Mexican-ish food is both hugely popular in the United States and spreading wildly, but that’s raised a lot of concerns about the authenticity (or lack thereof) of various popular dishes. But William Booth argues that this is largely misguided and authentic cuisine has always been a moving target.
Tacos al pastor apparently date back only to Mexico City in the 1950s—a consequence of Lebanese immigration to Pueblo in the ’30s. That makes them hardly any more traditional than Taco Bell, founded in 1962.
Read the full article [Here].
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The article specifies that only Tacos Al Pastor (which even looks like shawarma) is of Lebanese Origin, not Taco’s as a whole. You need to be more clear in that, since tacos have been documented in Mexico since the 16th Century by conquistadors.
Actually tacos al pastor don’t look like shawarma at all. Moreover, they have completely different tastes. Maybe what the article is trying to explain is that tacos al pastor where first worldwide known after the some lebanese people got them from a pueblo (town) and then showed them to the world.
Tacos didn’t originate with the Lebanese but you can make a claim that Lebanese Immigrants to Mexico did lend a hand to mixing things up & adding their own touch on the dish . . .
from the Smithsonian . . .
“You’re also starting to see new migrants coming into Mexico. For example, there are a lot of Lebanese migrants, and one of the things they bring with them is shawarma, or gyros—vertical rotisseries where they cook lamb, and they put it on little pita breads. But when they start putting [the meat] on tortillas, they’re called tacos arabes: Arab tacos. Again, it’s the second generation, the children of these Lebanese migrants, who change the recipe a little bit and start using pork instead of lamb. And they start adding a little pineapple. Tacos al pastor, which really doesn’t catch on until the 1960s, then becomes a standard Mexican dish that’s everywhere.”
Read more: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/Where-Did-the-Taco-Come-From.html#ixzz22nGVF6ml