The Tacos of Texas

by Mando Rayo, Jarod Neece

Rooted in tradición mexicana and infused with Texas food culture, tacos are some of Texans’ all-time favorite foods. In The Tacos of Texas, the taco journalists Mando Rayo and Jarod Neece take us on a muy sabroso taco tour around the state as they discover the traditions, recipes, stories, and personalities behind puffy tacos in San Antonio, trompo tacos in Dallas, breakfast tacos in Austin, carnitas tacos in El Paso, fish tacos in Corpus Christi, barbacoa in the Rio Grande Valley, and much more.

Starting with the basics—tortillas, fillings, and salsas—and how to make, order, and eat tacos, the authors highlight ten taco cities/regions of Texas. For each place, they describe what makes the tacos distinctive, name their top five places to eat, and listen to the locals tell their taco stories. They hear from restaurant owners, taqueros, abuelitas, chefs, and patrons—both well-known and everyday folks—who talk about their local taco history and culture while sharing authentic recipes and recommendations for the best taco purveyors.

Whether you can’t imagine a day without tacos or you’re just learning your way around the trailers, trucks, and taqueros that make tacos happen, The Tacos of Texas is the indispensable guidebook, cookbook, and testimonio.

Genres: Cookbooks

448 pages, Paperback

Published September 20, 2016

About the author

Mando Rayo is a food journalist. He is a co-founder and the producer at the production network Identity. He is also CEO and Engagement Strategist at his marketing company Mando Rayo + Collective. He hosts the show "United Tacos of America" and the podcast "Tacos of Texas."

Rayo's work has appeared on kut, KLRU-TV, and PBS Austin.

Reviews

[Chuck · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Tacos of Texas contains many enticing recipes, but what makes it so fun to read are the stories of the entrepreneurs, chefs, and taco fanatics who establish restaurants, operate taco trucks, and search high and low for the best tacos throughout the state. Authors Mando Rayo and Jarod Neece were established taco authorities (see http://tacojournalism.blogspot.com) before they made the 7000 mile journey through Texas to visit some 500 taco joints that resulted in this joyful book.
Tacos of Texas is a wonderful celebration of what ought to be our official state dish (sorry, chili), and, should you read it, you'll be inspired to hunt down the best tacos in your region with renewed enthusiasm.

[Nicole Goodman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved reading about the culinary stories and styles from each Texas city! Shows how diverse and rich the Texan heritage and history is.

[Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was full of short biographies. This book is also about all the restaurants that serve tacos. I love this kind of book. There are a few recipes but I didn't find them of any value for myself. I am going to hunt down some of the suggested taco shacks, especially in San Antonio. Top of the list will be the pursuit of a puffy taco. I was amazed at how many of the life stories were very similar with a few that were not the norm. I didn't realize how much tacos could vary. After reading this book I'm going to hit some taco trucks too. When I lived in Kansas we had just a few "taco trailers" on the east side of town but they didn't seem so appealing as the taco trucks in Texas.

[Stacey Woodall · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was great... I enjoy cookbooks with stories attached. This did not disappoint.