I threw a steak on the grill the other night so I could make steak tacos for dinner, or did I make fajita's? What's the difference? Let's find out — to the interwebs!

Before we find out, let's take a look at what goes into each (or at least how I make them):

Tacos
  • Cooked Meat
  • Shredded Cheese
  • Vegetable Toppings
  • Sour Cream
  • Guacamole
  • Hot Sauce
  • Served in a soft tortilla shell
Faijtas
  • Cooked Meat
  • Shredded Cheese
  • Vegetable Toppings
  • Sour Cream
  • Guacamole
  • Hot Sauce
  • Served in a soft tortilla shell

Hmmmm, well that doesn't help. But there has to be some difference, right? Why would there be two different names if they were the same thing?

As it turns out, there is indeed a difference, albeit a small one. According to Susannah Chen at Yumsugar.com quoting Lisa Fain of the Texas cooking blog Homesick Texan, the difference isn't in the presentation or final product, but in the cooking method, particularly the meat ingredient.

Fajitas (or "little belts" in Spanish) originally hail from Mexico, where the term only applies to beef — specifically, the grilled meat that comes from the narrow skirt steak portion of the cow. In the United States, the term's been applied to a plethora of other proteins, from chicken to shrimp and everything in between.

So essentially you can have fajitas become tacos, but you can't have tacos become fajitas if that makes any sense. Technically I did not make steak tacos for dinner the other night, I made fajitas that we chose to turn into tacos as opposed to putting the meat on top of tortilla chips and having fajita nachos. Does that clear it up? #TheMoreYouKnow

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