The Hill I Will Die On: Tacos Are the Most Brilliant Food Ever Invented

The hill I will die on tacos is short, simple, and undefeated: in the wake of Cinco de Mayo, can we all just agree that tacos are like the most brilliant food ever invented? Also, I ate way too many tacos yesterday and I cannot say I am sorry. Not even a little. This is a hill I will die on cheerfully, with hot sauce on my fingers, surrounded by people who love me anyway.

Think about what the taco actually does. You take a warm tortilla. You put whatever you have in it. Ground beef, leftover chicken, last night’s brisket, scrambled eggs in the morning, lettuce, cheese, salsa, sour cream, beans, rice. Tacos do not care. Tacos accept what you bring. You can feed picky kids and adventurous adults from the same skillet because everyone builds their own. You can do takeout, you can do homemade, you can do a $20 grocery run for a family of seven. Tacos are the most democratic dinner on earth.

And as it turns out, the taco has earned every bit of its swagger. According to Smithsonian Magazine, the word “taco” originally referred to little sticks of dynamite used in 18th-century Mexican silver mines — paper wrapped around gunpowder, shoved into the rock. So a taco is, by linguistic right, literally a stick of dynamite. A chicken taco with good hot sauce is just a slightly more delicious version of what the word meant in the first place. I rest my case.

The hill I will die on is this: tacos are the most brilliant food ever invented. They feed a crowd, they use up leftovers, they make everyone happy, and they come with their own etymology of explosives. There is no other food that does all four. Come find me in the comments and tell me your favorite taco order — I want to know what fillings you would defend with the same energy I am bringing right now.

Hill I Will Die On — Tacos FAQ

Isn’t a burrito basically just a bigger taco?

No, and I will not be entertaining that argument today. A burrito is sealed. A taco is open. A taco invites you to look at it, admire it, and then immediately make a mess of yourself. A burrito hides everything inside a flour blanket like it is embarrassed of itself. The hill I will die on tacos absolutely includes this: tacos have nothing to hide.

Hard shell or soft tortilla — which is the right taco?

Both. Next question. I will not be put in the middle of this food fight. Hard shells have crunch. Soft tortillas have flexibility. A taco bar with both options is the only correct answer and I will die on that secondary hill too if I have to.

What about pizza? Isn’t pizza just as flexible as tacos?

Pizza is wonderful and I make pizza in my own kitchen most Fridays, but pizza is not as flexible as tacos. Pizza requires baking. Pizza requires planning. Tacos require a pan and twelve minutes. Pizza is the formal cousin who shows up in a blazer. Tacos are the cousin who shows up in pajamas with a bag of chips and is somehow the most fun person there.

Is Taco Tuesday a real thing or just marketing?

Both, and the marketing is right. Taco Tuesday is the day of the week that has earned its name through sheer democratic consent of every household that needs a fast, cheap, kid-approved dinner. Nobody is doing Lasagna Tuesday. Nobody is doing Pot Roast Tuesday. Tacos earned their day. The hill I will die on tacos: Taco Tuesday is sacred.

Can you really eat too many tacos?

Technically, yes. Yesterday, I did. Do I regret it? Absolutely not. Would I do it again? Today, if presented with the opportunity. The only thing I regret is that there were not more tacos. This is the answer of someone who has put serious thought into the matter and has reached the only correct conclusion.

More Hills Worth Dying On — Strong Food Opinions from Stephanie

• The Hill I Will Die On: Hazelnut Is the Best Flavor — I will not be argued with. Hazelnut is a flavor, caramel is a topping. End of story.
• The Hill I Will Die On: Team Oregano — I Can Pass on Basil Every Time — Oregano smells like dinner. Basil smells like a garden. I know where I stand.
• Browse every Hill I Will Die On — the full archive of my strongest food opinions, all in one place.

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The Hill I Will Die On — About Stephanie Longstreth

Stephanie Longstreth is the home cook, mom, and storyteller behind StephanieCooksForACrowd.com. She cooks for a family of seven in Florida — five kids, two cats, and one husband who appreciates a good meal. Four of her children came home through adoption, and family stories are woven into everything she makes and shares. Find her crowd-friendly recipes, weekly meal plans, and real family life on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Pinterest @stephaniecooksforacrowd.