What's The Difference Between A Midwestern Walking Taco And A Southern Frito Pie?

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Culinary vernacular can be fascinating, whether you're having the classic pop-versus-soda debate or exploring how food names differ between the U.S. and U.K. Another prime example is the difference between the walking taco and the Frito pie. Though some may use these names interchangeably due to the dishes' similarities, there are distinctions between them. This includes how they're served — namely that the walking taco comes in a chip bag — and their ingredients, like the Frito pie's unique focus on chili.

Even esteemed celebrity chefs can confuse the two. In a 2013 episode of "Parts Unknown," for example, Anthony Bourdain visited a Santa Fe establishment where he ate chili, cheese, and Fritos in a chip bag and called it a "Frito pie" (via YouTube). While the ingredients were correct, this was technically a walking taco, as it came in the qualifying chip bag. In fairness, Bourdain was likely using the information at hand.

Pioneer Woman Ree Drummond noted her confusion when sharing her similar chili-in-a-chip-bag Frito pie recipe in 2023. Before she began, Drummond prefaced, "I'm not exactly sure why it's called 'pie.' It isn't a pie, at least it isn't what I think of as pie. But no one asked me, and that's just fine."

Walking tacos are an on-the-go handheld, the ingredients of which are reminiscent of a disassembled taco. Seasoned ground beef is piled into a snack-sized bag of tortilla or corn chips like Doritos or Fritos — which take the place of the traditional tortilla — along with the usual taco accompaniments, like classic pico de gallo, sour cream, and cheese. Just like any other taco recipe, there are countless variations with inclusions like like carnitas, pulled pork, or steak.

Where exactly the walking taco took its first steps is up for debate. Folks can agree, however, that it was preceded by the Frito pie and is a popular stadium food in the Southern state of Texas. It's unclear when the dish transitioned from chili to taco ingredients, but it eventually made its way into the Midwest, where locals dubbed it a walking taco. Aside from being delicious, this dish's convenience is one of its best features. The bag in which it's served doubles as a self-contained plate, which caters to easy preparation, serving, and cleanup. Because of this, walking tacos are popular during other major gatherings or even camping trips.

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What sets Frito pies apart from walking tacos are their assembly, structure, and use of chili rather than taco-seasoned meat. Following a casserole-style layering, corn chips act as the pie's base, which is topped with chili and additional Fritos layers. These are paired with ingredients like cheese, diced tomatoes, and onions, which can double as the pie's upper crust. For extra spice, some variants swap out the standard Fritos for their Flamin' Hot sibling.

Frito pie may have originated sometime in the 1960s at what is now a Five & Dime General Store in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Even today, the establishment slings its chili-cheese concoctions in branded chip bags, even though this technically disqualifies them as proper Frito pies. Another origin story proposes that the dish was featured as part of the major corn chip brand's 1950s "Cooking with Fritos" campaign. The predating recipe appeared on the back of Frito bags and was supposedly inspired by a recipe from founder Charles Elmer Doolin's mother, Daisy.

Ultimately, recipe names serve many purposes, like communicating cooking methods and ingredients. Perhaps the Frito pie should have been called a "Frito casserole" for accuracy, but the existing name and that of the walking taco do their jobs just fine. Regardless, there is a difference between them, so spread the word at your next campfire — or turn those walking tacos into a loaded casserole if you don't care about specifics.