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A taco is a traditional Mexican dish comprising a rolled or folded, pliable tortilla (of either maize or wheat flour) filled with meat (generally grilled beef, pork, or variety meats such as tongue or brains), chilli-based salsa, guacamole, and garnishes such as pico de gallo or cilantro. It may also contain just about any other dish that lends itself to it. Basically it must be chopped and fairly dry. There are many subvarieties, and most of them have a certain set of traditional fillings.
Tacos can be either deep fried or soft, they can contain meat (mostly chicken or beef), avocado, moles, beans, brains, potatoes, or just salt among others. Actually any food rolled inside a tortilla qualifies as a taco.
One speciality found at many taco stands across Mexico (and a particular favorite in Mexico City) is the taco al pastor. Here the main ingredient is spiced pork, which is cut, in slivers, from a loaf of meat standing on a vertical spit in front of an open flame; the method is similar to that used to prepare Döner kebabs in the Mediterranean. The cooked meat is then placed on a maize tortilla and garnished with chopped cilantro, onion, and a wedge of pineapple, with a dash of salsa as a finishing touch. Since tacos al pastor tend to be among the cheapest tacos, they are the mainstay of many a visit to the taquería; for the same reason, it is perhaps best not to enquire too closely about the provenance of the meat.
Americanized versions may use a deep-fried crispy tortilla shell, and include ingredients such as lettuce and cheese. The taco made with a crispy taco shell is probably descended not from the taco, but from the tostadaTostada is a Spanish word translating to "toasted" in English and, in Mexican cuisine, refers to a flat tortilla that is toasted or deep fried. A tostada is often served as an appetizer topped —usually— with a thin layer of refried black bean paste, chick, which it resembles more closely.