I am from the UK, so I don't know what a Taco is. But, it seems very
similar to a Greek Donner Kebab.

Are they basically the same?

"Lee" > wrote in message
...
>I am from the UK, so I don't know what a Taco is. But, it seems very
> similar to a Greek Donner Kebab.
>
> Are they basically the same?

Nope.

Go he

http://images.google.com/images?q=ta...=Search+Images

Dimitri

Lee wrote:
> I am from the UK, so I don't know what a Taco is. But, it seems very
> similar to a Greek Donner Kebab.
>
> Are they basically the same?
>
>


I don't know what a Greek Donner Kebab is, but I have to admit that it
floors me that someone wouldn't know what a taco is.

Of course the local schools here are 40% hispanic and the "roach coach"
shows up outside the production building everyday at lunch time.

Hell, if you know the right people in the production building you can
get FAT home-made breakfast burritos on fresh homemade that morning
tortillas for $1 a piece at first break, and every other Friday there
are home made tamales to be had for $6/doz.

Ryan

On 2005-10-05, Lee > wrote:
> I am from the UK, so I don't know what a Taco is. But, it seems very
> similar to a Greek Donner Kebab.

Not likely. Most tacos are made with meats other than human flesh.

nb

Tacos are deep fried corn tortillas that you warm and then fill with
lettuce, spiced mince, cheese and salsa.

Tesco's sell El Paso kits which aren't bad, probably not that authentic
though

Steve
(An Ex-pat Brit that was introduced to Tacos here in France)




Lee wrote:
> I am from the UK, so I don't know what a Taco is. But, it seems very
> similar to a Greek Donner Kebab.
>
> Are they basically the same?
>
>

Look the same to me. Go he

Greek Doner Kebab
http://tinypic.com/e9uk9x.jpg

American Taco
http://tinypic.com/e9uk21.jpg


"Dimitri" > wrote in message
.. .
>
> Nope.
>
> Go he
>
> http://images.google.com/images?q=ta...=Search+Images
>
> Dimitri
>
>

Lee wrote:

> I am from the UK, so I don't know what a Taco is. But, it seems very
> similar to a Greek Donner Kebab.
>
> Are they basically the same?

Yes and no. They are both meat concoctions served in a folded flour based
wrapper with cheese, meat, tomato and onion. A donner is made with a
pita bread, stiffed with a meat concoction made of lamb and/or beef with
various spices, onion, tomato, a yoghurt sauce and feta cheese. A taco
is made with a hard corn based tortilla. The meat is usually ground meat
with spices similar to those in a donner. The cheese is usually something
like Monterey Jack and the sauce is a spicy tomato and chilli salsa type.

notbob wrote:

> On 2005-10-05, Lee > wrote:
>
>>I am from the UK, so I don't know what a Taco is. But, it seems very
>>similar to a Greek Donner Kebab.
>
>
> Not likely. Most tacos are made with meats other than human flesh.
>
> nb
There's a pic of it and no human flesh mentioned
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C3%B6ner_Kebab

Steve Y wrote:

> Tacos are deep fried corn tortillas that you warm and then fill with
> lettuce, spiced mince, cheese and salsa.
>
> Tesco's sell El Paso kits which aren't bad, probably not that authentic
> though
>
> Steve
> (An Ex-pat Brit that was introduced to Tacos here in France)

Steve they also serve them in uncooked or soft tortilla shells.

Lee wrote:

> Look the same to me. Go he
>
> Greek Doner Kebab
> http://tinypic.com/e9uk9x.jpg
>
> American Taco
> http://tinypic.com/e9uk21.jpg

Not really, the kebab has slices of tomatoes, the meat is sliced not
ground, and I don't see any cheese. The kebab is served in pocket bread
not a hard shell like tacos. Check this website and you will see other
differences http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C3%B6ner_Kebab The kebab
does look good though.

"Ryan Case" > wrote in message
...
> Lee wrote:
>> I am from the UK, so I don't know what a Taco is. But, it seems very
>> similar to a Greek Donner Kebab.
>>
>> Are they basically the same?
>>
>>
>
>
> I don't know what a Greek Donner Kebab is, but I have to admit that it
> floors me that someone wouldn't know what a taco is.

I don't know what it is either

Ophelia
Scotland

One time on Usenet, "Lee" > said:
> "Dimitri" > wrote in message
> .. .
> >
> > Nope.
> >
> > Go he
> >
> > http://images.google.com/images?q=ta...=Search+Images

> Look the same to me. Go he
>
> Greek Doner Kebab
> http://tinypic.com/e9uk9x.jpg
>
> American Taco
> http://tinypic.com/e9uk21.jpg

Your photos may look similar, but that's all. Here's a more
accurate image, IMO:

www.kebab.lt/images/donner_k.jpg

It's true that both contain meat and veggies, but tacos are made
from a ground corn tortilla, deep fried, not a bread wrap or pita.
Traditional tacos are stuffed with ground or chipped beef (sometimes
chicken) which has been heavily seasoned with cumin, chili powder,
garlic, etc. In Greek Doner Kebabs (aka "gyros") the meat used is
strips of either lamb, beef, pork or chicken, which has been cooked
in a rotisserie. Tacos are filled with lettuce, tomato, and cheddar
cheese, while gyros can contain many different toppings like onion,
tomato, cucumber, or dried hot pepper. In Thessaloniki, a gyro "with
everything" includes tomato, onion, ketchup, mustard, and french fries
in addition to the meat. Nope, nothing like a taco...


--
Jani in WA (S'mee)
~ mom, Trollup, novice cook ~

One time on Usenet, ~patches~ > said:
> Steve Y wrote:
>
> > Tacos are deep fried corn tortillas that you warm and then fill with
> > lettuce, spiced mince, cheese and salsa.
> >
> > Tesco's sell El Paso kits which aren't bad, probably not that authentic
> > though
> >
> > Steve
> > (An Ex-pat Brit that was introduced to Tacos here in France)
>
> Steve they also serve them in uncooked or soft tortilla shells.

Aren't soft tacos are usually made with flour tortillas...?


--
Jani in WA (S'mee)
~ mom, Trollup, novice cook ~

Dave Smith wrote:
> Lee wrote:
>
>
>>I am from the UK, so I don't know what a Taco is. But, it seems very
>>similar to a Greek Donner Kebab.
>>
>>Are they basically the same?
>
>
> Yes and no. They are both meat concoctions served in a folded flour based
> wrapper with cheese, meat, tomato and onion. A donner is made with a
> pita bread, stiffed with a meat concoction made of lamb and/or beef with
> various spices, onion, tomato, a yoghurt sauce and feta cheese. A taco
> is made with a hard corn based tortilla. The meat is usually ground meat
> with spices similar to those in a donner. The cheese is usually something
> like Monterey Jack and the sauce is a spicy tomato and chilli salsa type.
>
>
>
An in parts, fish or organ meat may also be used a taco fillings.

"Lee" > wrote in message
...
> Look the same to me. Go he

No need - If by the same you mean both are folded and filled with something -
you're correct. That is where the similarity ends.

Dimitri

In article >,
~patches~ > wrote:


> Not really, the kebab has slices of tomatoes, the meat is sliced not
> ground, and I don't see any cheese. The kebab is served in pocket bread
> not a hard shell like tacos. Check this website and you will see other
> differences http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C3%B6ner_Kebab The kebab
> does look good though.


I would guess that about half of my neighborhood is Hispanic. There are
a lot of Mexican restaurants in town. Although places far from Mexico
sell tacos with hard shells, ground meat, tomatoes, lettuce and cheese;
I understand that hard shells and ground meat are rare for tacos in
Mexico. When we go to local Mexican restaurants, those tacos are called
"American style". Mexicano style tacos have two soft corn tortillas,
meat, chopped onions, cilantro and salsa. There are often two kinds of
beef (carne asada and machaca), two kinds of pork (al pastor and
carnitas), two kinds of chicken (shredded and grilled), along with
brains and tongue. Many of the Hispanic customers at local Mexican
restaurants don't order tacos at all. They order a plate of meat, which
comes with various sides, including a choice of wheat or corn soft
tortillas. They make their own "tacos" at the table, either folding or
rolling them, and adding whatever they want.

Being gringos, when we make tacos at home we use hamburger and hard
shells.

"Dan Abel" > wrote

> restaurants don't order tacos at all. They order a plate of meat, which
> comes with various sides, including a choice of wheat or corn soft
> tortillas. They make their own "tacos" at the table, either folding or
> rolling them, and adding whatever they want.

That's what I call fajitas, I order them whenever I see them.
Beef or chicken (or shrimp, usually), or a combination; marinated
strips of meat, grilled and served with sauteed green pepper and
onions, top with sour cream, guacamole (with any luck), salsa and
cheese. Assemble them with the warm flour tortillas. My fave.

nancy

Ryan Case wrote:

> Lee wrote:
> > I am from the UK, so I don't know what a Taco is. But, it seems very
> > similar to a Greek Donner Kebab.
> >
> > Are they basically the same?


I think the OP is a troll - or a shut - in.. Tex - Mex food is *widely*
available now in the UK, both in restos and and in supermarkets.

Doner kebabs have been a fast food staple in Germany for at least 40 years
now (ranking with the curry wurst in popularity).

In any case both items are widely known.


--
Best
Greg

~patches~ wrote:
> Lee wrote:
>
> > Look the same to me. Go he
> >
> > Greek Doner Kebab
> > http://tinypic.com/e9uk9x.jpg
> >
> > American Taco
> > http://tinypic.com/e9uk21.jpg
>
> Not really, the kebab has slices of tomatoes, the meat is sliced not
> ground, and I don't see any cheese. The kebab is served in pocket bread
> not a hard shell like tacos. Check this website and you will see other
> differences http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C3%B6ner_Kebab The kebab
> does look good though.

At Mexican (not Tex-Mex) restaurants here in Chiacgo, the only meat I
commonly see ground/minced in tacos is beef. Pork is usually sliced
from a vertical rotisserie [one brand name is Autodonair :-)]. Chicken
is usually shredded. Tongue is usually chopped into small pieces (still
larger than a coarse grind). So are brains (but they are no longer
available. Picture the girl taking my ordcer telling me "we dont have
any brains.") Cheese is not commonly put on tacos. Neither is lettuce.
Chopped white onions and cilantro are. Soft corn tortillas are used for
the wrapper.

-bwg

Dan Abel wrote:
> In article >,
> ~patches~ > wrote:
>
>
> > Not really, the kebab has slices of tomatoes, the meat is sliced not
> > ground, and I don't see any cheese. The kebab is served in pocket bread
> > not a hard shell like tacos. Check this website and you will see other
> > differences http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C3%B6ner_Kebab The kebab
> > does look good though.
>
>
> I would guess that about half of my neighborhood is Hispanic. There are
> a lot of Mexican restaurants in town. Although places far from Mexico
> sell tacos with hard shells, ground meat, tomatoes, lettuce and cheese;
> I understand that hard shells and ground meat are rare for tacos in
> Mexico. When we go to local Mexican restaurants, those tacos are called
> "American style". Mexicano style tacos have two soft corn tortillas,
> meat, chopped onions, cilantro and salsa. There are often two kinds of
> beef (carne asada and machaca), two kinds of pork (al pastor and
> carnitas), two kinds of chicken (shredded and grilled), along with
> brains and tongue. Many of the Hispanic customers at local Mexican
> restaurants don't order tacos at all. They order a plate of meat, which
> comes with various sides, including a choice of wheat or corn soft
> tortillas. They make their own "tacos" at the table, either folding or
> rolling them, and adding whatever they want.
>
> Being gringos, when we make tacos at home we use hamburger and hard
> shells.

Pretty much what he said, but in chicago beef is typically ground
(picadillo) or chopped and grilled (carne asada). Carnitas are rare. Al
pastor is the one cooked on the autodonair. Chichen is typically
shredded. Can you still get brains there, Dan? I thought they stopped
allowing them nationwide for fear of vCJD.

-bwg

> wrote in message
oups.com...

<snip>

> At Mexican (not Tex-Mex) restaurants here in Chiacgo, the only meat I
> commonly see ground/minced in tacos is beef. Pork is usually sliced
> from a vertical rotisserie [one brand name is Autodonair :-)]. Chicken
> is usually shredded. Tongue is usually chopped into small pieces (still
> larger than a coarse grind). So are brains (but they are no longer
> available. Picture the girl taking my ordcer telling me "we dont have
> any brains.") Cheese is not commonly put on tacos. Neither is lettuce.
> Chopped white onions and cilantro are. Soft corn tortillas are used for
> the wrapper.
>
> -bwg


Like the United States Mexico is a fairly large country. And like most there are
a variety of cuisines and climates. The Tacos in the industrial north like
Monterrey will differ greatly from the Yucatan. Fajitas for example is not
Mexican it's Tex Mex as are Nachos (created in a boarder town for Gringos). Oh
yes and in some parts of the country a "dusting"
of queso seco (dry cheese) is used as a flavoring.


The following site will give some easy examples;

http://mexico.udg.mx/cocina/ingles/menu/frame.html

enjoy,

Dimitri

Lee > wrote:

> I am from the UK, so I don't know what a Taco is. But, it seems very
> similar to a Greek Donner Kebab.
>
> Are they basically the same?

They have preciously little to do with each other. A taco is a tortilla
(Mexican thin flat bread) which is wrapped around some filling, usually
prepared in some Mexican or Tex/Cal-Mexican way. A döner kebab (which
is Turkish; the Greek version is called gyros) is a partly cut, partly
minced meat, often marinated in onion juice, which is tightly formed and
placed on a vertical, rotating spit, from which it is "shaved off" in
the process of cooking and served in various ways, not just in a
pide/pita bread which you seem to have in mind.

Oh, and even if you consume them in a similar way, i.e. by using the
bread as a wrap, the taste is always completely different, of both the
bread and the filling, too.

Victor

In article >,
"Nancy Young" > wrote:

> "Dan Abel" > wrote
>
> > restaurants don't order tacos at all. They order a plate of meat, which
> > comes with various sides, including a choice of wheat or corn soft
> > tortillas. They make their own "tacos" at the table, either folding or
> > rolling them, and adding whatever they want.
>
> That's what I call fajitas, I order them whenever I see them.

Fajitas are something different. I'm not sure that they are even
Mexican food, although many Mexican restaurants here serve them.

"Dan Abel" > wrote in message
...
> In article >,
> "Nancy Young" > wrote:
>
>> "Dan Abel" > wrote
>>
>> > restaurants don't order tacos at all. They order a plate of meat,
>> > which
>> > comes with various sides, including a choice of wheat or corn soft
>> > tortillas. They make their own "tacos" at the table, either folding or
>> > rolling them, and adding whatever they want.
>>
>> That's what I call fajitas, I order them whenever I see them.
>
> Fajitas are something different. I'm not sure that they are even
> Mexican food, although many Mexican restaurants here serve them.

Oh, no, I'm sure they are TexMex ... I just meant that they are quite
similar to your description of "tacos" ... identical, maybe. All of that
stuff also comes with sides of rice and (gulp) refried beans. But you
do make it yourself and fold or roll up the tortillas.

nancy

"Dan Abel" > wrote in message
...
> In article >,
> "Nancy Young" > wrote:
>
>> "Dan Abel" > wrote
>>
>> > restaurants don't order tacos at all. They order a plate of meat, which
>> > comes with various sides, including a choice of wheat or corn soft
>> > tortillas. They make their own "tacos" at the table, either folding or
>> > rolling them, and adding whatever they want.
>>
>> That's what I call fajitas, I order them whenever I see them.
>
> Fajitas are something different. I'm not sure that they are even
> Mexican food, although many Mexican restaurants here serve them.

http://whatscookingamerica.net/Histo...itaHistory.htm

Texans would probably like to lay claim to the fajita, but history gives credit
to Mexican ranch workers living in West Texas (along the Rio Grande on the
Texas-Mexico border) in the late 1930s or early 1940s. When a steer was
butchered, the workers were given the least desirable parts to eat for partial
payment of their wages. Because of this, the workers learned to make good use of
a tough cut of beef known as skirt steak. In Spanish, fajita is a form of the
word faja which translates to "belt" or "girdle" in English.

The fajita is truly a Tex-Mex food (a blending of Texas cowboy and Mexican
panchero foods). The Mexican term for grilled skirt steak is arracheras, and its
American counterpart is fajitas. Today, the term fajita has completely lost its
original meaning and has come to describe just about anything that is cooked and
served rolled up in a soft flour tortilla. The only true fajitas, however, are
made from skirt steak.

Or
http://www.austinchronicle.com/issue..._feature3.html

:-)

Dimitri

Ophelia wrote:
> "Ryan Case" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Lee wrote:
> >> I am from the UK, so I don't know what a Taco is. But, it seems very
> >> similar to a Greek Donner Kebab.
> >>
> >> Are they basically the same?
> >>
> >>
> >
> >
> > I don't know what a Greek Donner Kebab is, but I have to admit that it
> > floors me that someone wouldn't know what a taco is.
>
> I don't know what it is either
>
> Ophelia
> Scotland

Bit like a shwarma but made with "moulded' ground meat, usually beef I
believe. I have not seen one for quite a while but as I recall, the
meat is moulded into a large mass and cooked on an upright spit. You
may know of a donar as a gyros Here is a photo of them being
cooked.http://www.rain.org/~seeword/donner.jpg

John Kane
Kingston ON

On Wed, 05 Oct 2005 14:50:11 -0400, ~patches~
> wrote:

>notbob wrote:
>
>> On 2005-10-05, Lee > wrote:
>>
>>>I am from the UK, so I don't know what a Taco is. But, it seems very
>>>similar to a Greek Donner Kebab.
>>
>>
>> Not likely. Most tacos are made with meats other than human flesh.
>>
>> nb
>There's a pic of it and no human flesh mentioned
>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C3%B6ner_Kebab

It's a joke. The Donner party was a group of people who were stranded
in the mountains back in the 19th Century in California. Starving and
in desperation, they were driven to cannibalism to survive.
http://www.vw.vccs.edu/vwhansd/HIS121/Donner.html


modom

On Wed, 5 Oct 2005 19:11:47 +0100, "Lee" > wrote:

>I am from the UK, so I don't know what a Taco is. But, it seems very
>similar to a Greek Donner Kebab.
>
>Are they basically the same?
>
No. Tacos are Mexican. The fillings involve varieties of stewed
meats with chiles (mild and hot), garlic, cumin, and spices.

A typical gringo Texas taco comes in a crispy corn tortilla shell, but
Mexican tacos -- at least the ones I've had -- have a seasoned meat
filling in two small soft corn tortillas and assorted condiments on
top.

Tip for Dallasites out there; I got tacos at Tacos y Mas on lowest
Greenville during the summer. I got carnitas, as I recall. The guy
behind the order window asked: You want everything on them?" "Yes, I
do." It was a very good choice. Messy, with the juice running down
my elbo and all, but fantastic.


modom

On Wed, 5 Oct 2005 18:07:57 -0400, "Nancy Young" >
wrote:

>
>"Dan Abel" > wrote in message
...
>> In article >,
>> "Nancy Young" > wrote:
>>
>>> "Dan Abel" > wrote
>>>
>>> > restaurants don't order tacos at all. They order a plate of meat,
>>> > which
>>> > comes with various sides, including a choice of wheat or corn soft
>>> > tortillas. They make their own "tacos" at the table, either folding or
>>> > rolling them, and adding whatever they want.
>>>
>>> That's what I call fajitas, I order them whenever I see them.
>>
>> Fajitas are something different. I'm not sure that they are even
>> Mexican food, although many Mexican restaurants here serve them.
>
>Oh, no, I'm sure they are TexMex ... I just meant that they are quite
>similar to your description of "tacos" ... identical, maybe. All of that
>stuff also comes with sides of rice and (gulp) refried beans. But you
>do make it yourself and fold or roll up the tortillas.
>
>nancy
>
True, but I'm told that the Tex-Mext name fajitas is a metaphorical
use of the Spanish word for sash or belt because of the shape of the
very flavorful skirt steak, a cut that is essential to true fajitas.
Then again, meanings meander; I can get chicken and shrimp fajitas in
several Cow Hill establishments.

Mexican tacos are really another playing field in my opinion. The
preparation of the various fillings (carnitas, asada, etc.) makes a
world of difference.

modom

On Wed, 05 Oct 2005 22:28:41 GMT, "Dimitri" >
wrote:

>
>"Dan Abel" > wrote in message
...
>> In article >,
>> "Nancy Young" > wrote:
>>
>>> "Dan Abel" > wrote
>>>
>>> > restaurants don't order tacos at all. They order a plate of meat, which
>>> > comes with various sides, including a choice of wheat or corn soft
>>> > tortillas. They make their own "tacos" at the table, either folding or
>>> > rolling them, and adding whatever they want.
>>>
>>> That's what I call fajitas, I order them whenever I see them.
>>
>> Fajitas are something different. I'm not sure that they are even
>> Mexican food, although many Mexican restaurants here serve them.
>
>http://whatscookingamerica.net/Histo...itaHistory.htm
>
>Texans would probably like to lay claim to the fajita, but history gives credit
>to Mexican ranch workers living in West Texas (along the Rio Grande on the
>Texas-Mexico border) in the late 1930s or early 1940s. When a steer was
>butchered, the workers were given the least desirable parts to eat for partial
>payment of their wages. Because of this, the workers learned to make good use of
>a tough cut of beef known as skirt steak. In Spanish, fajita is a form of the
>word faja which translates to "belt" or "girdle" in English.
>
>The fajita is truly a Tex-Mex food (a blending of Texas cowboy and Mexican
>panchero foods). The Mexican term for grilled skirt steak is arracheras, and its
>American counterpart is fajitas. Today, the term fajita has completely lost its
>original meaning and has come to describe just about anything that is cooked and
>served rolled up in a soft flour tortilla. The only true fajitas, however, are
>made from skirt steak.
>
>Or
>http://www.austinchronicle.com/issue..._feature3.html
>
>:-)
>
>Dimitri
>
Thanks for the summary. You did a much better job than I did in
another post. Cross-border borrowings make for great hybridizations,
much of the time. I've read that nachos were invented in a Mexican
border town to satisfy the munchies of a bunch of Texas tourists.


modom

"modom" > wrote

> On Wed, 05 Oct 2005 22:28:41 GMT, "Dimitri" >

>>http://www.austinchronicle.com/issue..._feature3.html
>>
>>:-)
>>
>>Dimitri
>>
> Thanks for the summary. You did a much better job than I did in
> another post. Cross-border borrowings make for great hybridizations,
> much of the time. I've read that nachos were invented in a Mexican
> border town to satisfy the munchies of a bunch of Texas tourists.

Very interesting reading, thanks. I'm pretty sure the fajitas I order are
either skirt or flank steak. Wouldn't put money on it, but they taste like
that. As far as authentic Mexican food, the closest I ever came to it was
a few days in San Diego, and that was close only in proximity. I did eat
at one Mexican restaurant, but I don't remember it as being different from
the 'Mexican' places we have up here in Jersey. The place was in Old Town,
I don't know if that's known for real mexican food.

Thanks for the interesting reading.

nancy

> wrote in message
ps.com...
>
> Ophelia wrote:
>> "Ryan Case" > wrote in message
>> ...
>> > Lee wrote:
>> >> I am from the UK, so I don't know what a Taco is. But, it seems very
>> >> similar to a Greek Donner Kebab.
>> >>
>> >> Are they basically the same?
>> >>
>> >>
>> >
>> >
>> > I don't know what a Greek Donner Kebab is, but I have to admit that it
>> > floors me that someone wouldn't know what a taco is.
>>
>> I don't know what it is either
>>
>> Ophelia
>> Scotland
>
> Bit like a shwarma but made with "moulded' ground meat, usually beef I
> believe. I have not seen one for quite a while but as I recall, the
> meat is moulded into a large mass and cooked on an upright spit. You
> may know of a donar as a gyros Here is a photo of them being
> cooked.http://www.rain.org/~seeword/donner.jpg

Thank you I have seen the donar kebab cooking but I have never tried it. I
never fancied it somehow I have never had a taco either. I have seen
packets of that name in supermarkets but have never had one. I prefer real
fresh food cooked from scratch in my kitchen

On Wed, 05 Oct 2005 19:22:43 GMT,
(S'mee) wrote:

>
>Aren't soft tacos are usually made with flour tortillas...?

Yup. Corn tortillas would fall apart.

Hey!!! You're another Zipcon customer. I hadn't noticed that before.

--
-denny-

"I don't like it when a whole state starts
acting like a marital aid."
"John R. Campbell" in a Usenet post.

Ryan Case wrote:
> Lee wrote:
>
>> I am from the UK, so I don't know what a Taco is. But, it seems very
>> similar to a Greek Donner Kebab.
>>
>> Are they basically the same?
>
> I don't know what a Greek Donner Kebab is, but I have to admit that it
> floors me that someone wouldn't know what a taco is.

I'm bemused also. Probably 90% of UK supermarkets sell tacos...

--
Paul

"modom" > wrote in message
news
> On Wed, 05 Oct 2005 22:28:41 GMT, "Dimitri" >

<snip>


> Thanks for the summary. You did a much better job than I did in
> another post. Cross-border borrowings make for great hybridizations,
> much of the time. I've read that nachos were invented in a Mexican
> border town to satisfy the munchies of a bunch of Texas tourists.
>
>
> modom

Yep - see below.

Dimitri


THE HISTORY OF THE NACHO

BY KAREN HARAM
SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS


A fried tostado. Yellow cheese. A slice of jalapeno.

So simple. So delicious. So monumental.

Back in 1943, Ignacio "Nacho" assembled the first he had no idea that 60 years
later, this appetizer would have made his nickname a household word.

At that time, the senior Anaya was working at a restaurant owned by Rudolfo De
Los Santos, the Victory Club in Piedras Negras, Mexico, just across the border
from Eagle Pass, says his son Ignacio Anaya Jr. of Eagle Pass.

As Anaya Jr. recalls the story, Mamie Finan and a group of 10 to 12 officers'
wives, whose husbands were stationed at Fort Duncan Air Base, traveled across
the border to eat at the Victory Club. When the senior Anaya couldn't find. the
cook, he went into action.

"My father was maitre d' and he said 'Let me go quick and fix something for
you.' He went into the kitchen, picked up tostados,' grated some cheese on
them - Wisconsin cheese, the round one - and put them under the Salamander (a
broiling unit that quickly browns the top of foods). He pulled them out after a
couple minutes, all melted, and put on a slice of jalapeno." -

The name of the snack, Anaya Jr. says, came from Finan, who called the plate of
cheese- and chile-topped chips Nacho's Especiales. The name was later shortened
to simply "nachos."

Anaya Sr. went on to work at the Moderno, which is still in business today, as
well as his own Nacho's Restaurant in Piedras Negras.

In 1960, Anaya Jr. looked into helping his father, who died in 1975, claim
ownership of the nacho. "I talked to a lawyer in San Antonio. He said there's
not much you can do after 17 years. It's in the public domain," Anaya Jr. says.
As a tribute to his father, Anaya Jr. serves as a judge for an annual nacho
competition held in Piedras Niegras me second weekend each October. There,
nachos are topped with everything from huitlacoche to caviar. But his favorite
remains the original nachos like his father made, though he gives high marks to
beef and chicken nachos topped with guacamole.

"That's a whole meal," he says.

Anaya Sr.'s granddaughter, Cristina de Los Santos of San Antonio, says her
grandfather died when she was in elementary school. But she remembers the leg-
end of Nacho, and his nachos, as family lore.

"When I was little, my family would always tell me the story," she says. Better
yet, when she would go to her grandfather's restaurant in Piedras Negras, he
would make nachos for her.
"I didn't like cheese. He always made me bean nachos," she says.

De Los Santos says her father, Anaya Jr., like her grandfather, "makes nachos
real good. He makes them the original way."

Though she doesn't have a recipe, she describes the process as follows:
Tortilla chips, cut in triangles, are fried in what she calls shortening, not
oil. The fried chips are salted, then topped with yellow cheese. The chips are
run under the broiler, then topped with a slice of jalapeno.

Although she's a fan of many types of nachos and occasionally orders them when
dining out, the ones she gets today taste far different from those her
grandfather made.

"The chips are different," she says. "They're not homemade chips like he used
to do. Or maybe it's the hands of the chef."

"Nancy Young" > wrote in message
...

<snip>

> Very interesting reading, thanks. I'm pretty sure the fajitas I order are
> either skirt or flank steak. Wouldn't put money on it, but they taste like
> that. As far as authentic Mexican food, the closest I ever came to it was
> a few days in San Diego, and that was close only in proximity. I did eat
> at one Mexican restaurant, but I don't remember it as being different from
> the 'Mexican' places we have up here in Jersey. The place was in Old Town,
> I don't know if that's known for real mexican food.
>
> Thanks for the interesting reading.
>
> nancy

The tamale factory perhaps?

Dimitri

One time on Usenet, EMOVETHIS said:
> On Wed, 05 Oct 2005 19:22:43 GMT,
> (S'mee) wrote:
>
> >
> >Aren't soft tacos are usually made with flour tortillas...?
>
> Yup. Corn tortillas would fall apart.
>
> Hey!!! You're another Zipcon customer. I hadn't noticed that before.

Heh, I didn't either. I tend to read enough of the e-mail addy to
figure out who's posting and don't bother with domains (anymore).
Howdy, neighbor... :-)


--
Jani in WA (S'mee)
~ mom, Trollup, novice cook ~

Paul wrote:

> Ryan Case wrote:
> > Lee wrote:
> >
> >> I am from the UK, so I don't know what a Taco is. But, it seems very
> >> similar to a Greek Donner Kebab.
> >>
> >> Are they basically the same?
> >
> > I don't know what a Greek Donner Kebab is, but I have to admit that it
> > floors me that someone wouldn't know what a taco is.
>
> I'm bemused also. Probably 90% of UK supermarkets sell tacos...
>


Indeed:

http://enjoyment.independent.co.uk/f...icle224302.ece

Ay caramba! Mexican food on target to outsell Chinese

By Louise Barnett

Published: 04 June 2005

"Forget the chow mein and pass the enchiladas. Familiar Chinese food is
falling out of favour with Britons who are attracted by spicy Mexican fare.

Purchases of Latino items such as tortillas, refried beans, fajitas and
quesadillas were up 10 per cent in the past year, the market analysts TNS
said.

Sales of Chinese food such as sweet-and-sour sauce, spring rolls and prawn
crackers fell by 1 per cent in the same period.

If the trend continues, Mexican food will overtake Chinese in the popularity
stakes by 2007, TNS said.

Sales of Indian foods, such as naan bread, vindaloos and dahls, fell by 1
per cent to 44 per cent of the total market for the three ethnic types.

Mexican currently makes up 25 per cent of the market share for the three
groups. The figures were based on the shopping habits of 15,000 households
in Great Britain during the year ending February 2005.

TNS spokeswoman Rachel Argyle said: "If the current trend continues, Mexican
will have overtaken Chinese to become the UK's second favourite ethnic
cuisine in 2007."

James Beaton, founder of the Mexican grocery brand Discovery Foods, said:
"Indian and Chinese have been huge favourites with Brits for many years, so
perhaps it's not surprising that people are now starting to look elsewhere
for a spicy, ethnic fix."

Other items listed as Mexican included: chilli con carne, vegetarian chilli,
Mexican sauces, tortilla chips, salsa and taco shells.

Goods described as "ethnic" were Chinese, Mexican and Indian but did not
include European foods such as Italian. The three food categories did not
include frozen or ready meals. The figures were for grocery sales, not for
take-aways."

</>

Denny Wheeler wrote:

> On Wed, 05 Oct 2005 19:22:43 GMT,
> (S'mee) wrote:
>
>
>>Aren't soft tacos are usually made with flour tortillas...?
>
>
> Yup. Corn tortillas would fall apart.
>
> Hey!!! You're another Zipcon customer. I hadn't noticed that before.
>
Around here (central Illinois) all the Mexican Mexican (i.e. run
by wetbacks) places sell three kinds of tacos: with crisp corn
tortillas, lettuce and cheese, with soft flour tortillas, lettuce
and cheese, and with soft corn tortillas, onion and cilantro. The
meats you can get vary all over the place, the best of the places
has over ten different kinds of meat, one of which is, confusingly
for this thread, a form of pork that is actually cooked on the same
apparatus used for gyro meat (presumably because that is the
readily available apparatus that is most similar to what is used for it
in Mexico).

Doug McDonald

In article >,
Denny Wheeler > wrote:

> On Wed, 05 Oct 2005 19:22:43 GMT,
> (S'mee) wrote:
>
> >
> >Aren't soft tacos are usually made with flour tortillas...?


At Taco Bell they are.


> Yup. Corn tortillas would fall apart.


You just gotta eat em fast! And that's another reason to use two
tortillas. On weekends I get my taco fix at the taco truck down at the
soccer field. US$1.50 for two corn tortillas, meat, onions, cilantro
and salsa. I get two, with a pickled jalapeno on the side (and it's
free).