• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Mexican Food Journal logo
  • Recipe Index
  • About
  • Contact
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipe Index
  • About The Journal
  • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×
    You are here: Home / Food Writers / Tacos of Texas

    Tacos of Texas

    Douglas Cullen, This blog generates income via ads and affiliate links which earn us a small commission.

    A Book of Love

    You would assume a book titled the Tacos of Texas is about tacos, and it is, but it’s really a book of love; love for family, love for one’s culture, love for one’s traditions, love for the State of Texas and love for the infinitely variable and satisfying taco. 440 pages of love expressed through tacos.

    Tacos of Texas Book Cover

    The Authors

    Mando Rayo and Jarod Neece drove over 7,000 miles through Texas in search of ever town and region’s iconic taco. The ate, and documented the best tacos and the people who make them. In every conversation, the love shines through.

    Tacos of Texas Book Authors

    Mando was born and raised in El Paso, as he says “with a tortilla in my hand” and is now in “my Golden Age of Cooking Super-Terrific Tacos stage.” Mando was kind enough to spend an hour speaking with me about the book and the taco scene in Texas. His pride in food, family, and culture plus his crazy deep taco knowledge is what struck me the most. The dude knows tacos on every level.

    By day he runs a full-service multi-cultural marketing agency, Mando Rayo + Collective and by night he is a “Taco Journalist.” His desert island taco is the taco de pastor.

    Jarod was born in Beaumont whose first experience with Mexican food was dipping hot fresh tortillas in a bowl of queso at the Monterrey House. He did a stint working for a Tex-Mex restaurant, Tampicos in Lafayette, Louisiana. His experiences in “South Austin” is where his eyes were opened up to the true glory of the taco at Polvos and La Mexicana.

    Their taco love destined to bring them together, and it did, where they teamed up to work on Jarod’s website Taco Journalism which profiles all of the great the taco spots of Austin. Their first book together is Breakast Tacos of Austin.

    The Love Shines Through

    The authors divided Texas taco country into 10 distinct taco regions: Rio Grande Valley, Laredo, El Paso, Austin, Corpus Christi, San Antonio, Houston, Dallas – Fort Worth, Midland Odessa, and Abilene. What comes through in every conversation, in every region is love.

    Mando Rayo and Family

    Here are a some examples:

    I loved the way that her flour tortillas puffed up so toasty and light, and the way that her salsa sitting in her molcajete had a fresh-from-the-garden flavor that floated into the air and enticed your nose… Carmen Talfolla, State Poet Laureate of Texas

    In the 29 years I have cooked professionally, I have travelled the globe of foods. But the hold that Mexican food has on my soul wins out every time. I have for many years embraced al alma la cocina Mexicana. Jonathan Jones, El Big Bad

    People like that we prepare the ingredients by hand, fresh every day. The corn flour tortillas are prepared by hand as well. We keep things simple. All the ingredients stay very simple – vapor y amor! Elva Porras, Elva’s Taco Casa

    One of my fondest memories – and my first introduction to tacos – is my dad being behind the stove cooking chicharrones and Mexican barbacoa. Ricardo Romo, President University of Texas at San Antonio

    Our family’s motto has always been to put the needs of other before ours, and so we figured, let’s share with others the Mexican food that makes us so happy! Leo Chavez, Tacoketo

     

    Recipes from the Source

    After reading all of the interviews, you will be inspired to eat some tacos and make some tacos. Luckily for you, the book includes 43 recipes from around the state. Like these Guisado Verde Tacos from La Nueva Fresh & Hot in Dallas.

    Tacos of Texas Guisado Verde Tacos

    Or these Tacos de chicharron from the Santiago family in El Paso.

    Tacos of Texas Taco de Chicharron

    More examples of the great taco recipes in the book: Tacos al pastor a la Tuma from Urban Taco in Dallas, South Texas Shrimp Tacos from Maria Teresa G. Pedroche, Beef Suadero Tacos with Chile Pasilla Salsa from Mixtli in San Antonio, Lengua Tacos, Mary Rangel-Gomez, and Eric Gomez in Corpus Christi and Puerco en Salsa Roja from Rebeca Guzman in Laredo.

    Buy the Book!

    If you love tacos, and of course you do. You must get a copy of the Tacos of Texas. Really! We aren’t making money by promoting it. Our motives are pure. We want to ensure sure that the book has the success it deserves. Just think, if this book is successful then there may be a whole series of books: The Burritos of Texas, The Enchiladas of Texas, The Ultimate Guide to Tex-Mex even The Tacos of Texas Volume #2, #3, #4 and more. Just hoping!

    More Tacos of Texas

    If you want some more Tacos of Texas you can find it here:

    The Tacos of Texas Youtube Channel

    More Books, Magazines, and Podcasts

    • Molé Mama
    • SABOR! Mexican Food Magazine
    • Pass the Chipotle Podcast

    More Food Writers

    • Priest at Mexican Construction Site
      Traditional Mexican Builder’s Lunch
    • Sabor Magazine Fall 2017 Cover
      Sabor! Magazine Fall 2017
    • SABOR! Summer 2017
      SABOR! Magazine Summer 2017
    • Sabor Mexican Food Magazine
      SABOR! Mexican Food Magazine

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    D. Cullen Profile Picture

    Hola, I am Douglas. Let me share my love of Mexican Cuisine with you that developed over 20+ years of living in Mexico.

    More about me →


    Most Popular Recipes

    • Classic Salsa Verde
    • Bowl of Mexican Restaurant Style Salsa
      Restaurant Style Salsa
    • Bowl of Traditional Mexican Sopa de Fideo
      Traditional Sopa de Fideo
    • Bowl of Authentic Red Pozole
      Red Pork Pozole
    • Bowl of Chicken Tinga
      Chicken Tinga
    • Agua de Jamaica
    • Tres Leches Cake with Berries
      Tres Leches Cake
    • Beet Salad Citrus Balsamic Vinaigrette Recipe
      Beet Salad with Feta Cheese and Citrus Balsamic Viniagrette
    • Cheese Enchiladas with Red Enchilada Sauce
      Red Enchilada Sauce
    • Authentic Mole Poblano
      Mole Poblano

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms & Conditions

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact

    As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2021 Mexico Publishing LLC