The Mexican dish consisting of a folded corn tortilla with a filling is a taco.
A traditional taco uses a small, hand-sized tortilla—usually corn, though wheat tortillas are also common—wrapped or folded around a filling. Fillings can include pork, beef, chicken, seafood, beans, vegetables, or cheese. Tacos are typically eaten by hand and finished with garnishes such as onion, cilantro, salsa, lime, or chiles.
The word taco covers a remarkably broad family of Mexican foods. Tacos al pastor, carnitas, carne asada, fish tacos, and tacos de barbacoa differ in meat, preparation, and regional tradition while sharing the folded-tortilla format.
A common mix-up is the hard-shell taco familiar from many American fast-food restaurants. That version uses a crisp, fried corn tortilla and became especially popular in the United States during the twentieth century. A quesadilla is another possible confusion, but its defining feature is usually melted cheese between folded tortillas. A taco’s defining element is the tortilla-and-filling combination, not one particular topping.