5 Killer Taco Recipes & Expert Wine Matches

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Like many great regional bites, the precise origins of the taco remain something of a delicious mystery, however Jeffrey Pilcher, professor of history at the University of Minnesota believes that these mighty morsels may have actually emerged from the depths of the silver mines in Mexico in the 1800s. In a recent interview with the Smithsonian, he commented, “the origins of the taco are really unknown. My theory is that it dates from the 18th century and the silver mines in Mexico, because in those mines the word “taco” referred to the little charges they would use to excavate the ore.”

As many Mexicans ventured north into the United States in search of work in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, this traditional dish came with them. It didn’t take long for others across the United States to latch onto this tasty Mexican tradition and for tacos to become a go-to favourite across the entire continent. Today, we see a renewed love for this dish, as Chefs and restaurants everywhere use tortillas as a vehicle to deliver bright and delicious seasonal flavours to our dining table. Fresh bits of delicious seafood and fish, to boldly seasoned meats like chicken, pork and beef, this flavour-packed wraps offer an amazing array of culinary inspiration with which to match our favourite wines.

Lighter and more delicately seasoned proteins like chicken, fish and seafood work extremely well with wines delivering bright unoaked flavours and refreshing acidity. Tacos showcasing these ingredients are great matches for wines like Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Chenin Blanc and even dry rose. As we move into more robustly seasoned proteins like pork, beef and lamb, we find a collection of tacos recipes that are world-class matches for medium to fuller bodied reds like warm climate Pinot Noir, Merlot and even spicy more full-bodied reds like Syrah or Pinotage.

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