Taco: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 20:05, 2 August 2023

A typical plate of tacos in the Sena'akono region

The Tako, or Taco in Occidental Romanization, is a traditional dish in Loa cuisine, consisting of flatbread typically made with sourdough and wrapped about a filling of meat and vegetables. The filling is very diverse but typically consists of small rehydrated fish, river crab meat or fermented pork, ginger, okra and green onions, and is usually accompanied with a sauce of chilies, citrus and a spice blend consisting of poppy seeds, cinnamon, nutmeg and turmeric. The taco is a central aspect of Loa cuisine, with most Loa eating a variant of the dish weekly or even daily. It has even spread beyond the Vallosian subcontinent via the Loa diaspora, with notable regional variants in Pelaxia, Cartadania, Aciria, and other regions with a large Loa diaspora, like Burgoignesc Equitorial Osteicia and Sudmoll.

History

The taco originated in the 1920s after opening of the country following the events of the Takatta Loa Civil War. The government sought to expand the potential crops of the Loa and secure food safety, and so foreign crops such as wheat, potatoes, barley and lentils were introduced. Loa cuisine as a whole expanded in diversity around this time but was usually built upon older culinary traditions. The taco especially is thought to be derived from an earlier mainland street dish called losu'ihuilalo, or when translated directly "banana leaf stew". It was a mixture of meat and vegetable stew thickened and held together with taro starch and then steamed in banana leaves. These losu'ihuilalo are still regularly eaten everyday, though the connection between it and the taco is often lost.

With the introduction of wheat and flatbread into Takatta Loa, banana and lotus leaves stopped being used to hold food and instead were reserved for steaming. Around 1926, a street vendor named Hako'oa began selling huilalo which came to be a standard name for a food wrap at this time. This was the first recorded instance of a taco like food appearing, as Hako'oa also published a small pamphlet near his retirement in the same year due to illness. He passed away a year later but the pamphlet, and subsequently tacos, became popular around the nation. Tacos themselves are named on the third page, being rehydrated fish and okra (takokara huilalo as he originally called it) and are named tako due to a combination of the first two characters of takokara in the Old Loa Characters. Due to the accessibility of both of these ingredients, tacos in particular became extremely popular on the mainland and eventually in all of Takatta Loa.

In the 1950s, due to the establishment of the republic and constitution, many more Loa began migrating across the Kindreds and subsequently brought the taco with them into these regions. As a result, variations of the taco including new ingredients such as beef, chicken, tomatoes and sour cream began to emerge and eventually make their way back to Takatta Loa. The most popular of these included pork tacos and the inclusion of a chili sauce. These endure to this day and have become traditional in Loa taco cuisine. Further, during the late 20th century, Takatta Loa began to see the emergence of restaurants and restaurant chains, a previously unknown concept. The largest of these today is TakoBel'O, which specializes primarily in tacos.

Regional Variants

There are many regional variants and styles of tacos throughout not only Takatta Loa but also the world. The region with the largest number of styles is Ahoso, the birthplace of tacos. There are nearly half a dozen styles of taco in the city of Disa'adakuo alone. In addition, Takatta Loa recognizes a "national" style of tacos consisting of the original rehydrated fish and kora, which is celebrated every year on the National Taco Day of July 12th.

Insular

Ahoso

Masa

Nankonnoko

Akanatoa

Overseas Variants

Culture

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-[[File:Tacos.jpg|thumb|A typical plate of tacos in the kingdom of Kui'ikopa]]
+[[File:Tacos.jpg|thumb|A typical plate of tacos in the Sena'akono region]]
-The '''Tako''', or ''Taco'' in Occidental Romanization, is a traditional dish in Loa cuisine, consisting of flatbread typically made with lentils leavened with sourdough and wrapped about a filling of meat and vegetables. The filling is very diverse but typically consists of small dried fish or fermented pork, ginger, okra and green onions, and is usually accompanied with a sauce of chilies, citrus and a spice blend consisting of poppy seeds, cinnamon, nutmeg and turmeric. The taco is a central aspect of Loa cuisine, with most everyday meals consisting of some variant of the dish. It has even spread beyond the [[Vallos|Vallosian subcontinent]] via the Loa diaspora, with notable regional variants in [[Pelaxia]], [[Cartadania]], [[Aciria]], [[Carna]] and other regions with a large Loa diaspora, like [[Burgundie|Burgoignesc]] [[Equitorial Osteicia]] and [[Sudmoll]].
+The '''Tako''', or ''Taco'' in Occidental Romanization, is a traditional dish in Loa cuisine, consisting of flatbread typically made with sourdough and wrapped about a filling of meat and vegetables. The filling is very diverse but typically consists of small rehydrated fish, river crab meat or fermented pork, ginger, okra and green onions, and is usually accompanied with a sauce of chilies, citrus and a spice blend consisting of poppy seeds, cinnamon, nutmeg and turmeric. The taco is a central aspect of Loa cuisine, with most Loa eating a variant of the dish weekly or even daily. It has even spread beyond the [[Vallos|Vallosian subcontinent]] via the Loa diaspora, with notable regional variants in [[Pelaxia]], [[Cartadania]], [[Aciria]], and other regions with a large Loa diaspora, like [[Burgundie|Burgoignesc]] [[Equitorial Osteicia]] and [[Sudmoll]].
 ==History==
-The earliest references to the taco appeared in the 15th and 16th century, with the extensive trade between [[Kiravia]], [[Takatta Loa]] and [[Audonia]] resulting in significant cultural developments in Vallos. Most notable is the friendly cooperation and syncreticization of Islam with the indigenous [[Loa Church]], which resulted in many aspects from Audonia being imported into the Loa Republic, such as cuisine. Prior to this trade, the Loa people subsisted predominantly on stews with breads being unheard of.
+The taco originated in the 1920s after opening of the country following the events of the [[Takatta Loa Civil War]]. The government sought to expand the potential crops of the Loa and secure food safety, and so foreign crops such as wheat, potatoes, barley and lentils were introduced. Loa cuisine as a whole expanded in diversity around this time but was usually built upon older culinary traditions. The taco especially is thought to be derived from an earlier mainland street dish called ''losu'ihuilalo'', or when translated directly "banana leaf stew". It was a mixture of meat and vegetable stew thickened and held together with taro starch and then steamed in banana leaves. These ''losu'ihuilalo'' are still regularly eaten everyday, though the connection between it and the taco is often lost.
-The first reference to flatbread occurs in the royal cookbook of the court of Ilahakatu [[Andia'ariohono]], who reigned from 1457-1498. Flatbreads are mentioned numerous times in a number of elaborate dishes, but the taco itself is mentioned once under the name ''ta'ahihako'', or "wrapped fish". The author noted that in the reign of the previous empress, this dish was made with banana leaves, but it became fashionable to make it with a foreign and more expensive wrapping.
+With the introduction of wheat and flatbread into Takatta Loa, banana and lotus leaves stopped being used to hold food and instead were reserved for steaming. Around 1926, a street vendor named Hako'oa began selling ''huilalo'' which came to be a standard name for a food wrap at this time. This was the first recorded instance of a taco like food appearing, as Hako'oa also published a small pamphlet near his retirement in the same year due to illness. He passed away a year later but the pamphlet, and subsequently tacos, became popular around the nation. Tacos themselves are named on the third page, being rehydrated fish and okra (''takokara huilalo'' as he originally called it) and are named ''tako'' due to a combination of the first two characters of ''takokara'' in the Old Loa Characters. Due to the accessibility of both of these ingredients, tacos in particular became extremely popular on the mainland and eventually in all of Takatta Loa.
-However, the dish became common outside the [[Floating Palace]] after the reign of Andia'ariohono due to the farming of lentils being employed during the dry season to return nutrients to the soil that had previously been farmed with rice. By the mid 1500s, ''huilalo'' (a term that originally referred to banana leaves but eventually came to refer to flatbreads) became the tax standard, with an average peasant being expected to pay forth a tax equivalent to the worth of 125 ''huilalo'', with the tax increasing substantially with lesser royalty, [[entomantic orders]] and tribal chieftains being expected to pay upwards of the worth of 1,250 ''huilalo''.
+In the 1950s, due to the establishment of the republic and constitution, many more Loa began migrating across the [[Kindreds]] and subsequently brought the taco with them into these regions. As a result, variations of the taco including new ingredients such as beef, chicken, tomatoes and sour cream began to emerge and eventually make their way back to Takatta Loa. The most popular of these included pork tacos and the inclusion of a chili sauce. These endure to this day and have become traditional in Loa taco cuisine. Further, during the late 20th century, Takatta Loa began to see the emergence of restaurants and restaurant chains, a previously unknown concept. The largest of these today is TakoBel'O, which specializes primarily in tacos.
-In modern times, the taco is an established part of Loa culture, with most street food stands offering tacos and the dish being enjoyed by nobility and commoners alike. In addition, a new custom emerging from the 80s has been to fold the ''huilalo'' as a bun, secure it with a sharp pick of bamboo or reeds and then deep-fry it. These fried tacos have become especially popular outside of the Loa Republic as a large number of Loa were displaced in the Poppy Flower Rebellion of the 80s.
+==Regional Variants==
+There are many regional variants and styles of tacos throughout not only Takatta Loa but also the world. The region with the largest number of styles is Ahoso, the birthplace of tacos. There are nearly half a dozen styles of taco in the city of Disa'adakuo alone. In addition, Takatta Loa recognizes a "national" style of tacos consisting of the original rehydrated fish and kora, which is celebrated every year on the National Taco Day of July 12th.
+===Insular===
+===Ahoso===
+===Masa===
+===Nankonnoko===
+===Akanatoa===
+===Overseas Variants===
+==Culture==
-==Religion and Culture==
-Tacos are the primary offering of the [[Festival of Light and Song]], the biannual holiday that conducts worship of the celestial bodies. One aspect aspect of festival is the taco contests that are held, with entire families submitting their best tacos for judgement by the clergy, nobility and village elders. Whichever family does best is then chosen to prepare an assortment of seven tacos to offer to the Sun, Moon and Animate Stars which are then placed in a large lantern balloon to be lifted into the skies in the hopes that the Heavens will reward the village for their offerings.
-Tacos are also offered to the dead at ancestral tombs and shrines, though certain procedures must be followed. The water used in preparation must come from a sacred well, and the dried salamanders that are used in the making of the tacos must be raised in said wells. The vegetables used for the filling as well as the lentils must be blessed by a holy man or woman. Finally, an exact amount must be made for every ancestor. Too many, and malevolent will be attracted to the ancestral shrine. Too few, and the wrath of the forgotten dead will plague the family.