Easy Navajo Taco Recipe - The Recipe Critic (2024)

FAQs

What is a Navajo taco made of? ›

Deliciously crispy on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside, Navajo Tacos made with Indian Fry Bread are topped with a meaty mixture of taco seasoned ground beef and beans, then all the fixings like sour cream, shredded lettuce, cheddar cheese, and tomatoes!

A frybread taco, Indian taco, or Navajo taco, is a frybread topped with various items, normally venison or beef, as well as other toppings commonly found in tacos. It is served both in homes and at gatherings such a pow-wows and potlatches as well as at state fairs and other festivals.

The common story of fry bread is that before it became a staple of powwows and family dinners, it was a survival food, usually traced to the Navajo people (who call themselves the Diné).

While fry bread is common in American Indian cultures across the United States, fry bread in South Dakota is traditionally made with yeast instead of baking soda like the "Navajo taco." This is because tribes in South Dakota were rationed yeast instead of baking soda on the reservation.

At first, it was only called “Lou's Special” but one day a customer came in and asked for it by calling it a “Navajo taco” and that is what it has been known as since. Shepherd said later that a lot of people believed it was a traditional Navajo dish but he would proudly admit that he was the creator.

Traditionally, the Navajo farmed vegetables, including beans, squash, and corn, which grew in many colors and was eaten dried (and ground) or fresh. The Navajo hunted deer and other small mammals for protein. Today sheep are raised in the territory for wool, and mutton is one of the tribe's most popular food sources.

In Nahuatl (the Aztec language), tlahco means “middle”, and the best way to enjoy a tortilla was with something in the tlahco of it. The word tlahco for a filled tortilla is believed to be the origin of our modern “taco”.

Beef Tacos de Lengua (Beef Tongue Tacos)

To prevent the indigenous populations from starving, the government gave them canned goods as well as white flour, processed sugar and lard—the makings of frybread.

Dust the fry bread with powdered sugar and add a drizzle of honey or syrup. Serve the bread as a taco salad base or with taco toppings (popularly called Navajo tacos). Be sure to make the circles of dough very thin for this use. Cut hot fry bread into wedges and serve with salsa or a dipping sauce.

Is fry bread the same as fried dough? ›

Fried dough is also known as fry dough, fry bread (bannock), fried bread, doughboys, elephant ears, beaver tails, scones, pizza fritte, frying saucers, and buñuelos (in the case of smaller pieces).

Indian tacos are a combination of beans or ground beef, chopped lettuce, sliced tomato, shredded Cheddar cheese, and optional green chile atop plate-sized rounds of crispy Navajo or Indian fry bread.

The Navajo hunted deer and other small mammals for protein. Today sheep are raised in the territory for wool, and mutton is one of the tribe's most popular food sources. Navajo fry bread is still an inspired food of the nation's people, and it can be found in many forms with various names around the southwest.

Fry bread is a flatbread that's fried in oil, shortening or lard. Several tribes have their own variation on fry bread, but most Navajo-inspired fry breads are made with flour, water and salt and don't contain any yeast, using baking powder as the leavening agent.

Traditional Mexican Tacos – Traditionally, tacos are served on only soft tortillas, mainly corn, but flour tortillas are also popular. White onions, cilantro, pico de gallo, and homemade salsa all lay gently over grilled or stewed meat.