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Taco Nation: History of Mexican-American Food

1950's Magazine Ad for Canned Tamales

1950's Magazine Ad for Canned Tamales

Washington, DC
Saturday, March 9, 2013

According to historian Jeffrey Pilcher, the taco cannot be found in Mexico prior to the 1890’s, and they arrived in the U.S. in the 1920’s. In this program, Pilcher is joined by columnist and author Gustavo Arellano and National Museum of American History curator Rayna Green to discuss the history of Mexican-American food from 19th century canned tamales and chile con carne to the fast food chains of today. This program is associated with the National Museum of American History exhibit, “Food: Transforming the American Table 1950-2000."

Updated: Saturday, March 9, 2013 at 12:27pm (ET)

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