

first mention of taco in America, in a newspaper, 1905.

That’s a time when Mexican

migrants are starting to come, working the mines and railroads and other such

jobs. In the America Mexican food was seen as street food, lower, class food.

It was associated with a group of women called the Chili Queens and with tamale

pushcarts in Los Angeles. The Chili Queens of San Antonio, TX, were street

vendors who earned a little extra money by selling food during festivals. When

tourists started arriving in the late 1800s with the railroad, these occasional

sales started to become a nightly event. Tourists came looking for two things

in San Antonio, TX, the Alamo and the Chili Queens. Mexico was considered a

dangerous place. The Chili Queens were a way of sampling that danger, but not

at the risk of being robbed by bandits. The risk was that the food was hot.

These women were also sexualized and seen as “available.” So the idea was that

you would flirt with the Chili Queens.

The children of those migrants who

came in 1910 or 1920 are starting to advance economically. They’re gaining

civil rights; many of them fought in World War II and are claiming citizenship.

Their incomes are going up and they’re eating more diverse things, but they’re

still eating Mexican. A lot of Mexican American tacos are really adaptations of

Mexican food to the ingredients that are available through the U.S. food processing

industry. Hamburger, cheddar cheese, iceberg lettuce, tomato, these are all

foods that Mexican, Americans start to incorporate into their diet.

Great

seasoning mix. As good or better than the package. Takes about 2 minutes to

make.

Homemade

Taco Seasoning

Copyrighted

Ingredients:

Directions:

Combine

all ingredients in a small bowl. Place in air tight container, until ready to

use. Enjoy!

Christine’s

Tip: Use 2 tablespoons taco seasoning for every 1 pound of meat.