“Jules, you know what they call a grilled burrito in Paris?”

March 26, 2019 2:36 AM

Guardian: “The French taco, which bears little resemblance to anything Mexican, is a cross between a grilled panini, wrap and kebab, with everything sealed inside a vast rectangular parcel - fries included.” More similar to a pressed burrito, panini, or perhaps a Glaswegian munchy box encased in pastry or a wrapped Teesside Parmesan, this savoury dish usually consists of “a flour tortilla grilled and folded around a filling of French fries, cheese, and meat, among other deli ingredients”. Also available in Morocco and Canada. Hungry? Try the Gigatacos in Brooklyn.
posted by Wordshore (46 comments total)

To me, visually only, it looks like a much larger version of a steak slice from the Greggs chain, but in a tortilla instead of classic pastry, and with chips and cheese also stuffed inside.
posted by Wordshore at 2:58 AM on March 26, 2019

I would eat these but calling them tacos is offensive. Of course this, from a culture that also decided to call potatoes (another food from the Americas) “earth apples”.
posted by D.C. at 3:12 AM on March 26, 2019 [6 favorites]

French fries? Those don’t go in a taco. They go in a burrito.

It’s a vast improvement from when I tried to get Mexican food in France 15 years ago, bit into the tortilla and got a mouthful of green beans and peas.
posted by q*ben at 3:27 AM on March 26, 2019 [4 favorites]

So this is the French equivalent of the Scottish tendency to deep-fry everything?
posted by acb at 3:29 AM on March 26, 2019

Yeah... I'd eat the hell out of everything in the pictures... except the hands... I won't eat the hands that feed me.
posted by Nanukthedog at 4:13 AM on March 26, 2019 [3 favorites]

Pretty sure the Otacos in BK (the gigataco) closed like 2 years ago...they barely lasted a full year.
posted by windbox at 4:22 AM on March 26, 2019

I had some truly bizarre tacos in France before “uncooked...mirepoix in a tortilla?” So anything that kind of adapts it to local custom while not being awful is good.
posted by The Whelk at 4:26 AM on March 26, 2019 [2 favorites]

Ah I get furious every time I see a new shop selling tacos. Its the new burger here, but with no respect for the culture, tradition, or deliciousness inherent in real tacos. Also, why le tacos, why not le taco/les tacos?!

In France, to make something tex-mex, just put corn in it.
posted by os tuberoes at 5:09 AM on March 26, 2019 [5 favorites]

I feel a great disturbance, as if summoned...

a wrapped Teesside Parmesan,

Oh, god... I moved 5000 miles to be away from that particular crime against culinary tastes*... and now, it catches up to me on the Blue, of all places...

Also, it's called a "Parmo". Not a "Parmesan". Not least because most people from Middlesbrough can't spell "Parmesan"... :-)

* And also for other reasons.
posted by Nice Guy Mike at 5:10 AM on March 26, 2019

French fries? Those don’t go in a taco. They go in a burrito.

Also, primarily gyros.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 5:11 AM on March 26, 2019 [3 favorites]

If I were walking down a city street and I saw a sign that read "French Tacos $5", I might walk in, but only after serious soul searching.

Not sure if it sounds more like WWII slang for an STD or a euphemism for an obscure bedroom trick.
posted by Telf at 5:23 AM on March 26, 2019 [15 favorites]

Pretty sure the Otacos in BK (the gigataco) closed like 2 years ago...they barely lasted a full year.

My neighbour watched the video, puzzled, and said "Maybe they just sold only one?"
posted by Wordshore at 5:35 AM on March 26, 2019 [2 favorites]

I feel sad for the French, not knowing what a taco is.
posted by rodlymight at 5:46 AM on March 26, 2019 [1 favorite]

Now I want tacos. But not whatever this is. I had tacos night before last. It’s been too long.
posted by ocherdraco at 6:04 AM on March 26, 2019 [5 favorites]

I can't help but wonder if these things are signs of a depression zeitgeist. These are the kinds of things you buy when you think you're not going to eat for the next couple days.

Reminds me of those Emmy made in Japan Hard Times recipes.
posted by Bee'sWing at 6:20 AM on March 26, 2019

Oh, come on, you know it's delicious. Who cares what they call it.
posted by something something at 6:22 AM on March 26, 2019 [2 favorites]

Those look tasty, I would love to try one. Naming them after tacos is kind of weird. If anything, they have more in common with burritos, which are sometimes sold grilled (though not squished and rectangular), but it's not like they are trying to be authentic in any way so sure, why not just pick the word that sounded best to their ears?
posted by Dip Flash at 6:32 AM on March 26, 2019 [1 favorite]

Considering what this is and the French tradition they get started on quesadillas first, that’s way more in the French wheelhouse and you put in beans they love beans
posted by The Whelk at 6:48 AM on March 26, 2019 [1 favorite]

The exact origin of the French taco is shrouded in myth, but it is believed to have been born 15 years ago in a kebab shop on the outskirts of Lyon as an experiment in combining a kebab and a wrap.

This will come as a shock to Germans who have been eating lahmacun (aka "Turkish pizza") rolled-up in foil for decades.
posted by sukeban at 6:58 AM on March 26, 2019

While these bear little resemblance to the foodstuff we know as a taco, the Spanish word "taco" also translates to "wad," so I think it's a perfectly apt moniker. And yes, I would like to eat one.

(Also, isn't this something like a Crunchwrap Supreme taken to its logical gluttonous conclusion?)
posted by Faint of Butt at 7:11 AM on March 26, 2019 [4 favorites]

Pass. For the following reasons:

1. Kabab meat is nasty. It's like eating feet that are still wearing sweaty gym socks.
2. French fries as a "filling" is unacceptably redundant. One starch at a time, please.
3. Temperature control in that thing must be a nightmare.
4. I don't even like Mexican tacos. Yeah, that's right.
5. Hot sauce is clearly needed, but its availability is doubtful. Maybe some vinegar at least? Or is that too English?
6. “It was all intuitive and quite natural, it wasn’t pre-planned and I think people feel that. We did what we want, we followed no rules. We were lucky.” OK, to be fair, he's got me there.
posted by rue72 at 7:15 AM on March 26, 2019 [2 favorites]

There are days when I feel like The Guardian is trolling me. I survived the 'enchilada' 'pie' at Greggs, and this has to be better than that.
posted by betweenthebars at 7:15 AM on March 26, 2019 [1 favorite]

Looks delicious to me!

And now I'm curious, is a "pressed burrito" a thing? In Berlin expats say that Maria Bonita is one of your better options for Mexican food. And it was pretty good, but the thing they called a burrito was nothing like a Mission style burrito. Same ingredients, but way more sauce, fewer (or no) beans and rice, and then wrapped loosely and pressed in a grill. It was delicious but unexpected and ever since I've wondered if that's something they made up or if it's a style of burrito from Mexico I'm unaware of. It's definitely not German.

I'm a little sad to see any sort of takeaway fast food like this get trendy. Paris is one of the places in the West where you can still expect to have a civilized sit-down long lunch. Twenty years ago eating something out of hand on the street was unimaginable. I like my conveniences too, but it feels like backsliding.
posted by Nelson at 7:28 AM on March 26, 2019 [2 favorites]

Its like a crunch wrap supreme with fewer angles.

on preview- Faint of butt has it.
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 7:40 AM on March 26, 2019 [2 favorites]

FWIW I have gotten street tacos in Mexico City that came with French fries on top. They were good.
posted by jomato at 7:53 AM on March 26, 2019

The munchy boxes (...also sound like a euphemism but that's beside the point) sound intriguing. A collection of random foods+pizza+chips, layered on top of each other. Sorta like a clearance bin for take-out places.
posted by Fig at 8:03 AM on March 26, 2019 [1 favorite]

This is really not so different from the French version of a donair kebab ("un sandwich donair," "un sandwich grecque," or simply "un grecque"), which is also stuffed with fries and rolled into a cone.

Anyway, historically, France has had a difficult relationship with Mexico, so calling it a "taco" is kind of not the best look for them.
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 8:05 AM on March 26, 2019 [1 favorite]

2. French fries as a "filling" is unacceptably redundant. One starch at a time, please.

You are objectively wrong, I am sorry.

French fry po'boys are a thing (with roast beef gravy)
Pita and schnitzel and chips are a thing, at least they were in early 90s Israel and I loved them.
Samosas are a thing, for god's sake.
Borekas are best when filled with potato and cheese.
posted by Lawn Beaver at 8:09 AM on March 26, 2019 [3 favorites]

The munchy boxes (...also sound like a euphemism but that's beside the point) sound intriguing. A collection of random foods+pizza+chips, layered on top of each other. Sorta like a clearance bin for take-out places.

And yet the cost is still about $20 Canadian - about twice as much as you would pay here for similar take-out. British food-out is so expensive. When I was there, it was so much cheaper to get a pork pie, pasty or even a sandwich from Marks & Spencer (the fancy grocery store).
posted by jb at 8:12 AM on March 26, 2019 [1 favorite]

FWIW I have gotten street tacos in Mexico City that came with French fries on top. They were good.

What is called a taco in Mexico varies almost as much as what is called a burrito. This particular French interpretation is definitely not out of bounds.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 9:35 AM on March 26, 2019

> French fries as a "filling" is unacceptably redundant. One starch at a time, please.

At a buffet last week I used hash browns as a garnish on top of mashed potatoes and gravy, with some fried rice mixed in. It was glorious.
posted by The Card Cheat at 10:14 AM on March 26, 2019 [4 favorites]

pls back the kickstarter for my Frenxican street food truck, we got Croque Señors, you know you want one
posted by prize bull octorok at 11:09 AM on March 26, 2019 [11 favorites]

> French fries as a "filling" is unacceptably redundant. One starch at a time, please.

They're good enough to put in sandwiches and salads, why not a taco?
posted by octothorpe at 11:17 AM on March 26, 2019

There's a shawarma place near me that grills its "gyros" (which aren't really gyros IMO, but whatever, that's a lost battle) in a panini press. They wrap them in a bread-thing that's thicker than a tortilla but not as thick as an actual pita, but does get satisfyingly crunchy when grilled (I suspect it's got a ton of shortening/lard in it). They'll stuff whatever the hell you want in there.

I've never asked for fries but with some encouragement I bet they'd do it. Though I don't know why you would when you could get fresh falafel in there instead.
posted by Kadin2048 at 11:34 AM on March 26, 2019 [3 favorites]

French fries as a "filling" is unacceptably redundant. One starch at a time, please.

DON'T TELL THEM ABOUT GRAVY.
posted by srboisvert at 1:38 PM on March 26, 2019 [1 favorite]

" but calling them tacos is offensive. Of course this, from a culture that also decided to call potatoes (another food from the Americas) “earth apples”."

I think it's fair, Americas have a lot of imported cuisine names that change drastically in the localization, which is not only fine but good and worth encouraging and celebrating, cuisine elitism, if nothing else, is extremely tiring. American Pizza and Italian Pizza aren't the same things, you're kind of a goober comparing them, and you're just a dummy if you sneer at one country's pizza to audibly declare the superiority of the other.

France also really needs a boost vis-a-vis cuisine. I wonder what legacy french dishes we've americanized to the point I don't even recognize the roots. Seems like the biggest french claim to cuisine fame is figuring out carrots, celery, and onions smell and taste good when heated in the same pan.
posted by GoblinHoney at 3:07 PM on March 26, 2019

I love that the market leader is a chain called O'Tacos as though tacos are a traditional Irish food.
posted by brookeb at 3:51 PM on March 26, 2019 [2 favorites]

I wonder what legacy french dishes we've americanized to the point I don't even recognize the roots.

I recently had a "Canadian Crepe" that had "Canadian" bacon, melted swiss, and maple syrup in it. It was not as bad as it sounds, but it's not what the French do with ham and cheese.

As for French fries, I had a dish called "pollo saltados" in a Salvadoran restaurant that included French fries, and I was dubious until I tasted it. Now I'm happy to let people come up with good new recipes.
posted by acrasis at 5:04 PM on March 26, 2019

France also really needs a boost vis-a-vis cuisine.

lolwut
posted by Nelson at 5:30 PM on March 26, 2019 [2 favorites]

2. French fries as a "filling" is unacceptably redundant. One starch at a time, please.

You are objectively wrong, I am sorry.

I used to have a lot of provincial food opinions, but as I get older, I become more humble. “It’s not for me” is what I whisper to myself, more and more.

posted by Gilgamesh's Chauffeur at 5:47 PM on March 26, 2019

I am sorry for doing the ‘you are objectively wrong’ thing, that is kind of an obnoxious internet way of putting it. I have just eaten too many carb on carb combos and loved them and apparently feel strongly about them.

French tacos as described here sound yuck, to me. But not because there is something inherently wrong with stuffing french fries into your sandwich/panini/pita whatever.
posted by Lawn Beaver at 6:17 PM on March 26, 2019

I love that the market leader is a chain called O'Tacos as though tacos are a traditional Irish food.

There’s a pub down here that serves Irish Nachos. I’m waiting for a visitor to give them a try.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 3:10 AM on March 27, 2019 [1 favorite]

not because there is something inherently wrong with stuffing french fries into your sandwich/panini/pita whatever

Quick, somebody get me Pittsburgh on the phone—yeah, tell them to stand down. No, the hot tar and feathers won't be needed. … Sure, they can find somebody in a Patriots hat to dump it on, I don't care.
posted by Kadin2048 at 6:54 AM on March 27, 2019 [1 favorite]

There’s a pub down here that serves Irish Nachos. I’m waiting for a visitor to give them a try.

Oh yeah, I've had those, at the Stained Glass Pub. They're pretty good, but nothing to write home about. Basically just loaded cheese fries. The pizzas there are amazing, though. They bake them on cookie sheets and I swear they use Crisco in their dough.

But not because there is something inherently wrong with stuffing french fries into your sandwich/panini/pita whatever.

I sure think there is. So dry! Not to mention bland.

I hate when people put fries in my sandwiches because I can't eat the sandwich like that, just stuffing horrifically dry bites of bread/potato in my mouth, but when you pull out the fries, they're all soggy and gross, yet the sandwich itself is then all misshapen and somehow has like half the toppings it seemed to have before and isn't really appetizing anymore, either. That is the point in the meal when I just lay the sandwich open like a newly cleaned fish and eat the contents with a fork. That said, I don't even like closed-faced sandwiches as much as open-faced ones because I find even the second piece of bread redundant.

Will make a one-starch-at-a-time exception for aloo parantha, though, which are amazing.
posted by rue72 at 7:18 AM on March 27, 2019

As Nelson notes, it's nothing like a Mission-style burrito, and I'd go further and say that if it's pressed and grilled, it does not deserve the name "burrito", period. Call it a panini-style wrap or something, but it ain't a burrito. A burrito begins with the flour tortilla being steamed to increase its elasticity, so that being stuffed with maximum delicious ingredients doesn't cause it to split open, and ends with the entire assembly wrapped in foil. Grilling has the opposite effect on the tortilla, making it more brittle. (If they start with some gluten-poor or gluten-free tortilla, which by lack of the stretchy proteins of gluten is already prone to cracking the nanosecond you start rolling it around some ingredients, grilling guarantees that it will fall apart in the hapless customer's hands, and one of the features of a real burrito is that you can eat it, peeling back the foil as you go, without fear of it falling apart, almost to the very last bite.)

For the longest time here in Montreal, it was impossible to find a real burrito; there was a small local chain called Burritoville which committed the sin of grilling (and using tortillas that were already brittle), and even the Mexican restos with a full menu of other items well made only served them plated and covered in salsa, etc. - a knife and fork item. I found properly made burritos in Halifax(! - one of the whitest places in Canada!) before they finally arrived here in the form of two local chains, Mission Quatre and Quesada.
posted by Philofacts at 7:39 AM on March 27, 2019

All of this talk of weird cultural concoctions is reminding me of the time I went to Canada and ordered a chicken Caesar wrap in a pub. It had the usual ingredients -- romaine, Caesar dressing, chicken. There were also melted Parmesan and cheddar, croutons, and bacon stuffed in that wrap. At the time, I commented that it seems like someone had vaguely heard of the idea of a chicken Caesar wrap, but thought it needed something ...extra. (Or alternatively, someone thought they needed something on the menu to appeal to the American tourists, and nothing says America like extra cheese and bacon.)

That town also had the best cheddar scone I've ever eaten, and I wish America had really embraced the notion of savory breakfast pastry more. I still occasionally dream of that scone.
posted by PearlRose at 9:06 AM on March 27, 2019 [2 favorites]