Today, October 4th, is National Taco Day.

A taco is considered to be a tortilla folded around food. Tortillas are a type of thin flatbread, made from corn or wheat flour. The tortilla is a soft bread.

A type of modern taco that first became popular in the United States and Canada, and has since spread to other countries, is the hard shell taco, rather than the traditional soft tortilla. These, and crispy tacos, are folded into a U-shape and deep fried so that they retain their shape when used.

This type of taco is then filled with a variety of ingredients. What ingredients are used depends on personal preference, but some possibilities are shredded lettuce, meat - such as chicken and beef - that is often spiced and shredded, guacamole, salsa and jalapeño peppers.

Image: By Renee Comet (photographer) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons