I remember in the 1970’s going to a friend’s birthday party. On the kitchen counter, a large spread of food was laid out, with a pile of Frito bags front and center, flanked by bowls of seasoned ground beef, chopped lettuce, shredded cheese, diced tomatoes, and assorted other taco toppings. “We’re having walking tacos!” someone said. Everyone around me was excited but I tilted my head in confusion until the hosting mom explained: “You open a bag of chips, add the taco ingredients you like, shake it all up…and enjoy.”
It was, of course, delicious, because all of those things are delicious together. I grew up on the same basic thing, but in Ortega shells; only the concept of putting it all in a chip bag was new to me. It was novel and intriguing and fun, in a way that all party food should be.
You’re probably familiar with the walking taco if you’re a fan of street food, convenience or even just snacking. Today, the walking taco most commonly refers of an individual-sized bag of Doritos cut open along the long edge and filled with the usual taco topping suspects, but the original walking tacos were made with Fritos corn chips. And, before those, there was the Frito pie, the original walking taco, allegedly born in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Frito pie differs from today’s walking taco by excluding taco toppings in favor of chili, shredded cheese and chopped onions, and the birthplace of the curiously tasty dish is actually disputed between those who claim Mexican, Texan and New Mexican origins, but Santa Fe’s story is given extra appeal for one special reason: The original Woolworth’s counter where it was said to be invented by Teresa Hernández in the 1960s is still intact and dishing out the pie by the bagful daily.
The term “walking taco” specifically became popular in the Midwest for its portability at fairs and sports games. It is also known as “taco-in-a-bag” in the Ohio Valley and “Dorilocos” in Mexico. It became a staple at concession stands to allow patrons to eat on the go.
I ate this wonderful dish again at Casa de Fritos in Frontierland. Casa de Fritos was a restaurant located in Disneyland’s Frontierland in Anaheim, California which served Mexican-inspired meals and snacks as part of a partnership between Disney and Frito-Lay. The snack food was featured in almost every meal, and if guests just wanted a bag of Frito chips, they could stop by the Frito Kid statue and vending machine. It would also be known as the birthplace of the Dorito, created as a way to recycle old tortillas by frying them into chips.
In the mid-60s, a food supplier noticed the restaurant had a fair number of unused tortillas that would go stale. It was suggested they fry them, break them into pieces and then toss the tortilla pieces with taco seasoning and with that, Doritos were born. Frito-Lay executives saw their popularity and began to produce them for retail sales, first regionally then nationally. In 1982, Disney ended its partnership with Frito-Lay and the restaurant was remodeled.
The walking taco is heavily associated with the 1990s, frequently appearing at school lunches, backyard BBQs, and family gatherings. We had them while camping and at the beach.
My Pinterest boards are full of various walking meals and desserts. Basically, you can use any chip or snack you like. Potato chips, popcorn, pretzels, or cookies all have potential. Here are some of my favorites.
BBQ Pork Walking Tacos
Ingredients
2 to 3 cups BBQ pulled pork
BBQ sauce
4 bags individual size potato chips
Toppings such as shredded lettuce, shredded cheese, sour cream, jalapeno slices
Instructions
Put the pork in a bowl and add BBQ sauce (as much or as little according to your preference). Microwave for a minute or two to warm up the pork and toss so the BBQ is evenly mixed. Open the bags of individual size potato chips and add some pork and toppings such as shredded lettuce, shredded cheese, sour cream, jalapeno slices. Crush the bag of chips slightly toward the bottom, use a fork to mix everything together and eat right from the chip bag.
Walking apple pie
Ingredients
11 Teddy Grahams snack packs
21 ounces apple pie filling
canned whipped topping like ReddiWhip
Instructions
Carefully cut open each bag with scissors, leaving about 2 inches of space above the cookies. Spoon a couple of tablespoons of apple pie filling into each bag, layering it over the cookies. Add a generous dollop of ReddiWhip or whipped topping and garnish with 2 more Teddy Grahams from an extra bag.
Walking Chili Cheese Dogs
Ingredients
Mini Funyun Bags
Chili
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Hot Dogs
Instructions
Open the bags of Funyuns & remove the rings. Pour in cooked chili. Add slices of cooked hot dogs. Add the Funyuns back in. Top with cheddar cheese.
Frito Chili Pie
Ingredients
Mini Frito Bags
Chili
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Green Onion
Sour Cream
Jalapeño Slices
Instructions
Open each individual Frito bag and carefully remove the chips from the bag. You can use the bag itself as the “bowl” for your walking Frito pie. Spoon a generous amount of your chosen chili into each bag. Don’t overfill, as you want to leave space for the other toppings. Carefully pour the Frito chips back into the bag on top of the chili. Sprinkle each bag with shredded cheddar cheese, diced green onion, and a dollop of sour cream. Jalapeño Kick (Optional): For those who love a bit of spice, add a thin jalapeño slice to each bag.
Walking banana pudding
Ingredients
5.1 ounces box instant banana pudding
2 cups milk
8 packages single serving mini vanilla wafers
1 banana sliced
8 ounces tub cool whip
Instructions
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the pudding mix and milk. Allow the pudding to set for 5 minutes. Cut open the tops of the bags of vanilla wafers and flip over the edges of the bag. Spoon the pudding into each bag of vanilla wafers. Add the bananas to the bags and top with a dollop of cool whip.