Mexicans spent nearly US $2.5B on tacos in 2024

Taco restaurants, oregon taquerías, make an estimated 50 cardinal pesos (US $2.46 billion) annually, according to El Economista, which reported the fig connected the International Day of the Taco connected Monday.

In Mexico City, the mean nonmigratory has a taquería wrong an estimated 400 meters of their location oregon workplace. The manufacture employs implicit 30,000 radical successful the capital, representing 57% of informal nutrient assemblage jobs successful the city, according to the paper El Economista.

The taquería manufacture employs implicit 30,000 radical unsocial successful Mexico City. (Crisanta Espinosa Aguilar/Cuartoscuro)

The root of the taco remains unclear, with assorted humanities accounts. Maize has been domesticated successful Mexico for astatine slightest 9,000 years, and one of the archetypal uses of crushed maize was precise apt the tortilla. 

The connection “taco” whitethorn deduce from the Spanish connection for dowel, referring to a plug to capable a bare stomach, oregon from the Nahuatl nutrient connection tlacoyo. 

Whatever the origin, the taco has go an planetary powerhouse. In 2024, Remitly, a money-transfer platform, assessed the fig of posts shared connected TikTok to find the astir fashionable thoroughfare foods astir the globe, and tacos came retired connected apical with 1.8 cardinal posts.

Food apps boost the taco economy

Food ordering apps, specified arsenic Uber Eats and China’s DiDi Food, sold implicit 64 cardinal tacos successful 2024, according to La Economista. 

Last year, Uber Eats reported orders of much than 24 cardinal tacos, with implicit 8 cardinal placed successful Mexico City alone. Meanwhile, DiDi Food reported orders of implicit 40 cardinal tacos nationwide, marking a 27% summation from the erstwhile year. 

The emergence of edifice transportation apps similar Uber Eats has made the taco adjacent much accessible to consumers whenever the craving hits. (Rogelio Morales Ponce/Cuartoscuro)

In summation to fashionable nutrient tacos, specified arsenic tacos al pastor, vegan options person risen successful popularity. 

The apical taco orders connected DiDi Food successful 2024 were:

• pastor (7.5 million)
• barbacoa (3.5 million)
• dorados (3 million)
• steak (2 million)
• birría (2 million)

Potato tacos were the astir fashionable vegan option.

DiDi Food works with much than 23,400 restaurants offering tacos, and implicit 100,000 taco options are disposable for nether MX$80 ($4).

International Day of the Taco

March 31 is celebrated arsenic the International Day of the Taco — a contented that began successful 2007 erstwhile the Mexican media radical Televisa launched an advertizing run promoting the time with the slogan “Because everyone likes tacos.”

The thought soon gained popularity, and present galore taco restaurants astir the globe clasp peculiar promotions oregon events connected March 31.

In Cancún, astatine slightest 20 taco shops collaborated connected Monday to observe the iconic Mexican dish. Taquerías drew hundreds of visitors and gave distant astir 5,000 tacos passim the day.

Taco Chilango Festival

Mexico City volition big Chilango Magazine’s 3rd yearly Taco Chilango festival connected April 5 astatine the Monument to the Revolution from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. The lawsuit volition diagnostic 70 of the apical taquerías successful the metropolis to showcase their tacos, including tacos de pastor, suadero, carnitas and barbacoa, cochinita pibil tacos and more. 

Admission is free, and the lawsuit volition see unrecorded music, peculiar shows and contests. 

During past year’s 2nd variation of the Taco Chilango festival, Mexico City broke its ain Guinness satellite record for the astir tacos served successful an hour, astatine 8,450 tacos. 

With reports from El Economista, Quadratin Quintana Roo, El Sol de Zacatecas and TimeOut