SOFT vs. HARD Tacos

What Is Better This Cinco De Mayo?

Lauren Janosy

Throughout the world, Mexican cuisine has spread to many different countries in different forms. One of the most popular dishes is tacos. Tacos are a fan favorite and are even known to have their day, Taco Tuesday, in the United States. But with this being said, there is a controversy about what kind of taco is excellent, soft, or hard.  

In my opinion, soft tacos are better than hard shell tacos. My first reason is that soft tacos taste so much better than hard shell tacos as they are not as firm on your teeth. Also, soft tacos do not fall apart as quickly as hard tacos do. One bite of a hard taco, and you have all the steak and lettuce on your lap. This idea is also represented in the article “An Oral History of Hard-Shell Tacos” by Andrew Fiouzi. Jeffrey Pilcher, a professor of food history at the University of Toronto Scarborough, states, “Eating with the tortilla isn’t a skill that most Americans grow up with, and it takes a little bit of learning” (Fiouzi 8). I completely agree with this statement because eating a hard-shell taco goes everywhere, and there is no clean way of eating it.  

But, while hard shell tacos have their downsides, there is one exception to eating them. The best way to eat a hard-shell taco is when a soft taco surrounds it. Two students from NDCL agree with this as two trendy taco restaurants serve this kind of special taco, Condados, and Barrio. Emma Blankenship answers the question, “Do you like a soft tortilla wrapped around a hard shell” She states, “Yes because it’s like crunchy but also soft; they balance each other out. When it is too crunchy, then it scrapes your throat, but when you have both it’s both soft and crunchy”. She likes the soft tortilla wrapped along the hard shell as she says, “If the hard shell breaks, when it usually does, it doesn’t break when it is wrapped with a soft tortilla.” Alexa Putinski also agrees with Emma Blankenship as she was asked the same question knowing the Taco Bell menu. Putinski states, “I like a soft shell surrounded by a hard shell taco because once I had a crunch wrap supreme, it opened up my whole life. I loved the sauce when it first hits your front teeth; it develops into a nice crunch that no one can escape”. The soft tortilla surrounding the hard shell seems the right way to go, according to NDCL students.

 

The article by Fiouzi never mentioned this unique way of serving a taco with a soft and a hard shell but only says how there seems to be no true origin of the hard taco. Food professors and historians have tried to research the first made hard shell taco and appeared to have no luck. According to Fiouzi, “There’s no archival sources for tacos before 1890”. This is interesting as the history of a taco has only been orally passed on from one generation to the next. Without one set recipe for the hard shell taco, I presume there have been many altercations from the “original” one.  

Finally, one might wonder how healthy tacos are for you and if there is a difference between hard shells and soft tortillas. Research from Health Line states that hard shell tacos contain more calories than soft tortillas. Tacos overall can be healthy if the right foods and ingredients are added to make them fit. But with this being said, Health Line also states, “Especially when tacos contain a combination of meat and cheese, they’re likely to be higher in saturated fat. You can consume this fat as part of a healthy diet, but it may be best in moderation”. One has to be conscious of how much-saturated fat is contained in tacos to remain on a balanced diet.  

Overall, soft tacos are superior to hard shell tacos and seemingly healthier. The only good way to eat a hard-shell taco is when surrounded by a soft shell to balance out the crunch factor. Now, are you hungry for tacos?