French tacos facts for kids
French tacos from O'Tacos (France).
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| Type | Finger food, Fast food, Street food |
|---|---|
| Course | Main course |
| Place of origin | France |
| Region or state | Rhône-Alpes |
| Serving temperature | Warm |
| Main ingredients | Tortilla, meat, fries, sauce |
A French tacos (French: tacos français or simply tacos) is a popular fast food dish from France. It's often called Lyon tacos or matelas (which means "mattress" in French). This dish is made with a flour tortilla wrapped around tasty fillings. These usually include French fries, cheese, and meat. It's more like a burrito than a traditional taco. The French tacos started in the Rhône-Alpes region of France in the early 2000s. It quickly became a favorite among young people across France and in other countries.
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What is a French Tacos?
Even though it's called a "tacos," this French dish is quite different from a Mexican taco. It's actually more like a burrito. Some people also compare it to a panini or a doner kebab.
A French tacos is made with a flour tortilla. This tortilla is folded into a rectangular shape around its fillings.
Common Ingredients
The fillings for a French tacos usually include:
- Different kinds of meat, like chicken, turkey, or beef. This can be minced meat, escalopes, chicken nuggets, or döner kebab.
- Lots of French fries.
- Cheese, which can be French cheese, cheddar, or a creamy cheese sauce.
- A special sauce, like ketchup, mayonnaise, or BBQ sauce. You can often find these sauces in kebab shops.
- Sometimes, vegetables like salad mix are added.
After being filled, the French tacos is warmed up. This is usually done by grilling it on a panini grill or toasting it.
Customizing Your Tacos
Many French tacos restaurants let you choose your own ingredients. This means you can create a custom tacos just the way you like it! There are also options for people who don't eat meat.
Most French tacos made in France are halal-certified. This means they don't contain pork. This is important for Muslim customers.
One description of the French tacos called it "a rather successful marriage between panini, kebab, and burrito."
History of French Tacos
The exact beginning of the French tacos is a bit unclear. Some stories say it was invented in the mid-2000s. Two brothers from Morocco, Abdelhadi and Mohammed Moubarek, supposedly created it. They ran a kebab shop in Savoy, France.
However, other sources say Mohamed Soualhi invented the sandwich. He founded the Tacos Avenue chain (which used to be Tacos King). He is credited with creating it in Lyon in the late 2000s. But Soualhi himself, and others, have said that French tacos were first seen in fast food places in Vaulx-en-Velin. This city is near Lyon, and the tacos appeared there in the early 2000s.
Spreading Popularity
By the late 2000s, French tacos were very popular with teenagers and young adults in the Rhône-Alpes region. A few years later, their popularity grew across the rest of France. Special restaurant chains helped this spread. They used big ad campaigns, especially on social media, and got famous people to support them.
In 2013, the Moubarek brothers opened the first restaurant just for French tacos in Morocco. It was called "Tacos de Lyon." The sandwich then became popular among young people in big cities in Morocco. Similar restaurants also opened in other countries, like Senegal.
Some people from Mexico living in France felt that the French tacos was not appropriate. They saw it as cultural appropriation.
Why the Name "French Tacos"?
The reason for the name "French tacos" is also a bit of a mystery. Daniel Shkolnik from Vice magazine suggested it was a marketing trick. He said it drew people in by sounding like a Mexican dish, but then sold them something completely different.
As the dish became more popular, it was called tacos français (French tacos). This helped people tell it apart from the original taco. Because of this, the traditional taco is sometimes called "Mexican taco" (French: taco mexicain) in France. This helps to show the difference between the two dishes.
Taco Day
The French Taco Day is celebrated on July 31.
See also
In Spanish: Tacos franceses para niños
