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How Tacos Took Over 

The tale of a Mexican street food that became an American hit 

April 2025
by Mary Kate Frank

Art by Mora Vieytes

Juvencio Maldonado

    The sweet smell of corn filled the air. Fresh tortillas sizzled in the fryer. It was 1947 at one of New York City’s first Mexican restaurants. And diners knew exactly what they wanted: crunchy tacos.  

    There was just one problem. The cooks hated making them. Each tortilla shell had to be fried in burning hot oil. Then it was turned by hand until it got crispy. This was dangerous—and painful. The cooks had the burns to prove it. 

    Juvencio Maldonado was an immigrant from Mexico. He owned the restaurant—and was worried his cooks would quit. So he created a mechanical taco fryer. Cooks could now make up to seven taco shells at a time without touching them. 

    Could Maldonado’s device help make tacos an American hit?

    The air smelled of sweet corn. Fresh tortillas sizzled in the fryer. It was 1947 at one of New York City’s first Mexican restaurants. Diners knew what they wanted: crunchy tacos.

    But the cooks hated making tacos. Each tortilla shell had to be fried in hot oil. Then it was turned by hand until it got crispy. This was dangerous. It was painful too. The cooks often got burned.

    Juvencio Maldonado was an immigrant from Mexico. He owned the restaurant. He was worried his cooks would quit. So he created a mechanical taco fryer. Now the cooks could make seven taco shells at a time without touching them.

    Could Maldonado’s device help make tacos a hit in America?

    The sweet smell of corn filled the air as fresh tortillas sizzled in the fryer. It was 1947 at one of New York City’s first Mexican restaurants, and diners there knew exactly what they wanted: crunchy tacos.

    There was just one problem: The cooks hated making them. Each tortilla shell had to be fried in burning hot oil and turned by hand until it got crispy. This was dangerous and painful, and the cooks had the burns to prove it.

    Juvencio Maldonado was an immigrant from Mexico. He owned the restaurant—and was worried his cooks would quit. So he created a mechanical taco fryer that allowed the cooks to make up to seven taco shells at a time without touching them.

    Could Maldonado’s device help make tacos an American hit?

The First Tacos 

    Before the 1900s, most Americans had never heard of tacos. But in Mexico, Indigenous peoples had been eating tacos for more than 1,000 years. The earliest taco lovers made corn tortillas by hand. Those tortillas were then folded around bits of meat and beans, ready to be enjoyed. 

    By the 1900s, taco carts were common in Mexico City. (Mexico City is the capital of Mexico.) Fried tortillas stuffed with potatoes and salsa gave workers a quick lunch on the go. 

    Around this time, many Mexican workers began traveling to the United States. They were looking for railroad, mining, or farm jobs. As they traveled north, they brought their tacos with them. 

    By the 1950s, the children and grandchildren of these first immigrants began adding new flavors to the dish. They tried ingredients that were available in U.S. supermarkets. These included ground beef, fresh tomatoes, crunchy lettuce, and shredded cheddar cheese. 

    Meanwhile, Mexican Americans began opening restaurants throughout the Southwest. What starred on the menu? Tacos, of course! 

    Before the 1900s, most Americans had never heard of tacos. But in Mexico, Indigenous peoples had been eating tacos for more than 1,000 years. Early corn tortillas were made by hand. They were folded around bits of meat and beans.

    By the 1900s, taco carts were common in Mexico City. (That’s the capital of Mexico.) Workers could buy fried tortillas stuffed with potatoes and salsa. They made a quick lunch.

    Around this time, many Mexican workers began traveling to the United States. They were looking for railroad, mining, or farm jobs. They brought their tacos with them.

    By the 1950s, these first immigrants had children and grandchildren. They added new flavors to tacos. They used ingredients from U.S. supermarkets. These included ground beef, tomatoes, lettuce, and cheddar cheese.

    Meanwhile, Mexican Americans opened restaurants in the Southwest. Tacos were the stars of every menu!

    Before the 1900s, most Americans had never heard of tacos. But in Mexico, Indigenous peoples had been eating tacos for more than 1,000 years. The earliest taco lovers made corn tortillas by hand and then folded them around bits of meat and beans, ready to be enjoyed.

    By the 1900s, taco carts were common in Mexico City, the capital of Mexico. Fried tortillas stuffed with potatoes and salsa gave workers a quick lunch on the go.

    Around this time, many Mexican workers began traveling to the United States in search of railroad, mining, or farm jobs. As they traveled north, they brought their tacos with them.

    By the 1950s, the children and grandchildren of these first immigrants began adding new flavors to the dish. They experimented with ingredients that were available in U.S. supermarkets, such as ground beef, fresh tomatoes, crunchy lettuce, and shredded cheddar cheese.

    Meanwhile, Mexican Americans began opening restaurants throughout the Southwest—and what starred on the menu? Tacos, of course!

A New Fast Food

    Still, frying tortillas was slow and unpleasant. But Maldonado’s mechanical fryer helped change that. Soon other tortilla fryers were invented. These fryers saved time and protected cooks from burns. 

    The timing was perfect. By the 1950s, a new way of eating was sweeping the country: fast food. You could now order a hamburger and fries at McDonald’s. The meal cost less than a dollar and was ready in minutes. 

    Tacos turned out to be a perfect fast food. They were cheap and delicious. And thanks to mechanical fryers, they were now easy to make.

    Fast-food tacos helped make the dish popular across the country. The first Taco Bell opened in Los Angeles in 1962. It was an instant hit! By the end of the decade, two new Taco Bells were opening every week.

    Today tacos are everywhere. A recent survey found that 77 percent of Americans eat them at least once a month. They’re served from food trucks. They’re enjoyed in school cafeterias. They’re eaten in fancy restaurants. 

    And they can be made in your kitchen too. Simply start with a hard shell or a soft tortilla. What goes inside is up to you. 

    Still, frying tortillas was slow and unpleasant. But Maldonado’s mechanical fryer helped change that. Soon other tortilla fryers were invented. These fryers saved time. They protected cooks from burns too.

    The timing was good. By the 1950s, fast food was sweeping the country. You could order a burger and fries at McDonald’s. The meal cost less than a dollar. It was ready in minutes!

    Tacos were a perfect fast food. They were cheap and tasty. And with mechanical fryers, they were easy to make.

    Fast-food tacos helped make the dish popular across the country. The first Taco Bell opened in Los Angeles in 1962. It was a hit! By the end of the decade, two new Taco Bells were opening every week.

    Now tacos are everywhere. More than three-fourths of Americans eat them at least once a month. Food trucks serve them. School cafeterias do too. So do fancy restaurants.

    You can make them too. Get a hard shell or a soft tortilla. The filling is up to you. 

    Still, frying tortillas was a time-consuming and unpleasant task. But Maldonado’s mechanical fryer helped change that. Before long, other tortilla fryers were invented. These fryers saved time and protected cooks from burns.

    The timing was perfect. By the 1950s, a new way of eating was sweeping the country: fast food. You could now order a hamburger and fries at McDonald’s. The meal cost less than a dollar and was ready in minutes.

    Tacos turned out to be a perfect fast food. They were cheap and delicious—and thanks to mechanical fryers, they could be prepared quickly and easily.

    Fast-food tacos helped make the dish popular across the country. The first Taco Bell opened in Los Angeles in 1962 and was an instant hit! By the end of the decade, two new Taco Bells were opening every week.

    Today tacos are everywhere. A recent survey found that 77 percent of Americans eat them at least once a month. They’re served from food trucks, enjoyed in school cafeterias, and eaten in fancy restaurants.

    And they can be prepared in your kitchen as well. Simply start with a hard shell or a soft tortilla. What goes inside is entirely up to you. 

Courtesy of Taco Bell 

Tacos to Go
The first Taco Bell opened in 1962. It helped make tacos popular across the United States.

The Story of Spaghetti and Meatballs

How these foods joined forces—and landed on your dinner plate  

April 2025
by the editors of Action

Art by Mora Vieytes

    Imagine if someone asked you to think of your favorite Italian food. You might picture a heaping plate of spaghetti and meatballs covered in bright-red tomato sauce. 

    But this dish didn’t actually come from Italy. So how did spaghetti and meatballs arrive on our plates?

    Think of your favorite Italian food. Are you picturing spaghetti and meatballs with tomato sauce?

    It might surprise you, but this dish didn’t come from Italy. So how did it arrive on our plates?

    If someone asked you to think of your favorite Italian food, you might picture a heaping plate of spaghetti and meatballs covered in bright-red tomato sauce.

    But guess what? This dish didn’t actually come from Italy. So how did spaghetti and meatballs arrive on our plates?

Cheap and Easy to Find

Shutterstock.com

    The story of spaghetti and meatballs begins between 1880 and 1920. That’s when more than 4 million people immigrated from Italy to the U.S. When these people shopped for food, they were surprised. There was so much meat! 

    In Italy, people didn’t eat a lot of meat. It was expensive. It also wasn’t widely available. 

    On special occasions, people made small meatballs. They were added to soups or enjoyed plain—without pasta or sauce.

    But in the U.S., meat was cheap and easy to find. Soon Italian Americans were making bigger meatballs. Before long, meatballs had become a staple of their diet.

    The story of spaghetti and meatballs begins between 1880 and 1920. That’s when more than 4 million people immigrated from Italy to the U.S. When these people shopped for food, they were surprised. There was so much meat!

    In Italy, people didn’t eat much meat. It was expensive. It wasn’t widely available.

    On special occasions, people made small meatballs. They put them in soups or ate them plain—without pasta or sauce.

    In the U.S., meat was cheap and easy to get. Italian Americans made bigger meatballs. Meatballs became a staple of their diet.

    The story of spaghetti and meatballs begins between 1880 and 1920, a period in which more than 4 million people immigrated from Italy to the U.S. When these people shopped for food, they were surprised by how much meat was available in stores.

    In Italy, people didn’t eat a lot of meat. It was expensive and wasn’t widely available.

    On special occasions, people made small meatballs. They were added to soups or enjoyed plain—without pasta or sauce.

    But meat was cheap and easy to find in the U.S., so Italian Americans soon began making bigger meatballs. Before long, meatballs had become a staple of their diet.

On One Plate

    So how did meatballs and spaghetti end up together on one plate? 

    In part, it was thanks to immigrants from Southern Italy. They had long enjoyed small portions of pasta with tomato sauce. When they came to the U.S., they brought that dish with them. 

    These immigrants often moved to communities with people from other parts of Italy. Neighbors learned about each other’s foods. They began using those foods in their cooking. Soon people who had never eaten pasta and tomato sauce back in Italy started making it. 

    Italian immigrants were also adjusting to a more American way of eating. In Italy, meals often lasted hours. They had many courses. But in the U.S., mealtimes were shorter. Instead of eating one dish at a time, courses were combined.

    This combining of courses and mixing of flavors resulted in new dishes. One of those new dishes was spaghetti with meatballs and tomato sauce.

    So how did meatballs and spaghetti end up on one plate?

    In part, it was thanks to immigrants from Southern Italy. In Italy, they ate pasta with tomato sauce. They brought that dish with them to the U.S.

    These immigrants often lived near people from other parts of Italy. Neighbors learned about each other’s foods. They began using those foods in their cooking. Some Italian immigrants had never eaten pasta and tomato sauce back in Italy. But now they started making it.

    Italian immigrants also adjusted to a more American way of eating. In Italy, meals often lasted hours. They had many courses. But in the U.S., mealtimes were shorter. People didn’t eat one course at a time. They combined them. This led to new dishes. One was spaghetti with meatballs and tomato sauce.

    So how did meatballs and spaghetti end up together on one plate?

    In part, it was thanks to immigrants from Southern Italy, who had long enjoyed small portions of pasta with tomato sauce. When they came to the U.S., they brought that dish with them.

    These immigrants often moved into communities made up of people from other parts of Italy. Neighbors learned about each other’s foods and began using those foods in their cooking. Soon people who had never eaten pasta and tomato sauce back in Italy started making it.

    Italian immigrants were also adjusting to a more American way of eating. In Italy, meals often lasted hours and had many courses. But in the U.S., mealtimes were shorter. Instead of eating one dish at a time, courses were combined.

    This combining of courses and mixing of flavors resulted in new dishes. One of those new dishes was spaghetti with meatballs and tomato sauce.

Detroit Publishing Company photograph collection/Library of Congress 

A New Neighborhood  
This is Little Italy in New York City around 1900. It was a busy immigrant neighborhood. You could buy fresh vegetables, bread, and more on the street. Today it’s known for its Italian food and rich history.

Supermarket Success

Retro AdArchives/Alamy Stock Photo

    By the early 1920s, spaghetti and meatballs was going mainstream. People loved that it was cheap, filling, and delicious. 

    Italian restaurants began adding it to their menus. One of those restaurants belonged to an Italian immigrant in Ohio. His name was Ettore Boiardi. People loved his tasty red sauce. He decided to start a company to sell the sauce: Chef Boyardee. (He used a different spelling of his last name to help Americans pronounce it.) 

    Soon the company was selling meatballs, pasta, and sauce—all in one can. Chef Boyardee spread across the country. It sold for as little as 26 cents a can. For shoppers, it was an easy weeknight meal.

    Today spaghetti and meatballs is an American classic. Supermarket shelves are filled with endless options for making it. You can buy chickpea flour spaghetti. You can even find vegan “meatballs” made from soy. In a 2022 poll, Americans named spaghetti and meatballs as one of their top three favorite Italian foods. 

    Just don’t ask for it in Italy! 

    By the early 1920s, spaghetti and meatballs was going mainstream. It was cheap, filling, and tasty. People loved it.

    Italian restaurants added it to their menus. One of the restaurants belonged to Ettore Boiardi. He was an Italian immigrant in Ohio. People loved his red sauce. He started a company to sell it: Chef Boyardee. (He spelled his last name differently. This helped Americans pronounce it.)

    The company began selling meatballs, pasta, and sauce all in one can. Chef Boyardee spread across the country. It sold for as little as 26 cents a can. It was an easy weeknight meal.

    Today spaghetti and meatballs is an American classic. There are many ways to make it. You can buy chickpea flour spaghetti. You can get vegan “meatballs” made from soy. In a 2022 poll, Americans named spaghetti and meatballs as one of their three favorite Italian foods.

    Just don’t ask for it in Italy! 

    By the early 1920s, spaghetti and meatballs was going mainstream. People were delighted by how cheap, filling, and delicious it was.

    Italian restaurants began adding it to their menus. One of those restaurants belonged to an Italian immigrant in Ohio named Ettore Boiardi. People loved his tasty red sauce, so he decided to start a company to sell it: Chef Boyardee. (He used a different spelling of his last name to help Americans pronounce it.)

    Soon the company was selling meatballs, pasta, and sauce—all in one can. Chef Boyardee spread across the country, selling for as little as 26 cents a can. For shoppers, it was an easy weeknight meal.

    Today spaghetti and meatballs is an American classic. Supermarket shelves are filled with endless options for making it. You can buy chickpea flour spaghetti. You can even find vegan “meatballs” made from soy. In a 2022 poll, Americans named spaghetti and meatballs as one of their top three favorite Italian foods. Just don’t ask for it in Italy! 

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