Taco Bell removed Mexican pizza from its menu to make room for new items, but popular demand made it return.
Joshua Blanchard / Getty Images
hide captions
switch captions
Joshua Blanchard / Getty Images
Taco Bell removed Mexican pizza from its menu to make room for new items, but popular demand made it return.
Joshua Blanchard / Getty Images
Taco Bell has announced the return of Mexican pizza, a favorite among South Asian communities around the country.
Like many children in Indian families, Krish Jagirdar was raised as a vegetarian, meaning that most fast food is not on the table.
“One place we were allowed to go, which we used to go to, was Taco Bell,” he said. “Mexican pizza is something I’ve been hooked on time and time again. It’s dear, it’s hugely popular among Indian-Americans.”
Jagirdar said he would trade meat for vegetarian ingredients. But it’s not just the vegetarian options that have drawn the Jagirdar family to Taco Bell – he says the flavors and emphasis on spices appeal to Indian-Americans because they’re similar to food at home.
“They put a lot of emphasis on seasoning,” he said. “So I think in many ways it’s almost as accessible to them as Indian fast food while still being clearly part of American culture.”
Despite the name, Mexican pizza is a signature American concoction. Nothing like that exists in true Mexican cuisine, and some might argue that the snack doesn’t even really look like pizza.
However, Taco Bell’s work has flourished since it debuted as Pizazz Pizza in 1985, particularly in South Asian communities.
“It’s almost like an inside joke with people when you meet another brown person, you’re like, ‘What do you get at Taco Bell?” Like, obviously Mexican pizza,” said Rima Parikh, a comedian and writer who proclaimed her love of Mexican pizza in one Articles in 2020.
She even customized what she ordered: beans instead of beef, adding potatoes and nacho cheese sauce. At some point, she also added nacho fries.
So when this item was discontinued in 2020, she felt at a loss.
“I was stuck where I liked, oh, I don’t even know what I’m supposed to like. I guess I’ll try something else. But I think about my staple, I’m like, I don’t. know what it is,” she said.
When the favorite dish was discontinued a year and a half ago, disappointment abounds.
So Jagirdar rallied to bring it back. He started a change.org petition that gathered over 170,000 signatures.
Jagirdar’s petition is truly sensational, as the screenshots of these signatures show.
NPR
hide captions
switch captions
NPR
Jagirdar’s petition is truly sensational, as the screenshots of these signatures show.
NPR
“I sent it out to my friends and family, and I mean it when I say the petition started spreading like wildfire through text message chains, email chains, just like I was doing. talk about old uncles and aunts of India sharing it in groups.”
Then, last week, to Jagirdar’s surprise, Taco Bell got in touch.
“They were like, ‘Hey, we’re bringing back Mexican pizza. And, you know, we really, really appreciate everything you’ve done to really ignite its desire for revival. “
Mexican Pizza returns to the menu May 19, and both Parikh and Jagirdar have the date marked on their calendars.
Audio version of this story has been edited by Amy Isackson.
