Taco Tuesday to the max: Today is National Taco Day!

Oct. 7 is not just a regular Taco Tuesday – it’s National Taco Day! 

The National Day Calendar refers to this glorious day — celebrated on the first Tuesday of October — as one to “honor the endlessly versatile and delicious taco.”  

The origins of the taco itself are not entirely clear. It is known as a Mexican dish – that much has been established – but whether people enjoyed them before the Europeans arrived or started eating them in the late 18^th century remains up for debate. Some point to evidence that indigenous people in the lake region of the Valley of Mexico ate them, while others cite literary works from the mid-1800s that first mention the word “taco.”   

For instance, a Mexican cookbook from the late 1830s, described as the only Mexican cookbook published before 1896 which claimed female ownership, mentions a “taco de tortilla” and a novel called “El hombre de la situación” published in 1861 also makes reference to a taco. 

There is also a theory that tacos originated in the 18th century silver mines of Mexico.

Regardless of when the taco came to be, it is now a staple of antojitos – Mexican street food. Taquerías exist in cities across the globe, preparing fresh, handheld delicious goodness ranging from a simple $3 al pastor taco to extravagant, ten-figure creations. 

KTLA is celebrating National Taco Day with Siete Foods, who, as part of their Siete Foods Juntos Fund, are donating $250,000 to 25 taquerías nationwide in an effort to empower entrepreneurship and the Latino community.

Of those 25, three are in the L.A. area, and thanks to Siete Foods’ donation, all three spots will be offering free tacos to celebrate (to be clear, it is one free taco per person at each locations):

• Tacos El Torito: 227 Shay Avenue, La Puente
• Villa’s Tacos: 5455 North Figueroa Street, Los Angeles
• Yuca’s: 1075 South Fair Oaks Avenue, Pasadena

Other National Taco Day deals:

• Taco Bell Rewards Members can get a $1 Cantina Chicken Soft Taco through the Taco Bell app.
• At Chuy’s, you can can get a $1 taco with any entrée purchase, and if you wear a “taco-inspired costume,” you get a free entrée.
• At Del Taco, from Tuesday, Oct. 7, to Thursday, Oct. 9, you can get a free The Del Taco with a minimum purchase of $10.
• At Jack in the Box, Jack Pack Rewards Members can get two free tacos with a minimum purchase of $1.

¡Disfruta tus tacos y el día!

Oh, and also congratulations to KTLA’s own Carlos Herrera — who covered National Taco Day Tuesday morning — on his recent announcement that his wife, Abby, is pregnant!