While pizza is originally Italian and very simple in ingredients and style, many cultures have adopted it, creating their twists on the classic. Each country has its version, and Mexico is no exception. However, is Mexican pizza Mexican for real, and why does everyone think of Taco Bell at its mention?
Mexican pizza was invented during the 1950s in San Antonio, Texas – not Mexico. Since its inception, it’s been adopted into menus across the US, including the fast-food chain Taco Bell. The restaurant takes a pizza concept and mixes it with traditional Mexican ingredients and dishes.
While you could simply order a Mexican-style pie in most restaurants, what exactly would that dish have? Learn more about the traditional Mexican ingredients and how Taco Bell managed to add a famously Italian dish to their typically Mexican menu.
Is Mexican Pizza Mexican, and Why Is It Called That?
Essentially, when making Mexican pizza, the base for the dough would be similar to the one for a tortilla. Since pizzas are nothing more than various toppings on flatbread, it makes sense why different cultures would adopt this dish – it’s easy and can taste amazing if the ingredient combination works.
The Pizza Is Mexican on Account of the Ingredients
The beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and so is the concept of pizza. Some can take a ready-made flour tortilla and top it with tomato sauce, cheese, and spices, and say it’s one of the recipes from Mexico.
Traditional Mexican ingredients would be:
- Corn,
- Beans,
- Jalapeno and similar spicy peppers,
- Salsa and other sauces,
- Meat, typically ground beef or pork.
If you put all this on top of a tortilla or some dough, it’d be a Mexican pizza no matter what.
Where to Find Recipes for Mexican Style Pizzas
If you don’t feel confident in your cooking skills and dough-proofing, look for recipes on various Mexico-style pizzas online. There are numerous cooking websites where people from all over the world share recipes and ingredient combinations.
If you search for a Mexican-style recipe for a pie, you’ll undoubtedly come across at least one that will suit your tastes and preferences. All you’ll need, besides buying ingredients, is a grill or an oven to prepare the pie for eating.
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How Taco Bell Made Mexican Pizza Relevant and a Fan Favorite
Americans may first think of Taco Bell when hearing the words “Mexican pizza”. This is because, until 2020, this fast-food restaurant chain served dozens of dishes by that name daily.
However, Taco Bell’s Mexican pizza isn’t exactly what you’d expect. They use a twist on classic Mexican dishes reminiscent of nachos or quesadillas a little more than the actual Italian originals.
The dish was essentially a mix of beef, beans, and cheese between two fried tortillas and topped with taco sauce, tomatoes, peppers, and olives with more cheese. Simple, but it made many people happy for a very long time.
Taco Bell Discontinued and then Promised to Bring Back This Hot Product
Fans were highly disappointed when Taco Bell announced the discontinuation of Mexican pizza from their menu; some went through the lengths of signing petitions for the restaurant to reinstate the dish at the time.
The mighty phenomenon of this dish mostly grew out of an already established reputation of Taco Bell. Their food is known to be a kind of craving-worthy comfort food, and it seems as though this dish was no exception.
According to some sources, the restaurant has announced the return of the famous and beloved Mexican pizza this year, after nearly two years of it being discontinued. Considering the outrage when it happened, it’s surprising that they even got rid of it.
Their official reason for the discontinuation was reducing waste, giving many numbers and facts that proved that making the dish was wasteful. Still, if they learned how to reduce waste and continue to create the beloved classic, fans will be more than happy about this comeback.
According to Reviews, this Pizza Is Worth a Try
Many people have raved about the taste of Taco Bell’s Mexican pizza, but what’s the catch? Why is this dish so popular and missed at the moment? Some people call it “perfectly ratioed nachos” since the distribution of ingredients is even, while the crunch is still there.
If you’re a fan of Mexican food, you may prefer to get your meals from more authentic places. They likely won’t have the Mexican pizza everyone loves, but they’ll for sure have other traditional dishes, like tacos and burritos.
Is Taco Bell’s Mexican Pizza Vegan?
Unfortunately for vegan people, the Taco Bell Mexican pizza isn’t vegan. It has beef and cheese as the main ingredients, and the sauce is typically dairy-based; likely, most menu items at the fast-food chain aren’t vegan at all.
If you want to create your vegan twist on the famous dish, omit the meat and cheese or use substitutes that can be purchased in almost any supermarket nowadays. They’re usually plant-based cheese, a black beans and green beans mixture that resembles ground beef, and a simple tomato sauce.
Try Different Recipes Until We Get the Taco Bell Specialty Back
Whatever sort of pizza you like, you won’t have a hard time finding the right ingredients and recipes. Pizzas are generally customized according to preferences, which is why some people use pineapples on theirs, and others like a simple tomato sauce and cheese pairing.
Until you have the chance to eat the chain Mexican pizza again, or for the first time, try cooking some by yourself and make a dish worth remembering at home. The most important thing is that a pizza can be whatever you want it to be.