NPR

'Where The Magic Happens': Following A Tasty Taco Trail In South Texas

In Brownsville, Texas, two Mexican restaurants are pushing the envelope of what a corn tortilla can envelop, and an award-winning cafe cooks barbacoa the old-fashioned way.
Adán Medrano, chef and food writer, savors a beef cheek taco at Vera's Backyard Bar-B-Que in Texas' Rio Grande Valley.

While the taco long ago conquered America, some aficionados believe this ancient, handheld food reaches its pinnacle in the Texas-Mexico borderlands.

A book out last year — American Tacos: A History of the Taco Trail North of the — directs taco lovers to Brownsville, the southernmost city in Texas. Brownsville gets a bad rap in the national news because it's often the dateline for stories about border barriers and desperate migrants. But there's a side to this laidback city. Among the palm trees, ox-bow lakes and 19th century buildings, the adventurous foodie can discover where the humble taco has been, and where it's headed.

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