Doble tortilla

Doble tortilla, also called a taco "con copia" ("with a copy"), is the common Mexican street-stand practice of serving a taco on two stacked corn tortillas, the second one reinforcing the first and catching whatever falls out.

Purpose

A thin corn tortilla is pliable but can split under a heavy or juicy filling. Eje Central explains that the second tortilla shares the weight of meat, salsa, onion and cilantro, keeps the taco intact longer as liquid soaks in, and catches spilled filling, so that what drops can be gathered into what is effectively a second taco. Some cooks also prefer the texture of two thin tortillas to one thick one. Writing in the syndicated Ask a Mexican column, Lesley Téllez, author of Eat Mexico, notes that many Mexico City street vendors either serve two tortillas automatically or ask the customer how many they want, and that with soupy guisados the backup tortilla is a practical safeguard.

The word "copia"

In Mexican taco slang the extra tortilla is the "copia". Chilango lists "échemelos con copia" among phrases particular to Mexico City and describes it as a way to stretch a meal when money is short, since the spare tortilla can be filled with leftovers from the first. Saltillo's newspaper Vanguardia uses the same term for the second tortilla wrapped around barbacoa, pastor and other fillings.

Economics

Because the extra tortilla is given away, it is sensitive to the price of corn. In March 2021 Vanguardia reported that taquerías and fondas in central Saltillo, Coahuila, were planning to drop the copia after a rise in tortilla prices rather than charge more for their tacos, fearing they would lose customers who had only recently returned.

Origins

No firm history of the custom exists. Eje Central notes competing suggestions that it began in Mexico City or in northern Mexico, and that it spread as a fixture of street tacos where fillings tend to be generous.

Reviews

See also

• Corn tortilla
• Taco stand
• Tacos de guisado
• Tacos de barbacoa
• Tacos al pastor
• Con todo

References

1. "El taco mexicano va con copia: por qué se les pone doble tortilla y cuál es el origen de la costumbre mexicana". Eje Central. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
2. "Dear Mexican: Why Do Street Tacos Have Double Tortillas?". Westword. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
3. "Tacos sin 'copia' en Saltillo... tras aumento en la tortilla". Vanguardia. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
4. "Frases de comida que sólo decimos los chilangos". Chilango. Retrieved 2026-10-10.