Taco Seasoning for Dummies

For the purposes of this blog it’s not necessary for me to ponder the origins of the taco and all of the taco's accessories (not to be confused with literal taco accessories) because in the book Taco USA  the writer Gustavo Arellano does that in a chapter called: “How Did the Taco Become Popular Before Mexicans Flooded the United States.”

However, I will ponder taco seasoning. Let’s start with the oversized bottle sold at a club store.

I made this seasoning. It took two minutes.

When you aren’t feeding a family or throwing a party the club store’s oversized offerings can seem just a tad ridiculous. Sure, that giant bottle of taco seasoning isn’t going to rot on your kitchen shelf but how many tacos do you plan to eat? Do you plan to eat tacos everyday for the rest of your life? Are you going to feed every guest in your home a taco? Does your dog eat tacos?

These were the questions I asked a friend as he contemplated purchasing enough seasoning to last several lifetimes. He agreed it was unnecessary, besides a person can just buy packets of taco seasoning, right?

Wrong.

I must confess that I have been guilty of buying that enchanting little package of seasoning. That was before I knew better.

Here is what Ortega’s site says about their seasoning:

“Ortega's Taco Seasonings are made with the highest quality ingredients, and use a unique blend of spices to provide a true authentic Mexican eating experience.  Our seasonings are sure to please the whole family!”

Now here are the ingredients:

“Yellow Corn Flour, Salt, Maltodextrin, Paprika, Spices, Modified Corn Starch, Sugar, Garlic Powder, Citric Acid, Autolyzed Yeast Extract, Caramel Color (sulfites).”

No authentic Mexican eating experience is complete without maltodextrin and caramel color! I’m pretty sure the Aztec god Tezcatlipoca was the sacred bearer of maltodextrin.

Basically, sugar and spice and maybe things that are not so nice. My eyes fell on these ingredients: Salt, Paprika, Garlic Powder, and “spices.”

Hmmm, those sound like things I already own! Off to the Internet I went to confirm I could "make" taco seasoning at home. Once the Internet confirmed my suspicions I selected this recipe from Allrecipes.com and never bought seasoning at the store ever again!

The best thing about a recipe like that is it can be modified. Don’t have garlic powder? You can use garlic salt and reduce the amount salt! Don’t like chili powder?

You can go to taco hell, you whiny baby with the palate of a....baby, and take your giant bottle of seasoning with you!