Taco 101: University of Kentucky Offering Classes for this Popular Latin American Dish

A traditional Mexican dish is making a mark in Kentucky, as a college in the southeastern state in the U.S. offers a class all about it.

According to Munchies, tacos are all the rage at the University of Kentucky, where an undergraduate course about the Latin American food is now being offered.

The course, called "Taco Literacy: Public Advocacy and Mexican Food in the US South" headed by University of Kentucky assistant professor Steven Alvarez, was created to educate students on the Mexican cuisine that is now becoming popular in Kentucky.

"After going to one of their symposiums, it really hit me that food is important," Alvarez said in an interview with the outlet, adding that the stories behind the cuisine and the connections between the people making it became more 'impactful' than the food itself.

Teaching youth about food also provides an avenue for the university's students to "build more connections with the community and help with public writing."

The Writing, Rhetoric, and Digital Studies department educator also revealed that the program is aimed at bringing a more diverse environment to students who took on writing majors in order to bring them closer to their dreams.

"There is a lot of pressure for our students to go into majors like finance, economics, or medical school, because you can't tell your parents, 'I want to be a writer!'" he told the outlet, noting that those who were not brave enough to follow their dream ended up teaching.

According to the Smithsonian Magazine, the origin of the taco is still unknown, but University of Minnesota history professor Jeffrey Pilcher believes that it came from the silver mines of Mexico.

"My theory is that it dates from the 18th century and the silver mines in Mexico, because in those mines the word 'taco' referred to the little charges they would use to excavate the ore," he told the magazine.

Apparently, a 'taco' for a Mexican miner is a piece of paper that they use to wrap around gunpowder, which they later placed into holes that were carved into the rock face, much like a stick of dynamite.

"When you think about it, a chicken taquito with a good hot sauce is really a lot like a stick of dynamite," he added.

According to Pilcher, the first archive that referenced tacos dates back to the end of the 19th century when a variant of the cuisine, known as 'tacos de minero' or the miner's tacos, emerged.