Taco

[John F. Schwaller]

A friend of mine, who is not a subscriber and who does not study Nahuatl
sent me the following query:

>But the real reason I'm writing is to ask you a question about Nahuatl.  Is
>there a word for taco?  When I looked in Santamaria, the first gastronomic
>references are from Manuel Payno and Luis Inclan, and of course the etymology
>is a Spanish (or French) word for a cloth plug for a musket shot.

Is there a root in Nahuatl?  The closest thing I could come up with on the
spot was "tlaco" meaning half, perhaps referring to the folded-over nature
of the tortilla in a taco.



John F. Schwaller
Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Dean
315 Behmler Hall
University of Minnesota, Morris
600 E 4th Street
Morris, MN  56267
320-589-6015
FAX 320-589-6399
schwallr at mrs.umn.edu