Food

San Diego didn’t invent the fish taco, it was taken from Baja California, Netflix clarifies

The Netflix documentary shows a variety of taquerias around the United States, and has positioned the city of Tijuana as the best

Contrary to what Americans believe about fish tacos, that they were discovered and popularized by Ralph Rubio when he was a college student during trips with his surfer friends, Netflix clarifies that the original and first fish tacos originated in San Felipe, Baja California and its recipe was made by “Kiko” Escamilla.

Netflix has documented the arrival of one of the most significant gastronomic dishes in Mexico and its popular culture: the taco.

Las Crónicas del Taco tells the experience of several different families who have immigrated looking for a better future and who have survived and enriched American society through their flavor. In the chapter titled "San Diego", they talk about the relation between Baja California and California. That is the flavor of Baja. This incident not only involves gastronomy, but also the constant exchange between both sides of the border. Tacos are a stage. A rendezvous. On the other hand, it is also a pause between the cultural differences of both countries; citizens from different cultures meeting to share the flavor of Mexican food.

Among the establishments that appear in San Diego, there’s restaurant "La Perla", renowned for its California burrito, the second is Kikos Places, a food truck whose menu is specialized in traditional seafood, Baja California style, San Felipe, where one can find dishes from the original breaded fish taco to cocktails. Las Cuatro Milpas is, without a doubt, another highlight in the Netflix series, as their handmade tortillas are very popular and their chicken and pork stews are unique and full of flavor.

Something that Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times writer and journalist, highlights is that San Diego boasts a lot, for example by saying that they invented the fish taco. However, it is well known that they are originally from Ensenada, Baja California. The only gastronomic dish that they can be recognized for is the California burrito, which is made from marinated meat with a little bit of oil, a 14-inch flour tortilla, cheddar cheese, guacamole, pico de gallo, and fries.

At the end of this episode, clients significantly single out Tijuana as one of the best places to eat tacos. Participants as well as gastronomic critics who directed the documentary agreed that there is no greater variety and no greater flavor and no better place to eat tacos than this border city. The busiest border in the world receives hundreds of tourists, immigrants, fellow citizens, and one of its connection points is taquerias. The taco industry in Tijuana causes tourists to arrive only to eat tacos. Varied tacos, as varied as those who make up the city.

If there would be a need to get rid of everything and keep only Mexican gastronomy, we can easily imagine how Mexico would be. There, one of the liveliest presents is concentrated as well as its past. Mexican gastronomy, and any other gastronomy, is a vast conglomerate of knowledge. Gastronomy is knowledge and it is also flavor.

The taco is a product that is in the popular language and, as such, it is part of the fraternal folklore of Mexico. When we see someone who is hungry, we tend to say, without thinking, “just eat a taco”, as an automatic way of trying to get someone back in a good mood.

Without a doubt, one of the main attractions of Mexico, besides its vast geography, its exoticisms, and its unmeasurable passion, is its gastronomy which is part of every tourism space. In addition, one should add that this gastronomy is a rich gastronomy that has nurtured cultures around the world due to its ingredients. To prove this, one should imagine any other gastronomy such as the Italian one, without the tomato, which comes from Mexico, which was already a part of pre-Columbian civilizations’ diet. What would French desserts be without chocolate or vanilla?

One of the main popular dishes in Mexico which has crossed all borders is the taco. The taco is the food product whose base is the tortilla. The ingredients on the tortilla change, and then it is rolled or folded, depending on the type of taco. It has been compared worldwide with fast food products delivered in boxes or those that can be thawed to eat. However, the taco is a fast-food product because it is a food that is eaten in the moment. It should be eaten the moment it is prepared to enjoy its flavor much more. One can also say it has to do with a taquero’s speed at making tacos, a gastronomic show that is part of the experience when visiting a taqueria.


RELATED VIDEO: Grill Prime Steakhouse is the best restaurant in Tijuana

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