La Tacopedia
La Tacopedia is an illustrated encyclopedia of Mexican taco culture by Déborah Holtz and Juan Carlos Mena, with Alejandro Escalante, first published in Mexico by Trilce Ediciones in 2012 and later issued in English by Phaidon as Tacopedia: The Taco Encyclopedia.
Background
The book was presented at the Guadalajara International Book Fair (FIL) in 2012. According to the Notimex report carried by La Razón, it was the product of more than five years of research, interviews and eating, and set out to treat Mexican food as a living, changing tradition while avoiding uncritical praise and local self-congratulation. Holtz directs the Mexico City publishing house Trilce Ediciones, and Mena teaches design at the Universidad Iberoamericana.
Contents
La Razón describes 19 chapters that open with the history of corn and the tortilla, a taco lotería game, a "tacografía" and a guide to cuts of meat, then classify tacos into 16 main families, among them guisado, dorado, al pastor, barbacoa and canasta. Each chapter covers a family's origins and evolution, how to eat it, interviews with well-known taqueros, recipes and recommended places across Mexico. An appendix titled "Enchílame esta gorda" deals with relatives of the taco such as tortas, tlacoyos, tostadas and tamales, and the book closes with 36 salsa recipes. Photographs, illustrations, sayings, literary quotations and trivia run throughout.
English edition
Phaidon's English-language edition keeps the 320-page format and describes the book as an encyclopedic survey of taco culture with 100 recipes for fillings, tortillas and salsas, about 250 photographs, maps, graphics and interviews, and a foreword by the Danish chef René Redzepi.
Influence
The book became a common reference in taco journalism. Escalante, credited as its author in some accounts, has been interviewed as an authority on the taquero's craft, for instance by Lesley Téllez in a PBS SoCal report on al pastor, and Luz Noticias cited Holtz and Escalante's description of taqueros as "próceres", national heroes.
Reviews
Reviews and tips open at launch. Readers will be able to share where they found the best version of this and how they make it at home.
See also
- Taco
- History of the taco
- Taquero
- Tacos de guisado
- Tacos dorados
- Tacos al pastor
- Tacos de canasta
- Tacos de barbacoa
References
- "El taco ya tiene su propia enciclopedia". La Razón de México. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
- "Tacopedia: The Taco Encyclopedia". Phaidon. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
- "Behind a $1.50 Taco, a Deep Well of Expertise". PBS SoCal (The Migrant Kitchen). Retrieved 2026-10-10.
- "Para hacer buenos tacos al pastor se requieren habilidades de karateca". Luz Noticias. Retrieved 2026-10-10.