San Antonio is especially associated with the puffy taco, a Tex-Mex specialty.
A puffy taco is made from uncooked masa dough that is deep-fried so it expands into a light, crisp, irregular shell. The shell is then filled with ingredients such as seasoned meat, lettuce, tomato, cheese, and salsa. Its texture differs from the rigid, preformed shells commonly used for ordinary hard-shell tacos.
San Antonio restaurants helped make the puffy taco a recognizable local specialty. The dish is often linked with Ray’s Drive Inn, where it became a signature item, and with Henry’s Puffy Tacos, another well-known San Antonio institution.
The puffy taco should not be confused with a fried tortilla folded after cooking. Its distinctive shell begins as fresh masa and puffs during frying. That preparation gives the taco its airy interior and uneven, blistered appearance.