Pawhuska, Oklahoma is the site for a contest that might intrigue a few crafters of a dish referred to as an Indian Taco. The event is called the National Indian Taco Championships and the last one held was on May 16, 2009. Categories include the traditional Indian taco, a dessert-style taco, and one that includes both the traditional and dessert tacos.
Talk about a tough job for judges of the event. Indians come from all corners of the country and prefer their own style of fried dough and toppings. Fried breads range from doughnut-style concoctions, to fluffy ones as big as a plate, to greasy ones, to hard ones, and to ball-shaped ones (I am sure there are many more styles). They all appease to their maker's desires. Not to mention the variety of chile (beans) that is to complete a taco. Some like their chili spicy. Some like it plain. Others like it from a can. The variations are numerous. So much variety to choose from and only one is chosen from each category as the best. All of the entries are probably a winner in the maker's eyes.
I'll leave the dessert-style part up to those who are more passionate about it than I. Although, if pressed for a suggestion, I would enter this one: a whole fried bread, folded in half in my palm, with a dusting of salt and fresh, raw yellow onions mingling in between. Other than that, just some honey or peanut butter and jam on my bread constitutes as a dessert-style taco for me.
Personally, I think tacos begin and end with the fried bread. I like my bread golden brown, as big as a plate, crispy on the outside, fluffy and steamy on the inside, and sturdy enough to contain whatever I choose top it with or fold within. I like all the fixings, I don't discriminate, and I like to top it off with a bold and flavorful salsa.