Norway’s taco shells, ranked

Disclaimer: Norway, we love you and hope this commentary is taken in the spirit of good-natured teasing that is intended. But, these taco shells are garbage 🙂

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An unexpected cultural oddity is the role that the taco plays in Norwegian society. Tacos are based around the spices and produce available in a specific part of the world, and Norway is… not that part of the world. If you were to guess the number of people of Mexican heritage currently living in Norway, you could do a lot worse than guessing zero. Nevertheless, according to a nonscientific study by the tabloid Side2, about one-fifth of Norwegians eat tacos every Friday, a phenomenon known as fredagstaco (Taco Friday). It is commonly said that Norway eats more tacos per capita than anywhere in the world outside Mexico. The University of Oslo claims¹ that tacos have become Norway’s “national dish.”²

The Taylors like tacos too! Annalise and I set out to learn what the options are. Gavin graciously provided his opinion of each taco vessel. I provide occasional commentary too.

5. Old El Paso taco boats

Gavin: These are so bad. If forced to guess what they’re made of, my best guess would be recycled wallpaper.

Allison agrees but notes that Annalise ate three of the eight in the package plain.

4. Santa Maria taco tubs and mini tacos tubs

Gavin: These shouldn’t exist, but if you were to choose a random object from the world and put it in your mouth, it would taste better than taco boats.

3 (tie). Santa Maria tortillas, beetroot flavor

Gavin: Tacos shouldn’t taste like beets, and making tacos taste like beets doesn’t make them taste better, so I can’t say I support these. But despite that, if they’re going to be this color, it’s somehow a little reassuring they taste like beets.

Allison: In fairness, it only takes like beets if you eat them plain like Annalise. When filled, the beet taste is obscured by the subtle flavors of the Old El Paso spice pack.

3 (tie). Santa Maria tortillas, carrot flavor

Gavin: I make no distinction between carrot and beetroot tortillas. I don’t really know what a “forever chemical” is, but I strongly suspect they’re involved here.

2. Old El Paso crunchy taco shells

Gavin: They fail at the fundamental purpose of the low-cost tortilla, which is to deliver taco filling to your face. After one bite they shatter, and now you have a taco salad.

1. First Price brand white flour tortillas

Gavin: All you’re asking for in this class of tortillas is for them to at least not make the taco worse. I wouldn’t say First Price tortillas quite achieve that goal (they’re weirdly cakey?), but they come the closest of anything that’s out here. Observant readers will also note the label makes use of the word “lefse,” which refers to (among Taylors) my arrangement of blankets for sleeping, or (among everyone else) a potato bread product which is flat but is otherwise entirely unlike tortillas.

In conclusion, while it is common for one culture’s food, when filtered through another culture’s traditions, to come out unique and capable in its own right (Tex-Mex! American Chinese food!), we’re not sure either culture has put its best foot forward here.

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¹ This claim is from a 2021 master’s thesis entitled “Taco Norway: The History of a National Dish.”

² If this is true, the taco displaces another Norwegian classic, the Grandiosa frozen pizza. To understand the enormity of that statement, please know that Grandiosa is so popular that it became the subject of a song that topped the Norwegian pop charts for eight weeks in 2006. Norwegian speakers will pick up that Grandiosa is enjoyed on lørdagspizza, Pizza Saturday. So, since Taco Friday and Pizza Saturday don’t conflict, maybe you can just enjoy both.