Why there’s no such thing as an ‘authentic’ taco episode artwork

EPISODE · Nov 20, 2025 · 26 MIN

Why there’s no such thing as an ‘authentic’ taco

from St. Louis on the Air

In reviews of Mexican restaurants across St. Louis, you’ll find numerous mentions of “authenticity.” But what makes a Mexican dish, like the taco, truly authentic? For Ignacio M. Sánchez Prado, that’s asking the wrong question. In his new book, “Taco,” Sánchez Prado challenges the idea of authentic food by exploring how migration and modernity have shaped the taco from its origins as a working-class staple in Mexico to a transnational icon that comes in many different textures and flavors.

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Why there’s no such thing as an ‘authentic’ taco

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This episode is 26 minutes long.

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This episode was published on November 20, 2025.

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In reviews of Mexican restaurants across St. Louis, you’ll find numerous mentions of “authenticity.” But what makes a Mexican dish, like the taco, truly authentic? For Ignacio M. Sánchez Prado, that’s asking the wrong question. In his new book,...

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