The Origin of Taco Rice

[Sex Wax]

Taco rice (タコライス, takoraisu?) is a Japanese dish and a popular example of Okinawan cuisine. It consists of taco-flavoured ground beef served on a bed of rice and lettuce, frequently also served together with tomato, cucumber, cheese and topped off with salsa. Occasionally, it might be served, with rice and all, in a tortilla roll. It is a very common meal on Okinawa, and is often served as school lunch.

Occasionally, the ingredients of taco meat, rice, and cheese are combined, dipped in batter, and fried into a "taco rice and cheese" ball, served with plenty of ketchup. This is especially popular at some of the local outlets in Kin, just outside of Camp Hansen in Okinawa.

KFC put taco rice on its menu in all of Japan in 1996, and Yoshinoya (nationwide gyudon restaurant) serves it in the chain's Okinawan restaurants since 2004. It is one of the most well-known dishes of the Okinawan cuisine outside of Okinawa.

Legend has it that the dish was created in the 1960s by a local chef in Kin, Okinawa, home to one of the United States Marine Corps bases, who combined the Tex-Mex dish, which was very popular among the American Marines, with the staple diet of Okinawa, rice.

One peculiarity of the Okinawan taco is how the Tex-Mex–flavour is sometimes emulated through the use of soy sauce, mirin and sake.

-Wikipedia

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/51/Taco_rice.jpg

[TheLastDon]

Interesting picture, how the heck do you eat taco rice with chopsticks.:-|

[Sex Wax]

The chopstocks are just a garnish :thumbup1:

[Muku]

Interesting picture, how the heck do you eat taco rice with chopsticks.:-|

Vely easiry!:D Pickie uppu za purato and shovel it in your mouf!:thumbup:

[proudtobnotpc]

The chef's name is Eddie and he still makes the meat and deliveres it to all his King Tacos. He used to also have a really cool bar in Kin - The infamous "Cave" rumor has it he got so frustrated dealing with the drunken Marines, after the last customer left he shut off the lights closed the shutter and never went back in. It still sits there with everything in it. Talk about a trip down memory lane

[Trail]

We love homemade Taco Rice. I always wondered where they arrived to the conclusion of putting taco ingredients on rice. IMO, they improvised one day and it just plained tasted great. W00T! for taco rice!

[Black Orchid]

i LOVE TACO RICCCCCCCCCCCCCCE :)

[Sex Wax]

All this talk about taco rice made me want some for lunch.

I just got back from the Awase area, and stopped at the place I like to get Taco rice from sometimes. Taco rice topped with fresh lettuce, tomato, soft avacado and chopped sweet onions and the original house taco sauce. It's the best Taco Rice made by someone other than my wife on Okinawa. Blows anything made in Kin out of the water.

[0341isa]

Thanks man. I often find myself wondering about the origin of Taco rice. Not the origin as in history and lineage, so much as the origin as in me eating taco rice and a day later looking in the toilet bowl like "hmm..where the hell did THAT come from??? Is that a...? I don't remember eating any carrots..."

[Courtney]

Taco Rice is yummy with a fried egg and hot sauce on top!

[Richard Burns]

Taco Rice FTMFW!!!!!!!!!!!

[Jazz]

Had to groan you SW for not telling us where this place is w/ the avocado etc..

[Sex Wax]

Had to groan you SW for not telling us where this place is w/ the avocado etc..

It's a secret. I wouldn't want to see a bunch of Air Force folks in cammies down there at lunch time.

[Alana]

Taco Rice is yummy with a fried egg and hot sauce on top!
you put hot sauce on everything, weirdo.
:grin1:

[Alana]

i like Taco Rice, and Paul love's it with every fiber of his being. I've never made it, i guess i should work on perfecting it while husbeast is away.

[Jazz]

Completely understood. I'll just start hitting every joint in and around Awase that serves Taco Rice until I find it. And in the mean time I'll make it at home.

Courtney, you're right on about that egg and hot sauce, that is good. I like to put salsa or hot sauce on my Omu rice too.

[DougP]

Eggs and salsa FTW!!!! :first:

[Blues]

I havent had taco rice yet. The only time I see it is the AAFES roach coach rolls around. For some reason taco meat and rice dont seem like a complete meal to me. I'm probably very wrong about that, so where I should I get my first plate?

[OtisPMerriweather]

It ain't really taco rice unless you get it in Kin. I've never been to a place outside of Kin that made it correctly.

Not to say it can't be good, It's just not the same.

[Jazz]

I havent had taco rice yet. The only time I see it is the AAFES roach coach rolls around. For some reason taco meat and rice dont seem like a complete meal to me. I'm probably very wrong about that, so where I should I get my first plate?

I've had decent Taco rice at King Tacos various locations. However, It seems to me that King Tacos quality has diminished considerably. I rarely go anymore but someone else may be able to offer a suggestion for a good King Tacos location, maybe Kin (the original). Other than that I'm not sure, I'd say maybe try My House restaurant at the bottom of the hill from Futenma on pipeline rd. Or make it at home. Taco meat, cheese and salsa on top of rice will do it if you don't like veggies (I know many people don't). But if you realy want it good add lettuce, tomato, avocado, onion, cilantro maybe a little lime...whatever you like.

[Trail]

Zero- Taco-Ya's next to HR has decent taco rice with a great hot salsa. It's cheap and near KAB too.

[Haru-sa]

All this talk about taco rice made me want some for lunch.

I just got back from the Awase area, and stopped at the place I like to get Taco rice from sometimes. Taco rice topped with fresh lettuce, tomato, soft avacado and chopped sweet onions and the original house taco sauce. It's the best Taco Rice made by someone other than my wife on Okinawa. Blows anything made in Kin out of the water.

man, I wish you'd share that one.

Close relative of taco rice is the "burrito rice" at 50's cafe. go straight out of expressway exit 5 and across the intersection for almost 1KM, on the right. I think it's saffron rice (it's yellow, but not curry) with a meaty chili type substance over it and all of the veggie trimmings.

[Spadesy]

Taco Rice is yummy with a fried egg and hot sauce on top!

What are you, Korean? Or French?

They're the only people I know who will look at an already-awesome tasting food and be like "you know what this thing needs? A FRIED EGG on top of it!"

Taco Rice is the bomb...I eat it almost everyday for lunch, really useful on those days when there's a lot of work to do and I don't want to leave for lunch.

[Trail]

Woot! Taco Rice for dinner!

[abonifi1]

It ain't really taco rice unless you get it in Kin. I've never been to a place outside of Kin that made it correctly.

Not to say it can't be good, It's just not the same.

White Kitchen, or New Philly?

Humpy's was decent but they went out of business..


Outside of Kin, Go-En Yakiniku's have some damn good TRC

[gtlm2000]

I found some Taco rice in Izakaya place in Shizuoka, and I tried to eat it, but
it's not real taco rice :( Okinawan's Taco rice is best!!