My pursuit of the perfect taco—whether at home or eating out—is a passion that will enthrall until the end of my days. Smoky-sweet cochinita pibil, spicy charred carne asada, luxurious mole poblano … my passion for the seemingly never-ending variety of tortilla-centered tacos, burritos, enchiladas and more borders on zealotry…
And I’m far from alone in my tortilla adoration. Last year, Americans ate 4.5 billion tacos. Tortillas are a $2.4 billion business at retail, tortilla chips are approaching $5.0 billion ($2.0 billion of that is from Doritos)—and both categories are growing. The projected value of the Mexican restaurant industry in the U.S. is over $40 billion, with $10 billion coming from Taco Bell alone, which has seen sales surge over the past few years.