Culture
In the Southwest, the Best Tacos Are Flat, Fried, and Puffy
Navajo tacos reveal the region’s Native American history.
The frybread is a soft golden-yellow disc, puffy through the middle and crispy on the skin. It’s made with white flour, water, salt and sometimes a touch of sugar or baking powder, then fried in shortening or lard. Serve it topped with some combination of beans, beef, shredded lettuce, chopped tomato, onions, and chile—the usual taco fixings—and you have a Navajo taco, sometimes called a frybread taco or Indian taco.
A meme-filled debate over the proper name rages in a Navajo Taco Facebook group. One commenter says, “I don't care what the hell you call it, put it on a plate, throw some hot sauce on it, and get outta my way.”