The amazing science behind the Doritos Locos Taco

The Doritos Locos Taco has been a smash hit for both Taco Bell and Frito-Lay. This corporate collaboration started three years ago in 2009, when the CEO of Taco Bell announced that for the company's 50th anniversary in 2012, he wanted to produce a truly genre-breaking, novel food. The company didn't want to look old - given that its core demographic is kids in their 20s - so the CEO challenged his team to reinvent the crunchy taco.

The folks at Frito-Lay finally came through with the solution: Why not make a taco shell out of Doritos? Why not indeed. This turned out to be a much bigger challenge than anyone had anticipated, but the CEO was committed to the idea. It was one of those things that seems obvious once you hear it. Why NOT make a Taco Bell shell out of Doritos!

The first problem they faced was in the construction of the shell itself. Doritos and Taco Bell tacos are made of an entirely different corn mixture. A taco has to bend, and it has to be shipped across the country without breaking. But a Dorito has a very high level of crunch - which unfortunately also makes the Doritos very fragile.

Once they overcame those hurdles, the question became how to get the Doritos powder to attach to the taco. Early prototypes involved spraying the taco shells with a paint gun. This idea had to be modified, because otherwise the level of Doritos powder overspray in the factory would "create an almost Nacho Cheese gas chamber" for the factory workers.

This Fast Company article goes in depth into the creation process, and is as fascinating for Doritos Tacos Locos fans as it is for people who get a horrified thrill reading about how corporate giants shape the foods that we eat.

Image courtesy Flickr/jslander